DC gets an overhaul

[Octoberist]

yeah. I say WB/DC should greenlight their Supermax to beat theirs!

 

[bunk]

They bought a different Super Max script with a very similar premise.

You're two hours late, but thanks.

 

[FilmNerdJamie]

They bought a different Super Max script with a very similar premise.

I smell a lawsuit.

 

[Tony Stark]

I know they say this isnt in response to Disney, but I think that deal might have helped them decide to go ahead with this...

This is more a response to Marvel Studios than it is of the Disney aquisition. Warner/DC needed to do this a long time ago.

The failure to produce anything outside of the Superman/Batman franchises (and half of the stuff produced out of that is pure crap), has hampered the company for years. The success of BB/TDK really has little to do with Warner, other than them allowing the freedom to other creative forces to develop a story without interference.

 

[JokerLedger]

Finally, after two long years it's about damn time they followed through with this.

Dear DC Colleagues and Friends,

As hopefully each of you now know, this morning Warner Bros. announced the formation of DC Entertainment, and I’ve been entrusted with the honor of heading up this exciting new venture, reporting to Jeff Robinov, President, Warner Bros. Pictures Group.

DC Entertainment’s mission is to deeply integrate the DC brand and characters into all of Warner Bros.’ creative production and distribution businesses, while maintaining the integrity of the properties and DC’s longstanding commitment to and respect for writers, creators and artists. The founding of DC Entertainment is about Warner Bros. taking DC to the next level and giving DC an even greater degree of focus and prioritization in all the businesses in which we operate—films, television, home entertainment, digital, consumer products and videogames.

You are all an integral part of the success DC has achieved to date and your expertise and support will be essential moving forward – as we raise this brand and collection of characters to even greater heights. Together we can make the next 75 years even more successful and productive than DC’s illustrious 75-year history.

Jeff and I will be in the DC offices next week and will say hello personally at that time. Until then, thank you in advance for your support and continued contributions to DC Comics and the new DC Entertainment.

Best regards,


Diane

 

[FlawlessVictory]

^Nice find, where did that come from?

Edit: Nevermind. Newsarama.com

 

[Sawyer]

I'm excited.

Hopefully with this happening and Marvel being aquired by Disney, they'll both be forcing the other to up their game.

 

[Dark Knight]

Finally, after two long years it's about damn time they followed through with this.

Bout freakin time! sheesh!

 

[Octoberist]

as long as WB doesn't interfere with the comics, this new partnership will do just fine. In fact, I think the marketing will be even better than before, since now Finally DC is becoming a priority over at WB.

 

[TheVileOne]

WB/DC once again copying Marvel and coming in SECOND.

Marvel started doing a logo before movies, then WB/DC started doing the same thing. Marvel started branding the movies as Marvel Studios first.

Octoberist, I call it ********. DC is hardly a priority. They don't know what the hell they are doing.

 

[Octoberist]

we'll see about that, Vile One. WE'LL SEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[GL's Light]

Newsarama spoke to Diane Nelson and Paul Levitz about the restructuring. Here are some quotes from Diane Nelson about her role and the company's direction:

"There is a reason that I am not, nor could I, take on the role of publisher moving forward, nor do I intend to," Nelson told Newsarama Wednesday afternoon. "I'm not looking to stick my nose into an area where I'm not needed. What I'm hoping to do, and what this move by the company is about is taking DC as an entity and as a holder of wonderful stories and characters and focusing on it, prioritizing it, and working more effectively with it throughout Warner Bros. and Time-Warner."

"I will look toward the experts at DC that begins with Paul and continues on down through the publishing house, look to their expertise in those stories and characters," she said. "And then I think my role will be very much about working with the various content development and distribution areas of the company and figuring out how do we, with a renewed prioritization and focus, seed these stories and characters appropriately, carefully and effectively throughout our company. That's what this is about."

Nelson said the recent announcement of involvement, for example, by comic book writers like Geoff Johns, Marv Wolfman and Grant Morrison in the development of movies about DC characters is an example of what the company is hoping to continue.

"Cross platform, we have opportunity across all our businesses to not only take the most well-known and high-profile brands and bring them to life with the guidance of people who know them well, but to incubate new ones," she said.

Nelson said that among the things that will be focused upon will be how DC's characters can be utilized in feature films, acknowledging that among them will be Superman and Wonder Woman.

