“We’re not releasing a movie until it’s ready.”
That was pretty much the response from the Warner Bros. CEO. Discovery’s David Zaslav when asked about the recent scrapping of Batgirl during an investor Q&A during the company’s Q2 call.
While he didn’t specifically mention the details of the latest Batgirl mess, which has greatly upset many talent reps in town, Zaslav emphasized his commitment to building a 10-year plan for DC, similar to what former Disney boss Bob Iger and Pres. of Marvel Kevin Feige have built.
“Our ambition is to get Warners back and producing great, high-quality films,” the executive said. “We can build a long-term business with sustainable growth from DC. We will not release a film before it is ready.”
He added: “The focus is on making these films as good as possible.”
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Zaslav highlighted the waste of money in making expensive films direct to streaming. “There’s no comparison when you’re releasing a movie in theaters,” he said. “The expensive movies that go to streaming … can’t find economic value for it.”
Zaslav also pointed out that there will be “a number of films” that will be released with “shorter windows.”
“We will always be flexible,” he said. “But the focus will always be on the theater.”
Deadline previously reported that Batgirl was killed off by Warner Bros. Discovery for several reasons: upsetting DC’s multiverse heading into The Flash next summer, abandoning made-for-HBO Max movies, and taking advantage of a maneuver to “account for purchases’ available to the newly merged conglomerate.
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Despite Flash star Ezra Miller’s tabloid mishaps, Zaslav made it clear Thursday that he’s still behind the film.
Warner Bros.
“We’ve been watching The Flash, Black Adam and Shazam 2,” the executive said, “We’re very excited about them. We’ve seen them. We think they’re great, and we think we can make them even better.
Deadline recently heard from those who saw a test marketing screening of The Flash that it’s truly amazing, especially since it features Ben Affleck and Michael Keaton’s Batmans in a multiverse on par with Spider-Man: No Way Home.
The Flash will be released on June 23rd, while Black Adam with Dwayne Johnson will hit theaters on October 21st, and Shazam: Fury of the Gods will be released on December 21st.
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