Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Warner Bros. Discovery

  • ‘Joker: Folie A Deux’ Nabs 2024 Release Date

    ‘Joker: Folie A Deux’ Nabs 2024 Release Date

    While Warner Bros. Discovery continues to re-evaluate HBO Max and the projects being developed for the streaming service, the studio is moving full steam ahead on the theatrical front. Deadline has reported that the Joker sequel, Joker: Folie a Deux has nabbed an official release date. The film will be hitting theaters on Oct. 4th, 2024.

    The news comes a day after Warner Bros. Discovery announced it would be shelving the nearly complete Batgirl, which was meant to hit theaters next year. That project was said to be shelved as a tax write-off after the studio felt it wasn’t enough of an event film. The October 4th date was originally being held by Warner Bros. Discovery for an untitled DC event film, so the news isn’t entirely surprising. The first film managed to surprise with $96.2 million when it opened in October before going on to earn $1.07 billion at the box office – making it the highest-grossing R-rated film ever.

    While Joker 2 was in development prior to the merger, it managed to avoid being canceled because the studio viewed the film and director Todd Phillips as a good way forward for its DC films. In fact, back in June, reports suggested Phillips was being considered to help guide DC and Warner Bros Discovery. It remains to be seen whether or not that ends up being the case.

    Production on Joker: Folie a Deux is expected to kick off this December. Leading man Joaquin Phoenix returns as the Joker, while Lady Gaga is reportedly in talks to portray Harley Quinn in the film that is being described as a musical. Todd Phillips co-wrote the sequel with Scott Silver and will return as the director.

    Source: Deadline.

  • HBO Max Removes 6 Original Warner Bros. Films

    HBO Max Removes 6 Original Warner Bros. Films

    It would appear Warner Bros. Discovery is not done cutting movies yet. Variety is reporting that the company has been quietly removing content from its popular streaming service HBO Max, including at least six films that had been released on the platform as exclusive “HBO Max Originals”.

    The culled projects consist of Moonshot, a sci-fi rom-com starring Lana Condor and Cole Sprouse that dropped only a few months ago; Superintelligence, a dystopian rom-com from Melissa McCarthy and husband Ben Falcone; An American Pickle, a Seth Rogan comedy that stars the actor in a duel-role; The Witches, a 2020 remake of the Roald Dahl classic, directed by Robert Zemeckis with an all-star cast of Anne Hathaway, Octavia Spencer, Stanley Tucci, and Chris Rock; Locked Down, a Doug Liman heist film with Chiwetel Ejiofor and Hathaway; and finally, Charm City Kings, a drama from Angel Manuel Soto.

    The removals appear to have been made in an effort to cut costs, and were first discovered by users of Reddit after Warner Bros.’ controversial cancellations of Batgirl and Scoob!: Holiday Haunt on Tuesday. Also noted, the reboot of cult classic comedy House Party, which was set to be produced by LeBron James and Maverick Carter‘s SpringHill, has been scrubbed from HBO Max’s release calendar. It was previously expected to drop on July 28th. As mentioned by Variety, it’s not an unusual practice for streaming services to take films on and off of their catalog.

    However, it is strange that the company would remove films produced specifically for distribution on HBO Max, including Moonshot, which has only been out in the wild for about three months, and that the changes would be made without any sort of announcement. It remains to be seen if these now-unwatchable projects ever see the light of day again.

    Source: Variety

  • Former Disney Exec Joins Warner Bros. Discovery as Consultant

    Former Disney Exec Joins Warner Bros. Discovery as Consultant

    It looks like the rumors are true, as long-time Disney executive, Alan Horn, is heading over to the newly formed Warner Bros. Discovery to lend his hand on their productions. Horn retired back in 2021 and is now set to support David Zaslav, who has taken over the CEO duties of the recently merged companies. He shared the following staff memo to announce that Horn is joining their future cinematic ventures.

