In Toby Emmerich's first interview since he was appointed WB's Chief Content Officer,
Variety focused on what Emmerich's approach will be to the
DC Cinematic Universe. In the wake of three straight well-performing but critically maligned superhero films,
Wonder Woman's current wave of acclaim has even the most sceptical fan suddenly optimistic about
DCEU's next round of films.
Said Emmerich, “
I don’t speak comic [books]. I do feel like I speak motion pictures. I speak for an audience. I look and ask, ‘
How does this work for a general audience?’”
DC Films co-chair Geoff Johns said of Emmerich, "
He understands that when wea’re talking about the characters, we’re not just talking about what their powers are. We’re talking about who they are as people."
Variety also asked the lead executive of WB, CEO Kevin Tsujihara about what Emmerich's appointment means for the studio. Tsujihara referenced Emmerich's success at New Line Cinema, where his eight-year tenure produced a number of highly successful horror, action and comedy films.
"
Toby came into this role having successfully run a movie studio that produced every genre, from billion-dollar franchise titles to microbudget horror films. He’s extremely talented, well-respected and has a vision for Warner Bros. Pictures’ future, as well as a plan on how to execute on that vision."
On the success of
Wonder Woman, Emmerich gives all the credit to Johns and his DC Films co-chair Jon Berg. He adds, "
The zeitgeist of the culture, in America and many parts of the world, were ready to embrace a female superhero. I know that our competitors are going to look at the success of this movie. People love to call Hollywood lemmings, and it’s not always unfair. I’m sure that plenty of producers and writers and studio executives are asking, ‘What the heck happened with Wonder Woman and how do we get in on that action?'"
When asked about the time period the
Wonder Woman sequel will take place in, Emmerich knows the answer but slyly responded, "
It will take place somewhere between 1917 and 2017."
As we previously reported,
WB's current leadership structure sees Geoff Johns and Jon Berg roadmapping the
DC Film Universe's future, with Johns reporting to
DC Entertainment President Diane Nelson and Berg making reports to Emmerich. Johns oversees the overall story beats and creative development while Berg handles the numbers and production logistics. After receing word from Johns and Berg, Nelson and Emmerich then make their reports to Tsujihara.