"Of course they're priorities," she said. "But we'll equally be looking at other properties and stories that can be incubated. It may start in digital, it may start in television, it could end up being video games. There could be casual games that come out of properties that come from Minx.

"That's going to be the fun of it is making sure we look at all facets of the prism, and making sure we don't just look at it as a linear... 'here's theatrical, now what do we spin off of that' thing," she said. "That's not our goal. That's a piece of the puzzle.

"We will be putting together a much more, as I've been describing it, 'meat on the bone' presentation and look at what our content slate will be across all of our businesses in the first quarter," she said. "

 

[stargazer]

Good news.. I hope..

 

[TheVileOne]

None of this makes any sense to me.

Superman and DC Comic video games are already made.

Smallville won't die.

Digital? Direct to DVD and Blu-ray animated movies.

These people don't make any sense.

What are they doing that they weren't doing before? They were already talking about this beforehand.

 

[Webhead2006]

Some very interesting news from today. i do like from what i was reading producers like joel silver who has long held propteries like WW for example are off that now. Hopefully with this change they can put producers/writers/directors on these projects who can get things actually moving and not sitting on it for years on end.
Hopefully with this diane lady will do good things for this new wing of wb.

 

[GL's Light]

None of this makes any sense to me.

Superman and DC Comic video games are already made.

Smallville won't die.

Digital? Direct to DVD and Blu-ray animated movies.

These people don't make any sense.

What are they doing that they weren't doing before? They were already talking about this beforehand.

It makes perfect sense. Control over various aspects of DC development, production, and merchandising was previously scattered throughout various Time-Warner divisions and was in the hands of various producers and execs in a way that undercut the potential for synergy and a smooth development process. DC's interests will now be brought together under one roof with a management focused on strengthening the DC brand and utilizing DC's IP across all of Time-Warner's corporate platforms.

 

[Webhead2006]

hopefully they can get it all to work out well.

 

[TheVileOne]

It makes perfect sense. Control over various aspects of DC development, production, and merchandising was previously scattered throughout various Time-Warner divisions and was in the hands of various producers and execs in a way that undercut the potential for synergy and a smooth development process. DC's interests will now be brought together under one roof with a management focused on strengthening the DC brand and utilizing DC's IP across all of Time-Warner's corporate platforms.

Weren't they talking about all of this last year and didn't they say this is what they were doing with the movies?

What synergy? They released Gotham Knight in conjunction with The Dark Knight. Soon after they started airing Brave And The Bold.

DC is just supremely disorganized and WB hasn't known what the hell to do with DC Comics for YEARS. I don't see that changing.

 

[Dr. Evil]

Some very interesting news from today. i do like from what i was reading producers like joel silver who has long held propteries like WW for example are off that now. Hopefully with this change they can put producers/writers/directors on these projects who can get things actually moving and not sitting on it for years on end.
Hopefully with this diane lady will do good things for this new wing of wb.

It was mentioned in another article that she helped market the Harry Potter franchise through all mediums.

 

[TheVileOne]

Uh so what?

Harry Potter is not the same thing as DC Comics.

 

[Sawyer]

Uh so what?

Harry Potter is not the same thing as DC Comics.

Dr. Evil wasnt saying that they were...

 

[Dr. Evil]

I don't expect the WB to interfere in all DC Movies. If they do, "He who wears the Vests" won't be happy.

And nobody should mess with "He who wears the Vests"

If you have visited the "Inception" thread over in the Misc Films forum, you know who I am talking about.

 

[GL's Light]

Weren't they talking about all of this last year and didn't they say this is what they were doing with the movies?

Yes, but it turned out that some of the producers involved with these projects weren't making sufficient headway on them. Ergo bringing them under one roof at DC Entertainment.

What synergy? They released Gotham Knight in conjunction with The Dark Knight. Soon after they started airing Brave And The Bold.

Did I say they had zero synergy before? No, I didn't because obviously that's not the case, especially where Batman is concerned. I said the potential for synergy and a smooth development process was undercut, which it was. Hopefully that'll now be remedied.

 

[Dr. Evil]

Dr. Evil wasnt saying that they were...

I'm just saying that what she did with Harry Potter could work for DC movie properties, although she won't be doing much work with Batman 3.

 

[terry78]

**** like Teen Titans should have been brought to the screen years ago, frankly. They try and do things like Birds of Prey, but you have to pick and choose your properties when you got so many of them.