    I am thrilled to share with you that Alan Horn, one of the most respected studio executives in the industry, has agreed to assist me in a consultant role during this transition period, starting August 1. No one knows this business better than Alan does. He has had an extraordinary career spanning nearly half a century. Most recently, he served as chairman and later co-chairman and chief creative officer of The Walt Disney Studios, where for a period of nearly 10 years, he oversaw the production of all motion pictures and the integration of Lucasfilm and the Fox film studios, as well as the expansion into producing content for Disney’s streaming services

    David Zaslav

    In the industry, Horn has become quite famous for being an honest and upstanding executive. This announcement marks a homecoming after he was forced out as president of Warner Bros back in 2013, where he oversaw the Harry Potter franchise and even The Dark Knight project. He didn’t slow down afterward, as he built up many relationships as part of Disney to build the current slate of Marvel, Lucasfilm, and Pixar for the House of Mouse.

    So, this definitely marks a win for the company, but some have pointed out that Zaslav is focused a lot on high-priced consultants while cutting staff, which could definitely come back to haunt him. We’ll have to see what this might have in store for him and Warner Bros. Discovery.

    Source: Variety

  • Report: Henry Cavill Could Make an Appearance at DC’s Hall H Panel

    Report: Henry Cavill Could Make an Appearance at DC’s Hall H Panel

    Comic-Con International officially kicks off this Thursday, and while Marvel Studios looks to be readying some surprises for fans, it looks like Warner Bros. and DC might have an even bigger surprise in store. In its breakdown of what to expect from SDCC this weekend, Deadline seemed to tease the long-awaited return of Henry Cavill as the Man of Steel.

    According to the outlet, there is currently buzz that Cavill will show up to make a surprise appearance and talk about Superman. Cavill’s future as Superman has been uncertain ever since the Justice League movie. It seemed doubtful he’d get to don the cape again, especially as it was confirmed Warner Bros. – prior to the merger with Discovery – was working on multiple Superman projects, including a reboot with Ta-Nehisi Coates on board to pen the script. The status of that project is currently unknown, as Warner Bros. Discovery has been revamping its planned DC slate in recent months.

    While Cavill has been busy starring in Netflix’s hit series, The Witcher, the actor has made it clear he’s ready to put the cape back on. In May 2021, a report from The Hollywood Reporter suggested Warner Bros. and DC were looking for a new actor to portray Superman in the DC Extended Universe. Perhaps it is possible those plans have since changed? After all, with David Zaslav now leading the way, Warner Bros. Discovery looks keen to overhaul DC’s film slate. For now, fans of Cavill’sSuperman should make sure to follow DC’s panel on Saturday, just in case. And if he doesn’t show, well, there should be plenty of news hitting regarding both Black Adam and Shazam: Fury of the Gods.

    Source: Deadline.

  • Nexstar Nearing Deal to Take Over Majority of CW Network Alongside Its $100M+ Losses

    Nexstar Nearing Deal to Take Over Majority of CW Network Alongside Its $100M+ Losses

    It’s not been too long ago since the first news arrived that Warner Bros. Discovery was continuing its dismantling of the original structure, such as selling the CW Network. Now, it seems that Nextar Media Group who owns a slew of local television stations, is eyeing to take over the majority of the program. Accoridng to the Wall Street Journal, they aren’t even going to pay cash for it but rather will cover a significant part of its losses, which supposedly are above $100M currently.

    WSJ does point out that the deal isn’t final and could fall apart but we would know within the next few weeks. Surprisingly, Warner Bros. Discovery will still remain a shareholder with a 12.5% stake, the same amount that Paramount is going to keep. CBS and WB are still planning on creating content for CW, but Nexstar is eyeing to expand with other producers while the minority owners keep the content-licensing revenue from pre-existing deals such as their very lucrative Netflix dealings.

    It should be noted that Nexstar is already the largest owner, but this would give them almost full control over future ventures. The big focus will be to expand its target audience, as the CW broadcaster generally built its dynamic around teen-focused dramas such as Riverdale, Supernatural, Vampire Diaries, and many more. CW was never truly seen as profitable, but the Netflix deal became one of its biggest sellers that it managed to carry a network even with direct income losses from ad revenue. the broadcaster was famous for renewing series that seemingly had no audience, while their dramas entered the top 10 in the U.S. on Netflix. So, we’ll have to see if the deal comes together in the coming weeks.

