Yesterday, Paramount CEO David Ellison visited the Warner Bros. Discovery lot and spoke with around 200 top executives from all corners of the studio, including DC Studios' Peter Safran.
The $110 billion takeover has left many in Hollywood feeling nervous, especially as there's already been talk of cost-saving measures. That typically means layoffs, and with an estimated $6 billion in savings planned, a lot of them, too.
According to one attendee, the meeting felt "perfunctory," with Ellison "full of platitudes and not much more. He really didn’t read the room and sidestepped any real talk of layoffs."
Another said, "He leaned into theatrical more than when [Netflix Co-CEO] Ted Sarandos spoke to the executives back in December. And he name-checked DC twice. He loves DC."
There are more than a few ways to read into that. For starters, Ellison might be a huge fan of what DC Studios is currently doing; still, with only Superman and a couple of relatively obscure HBO series (Creature Commandos and Peacemaker) out in the world, it's more likely he's referring to the brand as a whole.
Just as he's currently looking to turn the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise back into one of Paramount's biggest-earning properties—even if it means sacrificing The Last Ronin and the animated Mutant Mayhem movies—it's likely that the CEO will want to get a little more hands-on with DC than David Zaslav.
The current Warner Bros. Discovery boss has been happy to sit back and entrust James Gunn and Safran with rebooting the tarnished brand.
So far, that's led to a focus on some relatively obscure properties and characters that Gunn himself is clearly a fan of. Ellison, meanwhile, may put the pressure on DC Studios to focus on well-established tentpoles and potential money-makers like Batman and Justice League.
Interestingly, Ellison made a point of congratulating the Warner Bros. Pictures team, led by Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy, saying, "You've made two of the best movies from last year. I won't tell you which ones." As of now, they're not part of the DCU.
With rumours swirling that Gunn has little interest in working for the Ellison family, it's hard not to wonder whether his time in charge of DC Studios might be limited. Ellison is sure to have a keen interest in the brand, and with the merger looming, will no doubt be keeping an eye on how Supergirl and Clayface fare at the box office.