DC Films President Walter Hamada has stepped down from his role, ending a tenure that has been defined by controversy both on and off screen.
Hamada, who has held on as studio boss since 2018, having returned to the role in 2021, has officially left the studio grounds in Burbank, Calif., after stepping down, reports Deadline. The company is now preparing to make the final payment for the outgoing boss, effecting a tectonic shift for the DC Extended Universe. The move also notably occurs on the eve of the DCEU’s long-awaited return to theaters with the highly promoted Dwayne-Johnson headlining. black adam a few days before its release. However, sources told the trade that Hamada has been noticeably absent from creative meetings lately, which apparently signaled his imminent departure from the company.
There are several potential reasons why Hamada is out of work. From a purely financial standpoint, this move wasn’t entirely unexpected considering how the DC Comics adapting film franchise has arguably continued to manifest itself in rudderless fashion. The company’s telegraphed intention to create a avengers-as a hit brand of 2017 Justice League led to disappointing results both critically and financially, earning $600 million worldwide against a budget of $300 million. After the necessary promotional expense for a tentpole of its scale, the film turned out to be a white elephant of a business. Although Hamada ascended to his post after this, his subsequent leadership did not appear to change matters in the eyes of superiors. This has remained the case even though the relative success of DC’s solo films such as wonder woman (2017), Aquaman (2018) and Shazam (2019) appeared to show signs of life.
Hamada’s Pandemic Altered DC Movies Mandate
However, the pandemic – as with everything – has made the situation even more nebulous for the DCEU brand, forcing its films to take the streaming route as HBO Max releases throughout 2021. Still, it has become clear that the strategy – made in place of a Top Gun: Maverick— like delaying movies — was hemorrhaging money for the company. Therefore, the upper-level Hamada-era plan for bat girl and other projects to be distributed exclusively as HBO Max’s streaming versions seemed to get worse by the day. Thus, the decision of Warner Bros. Discovery, taken under David Zaslav’s new WBD management, to cancel outright bat girl — despite being at $90 million in production — was a sign that Hamada’s fate was tied to the project. Indeed, one report claimed that Hamada nearly left the company during bat girlthe controversial cancellation of, which happened in August.
Hamada’s tenure has also made negative headlines, particularly with regard to Justice LeagueCyborg actor Ray Fisher who accused him of enabling the allegedly toxic and abusive behavior of behind-the-scenes bigwigs, including director Joss Whedon. In recent years, an increasingly outspoken Fisher has begun to make a frequent public target of Hamada, whom he believes the blame stopped for his grievances during the ensuing investigation. As the actor took to Twitter last year upon the release of the redux of director Zack Snyder’s film, which debuted on HBO Max, “In honor of the historic recognition of Zack Snyder’s Justice League“Let me say, from the bottom of my heart… that Walter Hamada owes the participants in the Justice League investigation an apology. A>E.” Contextually, the last track expressed his desire to see responsibility replace entertainment.
DC Films looking for its own Kevin Feige
Hamada’s departure being an expected event, black adamDwayne Johnson himself has proactively spoken out about the impending leadership vacuum at DC Films. As the world’s biggest blockbuster headliner, Johnson wielded control of the film and its ubiquitous promotional machine. So, he also seems keen to help the studio find new leadership to stabilize the franchise like Kevin Feige successfully did for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. “The best position I could hold for DC is as an advisor, where I can help,” Johnson said. “I love DC. It’s in my blood. In the spirit of growing with the DC Universe. I’m here to help in any way I can, including researching and finding the right leader(s).”
black adam hits theaters on October 21.
Source: Deadline
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