No matter how you feel about Batman v Superman: Dawn Of Justice, it really doesn't look like Warner Bros. was all too pleased with how the Zack Snyder-directed feature was received critically or commercially.
In what's being described as a course correcting move, Warner Bros. has made serious changes to how they will produce DC Comics-based films moving forward by appointing current executive VP Jon Berg and Geoff Johns, DC's chief content officer, as co-heads of the new DC Films, giving them full oversight of any upcoming DC feature film. They make the move with the hopes that uniting the comic acumen of Johns and the executive experience of Berg that they'll essentially be able to emulate and achieve the massive successes Marvel Studios has seen under the leadership of Kevin Feige.
The overall move is part of a larger shakeup over at WB as they attempt to shift gears to managing "genre streams" instead of one individual overseeing a broad range of movies. In laymen's terms, certain sets of executives will now have a specific franchise to focus on, i.e. Harry Potter, The Lego Movie, sci-fi/action, family/comedy, etc. From DC's standpoint, the jumping off point for making the decision was of course the catastrophic reaction to Batman v Superman, which, according to THR's sources, cost at least $300 million to produce, possibly more, but only managed to rake up a little under $870 million in about seven weeks. For comparison's sake, Marvel's Captain America: Civil War is expected to cross the milestone $1 billion mark in less than two weeks after its initial release.
For Berg & Johns, their new jobs will immediately make them producers on the Snyder-directed Justice League, which is currently filming. Additionally, in another bit of great news, Berg & Johns both have strong ties to star Ben Affleck with Berg having collaborated with the Academy Award-winner on Argo & Live By Night and Johns currently in the midst of penning the script for The Batman solo feature alongside Affleck. Speaking of Affleck, who was recently upped to executive producer on the aforementioned Justice League, the door is also open for him if he decides he wants to expand his creative involvement with the Batman films and/or possibly more DC films down the line.
Another interesting tidbit the report brings to light is that WB is currently hard at work smoothing out the third act of David Ayer's Suicide Squad, and that Johns is heavily involved in the entire post-production process. Additionally, THR confirms that the film's recently completed reshoots were not to add humor. After the dismal reception to Batman v Superman, and the glowing reception to the Suicide Squad trailers, the studio is really hoping they can not only meet the audience expectations, but exceed them with the third entry in their DC Extended Universe.
This is all pretty good news. So, what do you guys think? Sound off with your thoughts below!
Fearing the actions of a god-like Super Hero left unchecked, Gotham City's own formidable, forceful vigilante takes on Metropolis's most revered, modern-day savior, while the world wrestles with what sort of hero it really needs. And with Batman and Superman at war with one another, a new threat quickly arises, putting mankind in greater danger than it's ever known before.
Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice will feature:
Director: Zack Snyder
Henry Cavill as Clark Kent/Superman
Ben Affleck as Bruce Wayne/Batman
Amy Adams as Lois Lane
Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor
Gal Gadot as Diana Prince/Wonder Woman
Diane Lane as Martha Kent
Laurence Fishburne as Perry White
Jeremy Irons as Alfred Pennyworth
Holly Hunter as Senator Finch
Tao Okamoto as Mercy Graves
Jason Momoa as Arthur Curry/Aquaman
Ezra Miller as Barry Allen/The Flash
Ray Fisher as Victor Stone/Cyborg
Harry Lennix as General Swanwick
Christina Wren as Major Carrie Farris
Michael Shannon as General Zod
Jeffrey Dean Morgan as Thomas Wayne
Lauren Cohan as Martha Wayne
Robin Atkin Downes as Doomsday
Carla Gugino as the voice of the ship
Scoot McNairy as Wallace Keefe
Callan Mulvey as Anatoli Knyazev
Michael Cassidy as Jimmy Olsen
Michael Shannon as General Zod
Kevin Costner as Jonathan Kent
Jena Malone in an unspecified role
Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice is out in theaters everywhere NOW!