Warner Bros. Reportedly Frustrated With J.J. Abrams' Failure To Deliver The DC Properties He's Earmarked

Warner Bros. Reportedly Frustrated With J.J. Abrams' Failure To Deliver The DC Properties He's Earmarked

It sounds like Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav is growing tired with J.J. Abrams and Bad Robot's failure to deliver on its massive $250 million deal, including those promised DC Comics adaptations.

By JoshWilding - May 26, 2022 06:05 AM EST
Filed Under: Justice League Dark
Source: The Hollywood Reporter

J.J. Abrams and Bad Robot signed a huge deal with Warner Bros. that would bring a swathe of new content to HBO Max and the big screen, including plenty of DC Comics content. The Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker director is producing a Superman movie which will feature a Black lead, along with a slate of TV shows that will eventually see the Justice League Dark assemble. 

However, it's slow going for all of those projects, and The Hollywood Reporter now reveals that Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav is growing frustrated by the lack of output from Bad Robot's $250 million deal.

One TV show, Demimonde, is already on the bubble and could be scrapped due to plans for a $200+ million budget (which is even more than the upcoming Game of Thrones prequel series House of the Dragon). Sources note that "[Zaslav] was frustrated with the lack of delivery from the deal that was signed back in September 2019."

That's also the case with the DC Comics properties Abrams is said to be developing. While Warner Bros. has seen scripts for pilot episodes of Constantine and Madame X, it's said that "there is some frustration within the halls of Warner Bros. Discovery that Abrams has laid claim to a number of DC characters but has yet to get anything on the air."

The much-touted deal really doesn't appear to have come to much, particularly in the case of the DC Extended Universe. 

Many fans have expressed disappointment with Abrams being so heavily involved with future DC plans, especially after his contributions to the Star Wars Universe. There was a time he was a top choice for any number of comic book movies, but the tide appears to have changed in recent years.

We'll keep you updated as this story continues to develop.

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KWilly
KWilly - 5/26/2022, 6:42 AM
JJ Abrams is so overrated, lol
CorndogBurglar
CorndogBurglar - 5/26/2022, 6:52 AM
@KWilly - I've enjoyed most of JJ's work. I love the Cloverfield franchise. Super 8 was really entertaining. Lost is a classic and was fantastic. Overlord was highly entertaining. His Star Trek movies were great (I even enjoyed the 2nd one). His Missiin Impossible movies were good. I never watched Alias, but it was a pretty well received show. I liked Episode 7 and felt he set the Star Wars sequels up with a good beginning.

He's definitely done a lot of great things. If you look up his list of work it's loaded with tons of great movies and shows. Even things I didn't realize he was involved with.
Goldboink
Goldboink - 5/26/2022, 10:06 AM
@KWilly -
Yea, right! He did a credible to good job on that first Star Trek but made a right mess out of SW and his other stuff is kind of, just OK. I think he was the toast of the town after that Star Trek movie and everyone wanted a piece of his skinny ass and he bit off more than he could chew. If i'm him I would ease back off of other people's IP and develop some of my own shite.
Goldboink
Goldboink - 5/26/2022, 10:08 AM
@CorndogBurglar -
Fringe is actually pretty good as well, if you like that sort of thing.
bkmeijer1
bkmeijer1 - 5/26/2022, 6:45 AM
Superman, Zatanna, Constantine and JLD were projects that I didn't really saw happening anyway. Wouldn't be surprised if they get scrapped altogether
CorndogBurglar
CorndogBurglar - 5/26/2022, 6:53 AM
@bkmeijer1 - Right. These all got announced alongside a bunch of other DC projects that I just never really believed would ever see the light of day. And even the ones that are still getting released, look how long it's taken.

Flash and Black Adam were in development hell for an extremely long amount of time. Birds of Prey. The solo Joker movie. Blue Beetle.

But to be fair, all of those have either been released, are nearing release, or are at least making progress.
bkmeijer1
bkmeijer1 - 5/26/2022, 7:26 AM
@CorndogBurglar - just checked the 'other films in development' section on the DCEU wikipedia, and there are still a ton of announced movies that most likely will not see the light of day anytime soon.

Only movies I still see happening are Static Shock and Wonder Woman 3, and maybe Supergirl depending on how well she's received in the Flash.

