Comics book research

Beyond embracing the darker undercurrents of the DC canon, the company is also revisiting characters that they believe were ill-served by previous big screen adventures.

nternally, insiders are quick to credit Walter Hamada, the longtime New Line executive who was brought on board in 2018 as president of DC Films, with helping to plot a new, more sustainable course for the DC cinematic universe. He’s credited with having a strong sense of story and with keeping a firm eye on the bottom line, reining in budgets so productions don’t go off the rails. It also helps that he is closely allied with Warner Bros. film chief Toby Emmerich, with both men having worked together on past New Line hits such as “It” and “The Conjuring.” Insiders believe that under the former regime of top DC film executives Jon Berg and Geoff Johns and DC Entertainment head Diane Nelson, there were too many decision makers involved, leading to the lack of a clear vision. They also maintain that Warner Bros. erred by initially rushing movies in the hopes of making release dates that had been snapped up before scripts were even fully in place. Emmerich has made righting the DC ship a key priority since taking control of the studio in 2017.

However, Greg Berlanti, another major talent on the Warner lot, is partnering with Johns on a “Green Lantern” television show. There’s speculation that relationship could lead to his involvement in a feature film.