    Source: WSJ

  • Warner Bros. Discovery Interested in ‘Joker’s Todd Phillips as DC Film’s Future Advisor

    Warner Bros. Discovery Interested in ‘Joker’s Todd Phillips as DC Film’s Future Advisor

    The major shake-ups at Warner Bros. Discovery come as a shock to nobody as it seemed like the company has long been trying to get things together. The newly named CEO, David Zaslav, has been sorting things out swiftly as hes gone out with the old and in with the new. Recent news of Toby Emmerich‘s exit has brought news of another development at WBD. The company has DC as a priority, a brand with an incredible amount of potential that they felt has been squandered in the past few years, and looks to be reaching out to a familiar face for help.

    The Hollywood Reporter shared that Zaslav reportedly reached out to co-writer and director of 2019’s Joker film, Todd Phillips, to ask him to get a bit more involved over at DC Entertainment. His film was a resounding hit for the studio, scoring over a billion at the box office, shockingly outgrossing Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker on a $60+ million budget. The role is purely that of an advisory role with Phillips not currently set to serve in an executive role at the studio.

    This is a bit of an odd move for the studio to make, while Joker was indeed incredibly profitable for the studio, its not particulary the direction they should be moving in with the brand. It was a story seperate from the mainline DC Extended Universe, creating yet another earth in the ever expanding multiverse within the shared universe. THR even states that while Phillips has quite limited knowledge on the DC Universe, Zaslav and Phillips have reached an understanding on the situation with the current state of DC.

    This is an interesting move for Warner Bros. Discovery but not one that could have a great effect on whats to come as if things pan out, it is only an advisory role within DC Entertainment.

    Source: THR

  • Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy Set to Replace Toby Emmerich at Warner Bros. Discovery

    Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy Set to Replace Toby Emmerich at Warner Bros. Discovery

    The past month has seen some major changes happening over in Hollywood, as the recent Warner Bros. merger with Discovery has resulted in quite a few big changes at the company. Zaslav and his team are reportedly very eager to get the DC brand back on track and use it to its fullest potential. It’s a big priority for them and they want to focus on getting big characters like Superman back on the big screen. Yet another change is coming as Tobey Emmerich will no longer serve as chairman for the studio and some new names look to have already been chosen.

    The Hollywood Reporter has revealed that with the Emmerich‘s exit, Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy will step into the role to lead the film division at Warner Bros. Zaslav intends to mold the company into something similar to what Bob Iger did over at Disney, and split the company up with multiple labels like Warner Bros, DC Entertainment, and New Line. The move would be something similar to how Disney operates with Marvel Studios, with Kevin Feige leading the charge.

    Part of De Luca and Abdy‘s deal will provide them access to producing projects under DC Entertainment and to develop the properties. DC is the studio’s biggest priority right now under the new leadership, looking to craft something similar to the success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

    Walter Hamada is still expected to remain in his current role as the president of DC films, but will now be actively reporting to De Luca and Abdy as the new studio heads. Since becoming the head of DC films, Hamada has smoothed things out with the brand with its releases since joining in 2018, with a string of hits like Aquaman and The Suicide Squad.

    Emmerich is expected to receive a production deal at the studio following his exit as chairman, so he won’t be going too far.

    Source: THR, The Wrap

  • Warner Bros. Discovery No Longer Developing Scripted Programming for TBS and TNT

    Warner Bros. Discovery No Longer Developing Scripted Programming for TBS and TNT

    The moment Warner Bros. Discovery was finalized, we expected quite a few changes from their usual business. Yet, this might be quite the big change removing forward, as they are no longer developing scripted programming for TBS and TNT moving forward. CEO David Zaslav promises that they will save $3 billion in costs with the merger. As such, these cable channels will no longer produce any scripted shows moving forward but it’s unclear what exactly will happen to the productions.

    To be fair, TNT and TBS have already dialed down their productions over the last few years. So, this seems like it was potentially in the cards all along. Discovery’s merger was just the perfect timing to fully move into this development. Currently, TBS’ remaining shows include Miracle Workers, The Last OG, Chad, and American Dad. It seems that shows that are already renewed will remain, but it’s unclear if renewals beyond that will move these shows to other productions, as American Dad was renewed for two seasons back in 2021.

    TNT only has two shows left which are Animal Kingdom and Snowpiercer. The former has already eyeing an end with its upcoming sixth season this year in June while the latter was just renewed for a fourth ahead of its Season 3 premiere. The new team forming around Warner Bros. Discovery has not been mincing any words on past business decisions and teased that “2022 will undoubtedly be a messy year.”

    Source: Variety