Aquaman 3 hasn't been announced, but I can see it happening if the sequel makes a billion as well.
McMurdo
McMurdo - 5/26/2022, 11:33 AM
@bkmeijer1 - Emerald Fennel is writing Zatanna I see that one happening. I hope 😁
IcePyke
IcePyke - 5/26/2022, 6:54 AM
Bye-bye Jar Jar Abrams! 👋

FearTheLiving
FearTheLiving - 5/26/2022, 7:24 AM
Move on. There are a lot better creatives that could do wonders with Justice League Dark.
Twenty23Three
Twenty23Three - 5/26/2022, 7:26 AM
Personally think he could do a great Green Lantern
McMurdo
McMurdo - 5/26/2022, 11:31 AM
@Twenty23Three - hellllll no you're out of your mind lol
Twenty23Three
Twenty23Three - 5/26/2022, 2:15 PM
@McMurdo - nope not at all. His first Star Trek and the Force Awakens prove he can make a fun, entertaining and good looking space movie. Just needs someone overseeing him to keep him on track so you don’t get an into darkness
IronMan616
IronMan616 - 5/26/2022, 7:34 AM
They need to fire Jar Jar Abrams, he already ruined Star Wars. Get rid of him before he ruins Superman.
pyramosteu
pyramosteu - 5/27/2022, 3:54 AM
@IronMan616 - Kathleen 50%, Roundhead 30%, Jar Jar 20%
DudeGuy
DudeGuy - 5/26/2022, 7:34 AM
Abrams is trash. Never understood why he gets treated like royalty.
GhostDog
GhostDog - 5/26/2022, 7:46 AM
He should’ve been gone
Nunyabiz
Nunyabiz - 5/26/2022, 7:54 AM
JJ ruins what he touches.
JoJo1982
JoJo1982 - 5/26/2022, 7:55 AM
Wow!! He has until 2024(which is a very short time now) to get something out and so far nothing hasn’t even past pre production.

That ain’t good at all
Forthas
Forthas - 5/26/2022, 8:03 AM
Once again the cost of cronyism rears its ugly head. It is - THE - reason why Warner Brothers is in the position it is in at this point. It is what defined EVERY SINGLE stupid decision the company has made since 2012 when it was positioned to be what Disney is today. From making what I think is the dumbest decision in cinema history by not building on their Dark Knight franchise and create a DC universe that was epic; to allowing Zack Snyder to bastardize DC properties because instead of hiring people who respected the IP they hired their pals who would "deconstruct" it for fans; to giving Ben Affleck a role as Batman he never earned; not to mention the constant announcing of DC films that never see the light of day to horrid CW shows...it is has been a continuous shit show ever since.

I do not envy David Zaslav who has a mountian of crap that he has to work through to get WB back to a competitive state. But so far so good, he is saying the right things about making Superman central and he is apparently holding WB execs accountable and making sure costs return value...for once. If he can get rid of Walter Hamada, Toby Emmerich and bring back Henry Cavill, I may once again begin to beleive there is hope.
blitzburgh
blitzburgh - 6/6/2022, 10:41 PM
@Forthas - Christian Bale in the DC Universe with the rest of the heroes would not have worked dummy let that shit go already it's been 10 years
dragon316
dragon316 - 5/26/2022, 8:28 AM
Not surprised things happen many things happen for it be like this
Feralwookiee
Feralwookiee - 5/26/2022, 8:28 AM
I'm not really sure how one could be "disappointed" in JJ Abrams. The guy is a huckster and a fraud, so I'm not sure what they were expecting, but then again, this is the studio that turned over the reigns to Zack Snyder.

More power to Abrams for conning these incompetent irresponsible execs yet again, as they should've known better. The guy makes uninspired unoriginal rehashed garbage with a generic Hollowood shine. He seems to put no individual creative emotion into his work and this is purely a business transaction to him.

Just like with Snyder, it's hard for me to feel bad for WB. This is another poor choice and you get what you pay for.
DudeGuy
DudeGuy - 5/26/2022, 9:04 AM
@Feralwookiee - you do know this is an entirely different regime at WB right?
Feralwookiee
Feralwookiee - 5/26/2022, 9:34 AM
@OldMan - Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.
DudeGuy
DudeGuy - 5/26/2022, 9:43 AM
@Feralwookiee - clearly not. Within a couple months he’s already done more than the previous ones did in years. Cleaning house and getting rid of the junk. The previous regime would have been glad to let this contract run out with zero product being delivered. But some people just like to put on blinders and believe what they want to.
slickrickdesigns
slickrickdesigns - 5/26/2022, 8:29 AM
In all fairness he should’ve been assigned to a solo Man of Steel sequel as highest priority. So I don’t blame Abrams, I blame DCWB for being a cluster duck of unorganized ideas and creativity.
Arthorious
Arthorious - 5/26/2022, 10:34 AM
@slickrickdesigns - we will see if Discovery can right this ship. Otherwise…
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