If you're a WB/DC movie exec, what are your plans until 2015?

[Heretic]

I would greenlight a yearly Sandman franchise for the fall...with the single issue story trades being told in cartoon form (and a Death movie) to give an extra year between each live action film.

Id rename Super Max Arkham Asylum (and delay it), which not only gives a Batman related movie (barely) while we wait a good long time for the next batman film, but it ties in with Sandmans first film as well since Cillian Murphy would play a cameo in Sandman.

Superman, Batman or Wonder Woman should have a film every summer. Also, during the spring throw out a test film for a different property each year. If something like Flash becomes a hit and Wonder Woman doesnt do as well, switch it up.

Also, Y The Last Man, 100 Bullets and Transmetropolitan would come out in successive years.

 

[The Major]

Superman, Batman or Wonder Woman should have a film every summer. Also, during the spring throw out a test film for a different property each year. If something like Flash becomes a hit and Wonder Woman doesnt do as well, switch it up.

Having one very year isn't a good idea.

They all would take a lot of time to set up and they could get over-exposed with to much presence in the public no matter how god the films are.

One of each every 2 or 3 years would be better.

 

[Heretic]

Having one very year isn't a good idea.

They all would take a lot of time to set up and they could get over-exposed with to much presence in the public no matter how god the films are.

One of each every 2 or 3 years would be better.

If you do it that way then nothing much gets accomplished. Youd have Superman in 2011, batman 2013, Wonder Woman in 2015, Superman in 2017 and batman again in 2019...thats a 6 year gap between batman movies...and that isnt going to happen at this stage...

i do agree that between marvel and the indies and maybe DC, we are approaching too many superhero movies...itll get crowded and we've already seen hellboy and Hulk suffer for it. DC is in a decent position because they can release movies like Transmet, Y and Sandman and many, many others and wait for marvel to start tossing out bombs in an oversaturated market. But, does DC really want to risk losing the potential income? We shall see.

 

[The Major]

I just would rather not seeing over-saturation if it can be helped.

Of the three top franchises you listed I'd rather Superman take a sacrifice for a few years since WW desperately need attention and Batman needs to keep its momentum.

I'd be fine to wait a few years longer for adaptions rather then risk rush jobs or over-saturation.

I do agree WB needs to explore non-super-hero adaptions like Y, Transmet and Sandman.

Marvel should get into licensing other stuff non-super-hero to be more versatile in the future IMO.

 

[Heretic]

Look...this is the comic book industry we're talking about...and ALL the comic industry knows how to do is latch onto one successful thing and bleed it dry until another innovator comes along. The companies will not see the bubble burst coming until its already happened. Expect tos of superhero movies to get greenlit soon. Everything from Captain America to Megalith will be made and the genre will turn to crap. Sadly, its just a matter of time.

If the companies were smart (they are not) they would stagger the superhero films a bit better. Marvel is already looking at having 3 films released during the same summer..and that doesnt count any competing movies/related genres.

Hopefully DC will be smart and say "Marvel has two summer movies...so lets go with Flash in the Spring" and slowly roll their line out.

 

[The Major]

That is unavoidable.

The studios should do their best to delay it and soften the damage once it hits.

 

[Heretic]

In a perfect world, I would really only need a few superhero films per year...but that already isnt happening (4 comic inspired, and 1 non comic superhero movies this summer alone!). If Marvel and DC could both have one summer film, and then one each the rest of the year Id be fine...with the indies showing up rarely. No one is going to think about a glut if we have Strangers In Paradise, Stray Bullets or Bone movies...so just let those be made as they come.

 

[The Major]

Heretic:

Agreed.

 

[smsvmos]

2010: Wonder Woman / First Chapter of Green Lantern
2011: Batman 3 with a cameo by Superman or Clark Kent / Superman Birth Right (Reboot)
2012: Flash /2nd Chapter of Green Lantern
2013: Aquaman / World Finest / Wonder Woman 2
2014: Justice League / Final Chapter Green Lantern
2015: Kingdom Come

 

[CFE]

2009: Watchmen
2010: Green Lantern/Man of Steel
2011: Flash/Shazam!/Batman 3
2012: Aquaman/Wonder Woman
2013: Green Lantern 2/Superman 3
2014: Flash 2/Wonder Woman 2/World's Finest
2015: Justice League

Not only should these be the films of each year, but this should also be the order in which they are released each year...IMO.

CFE

 

[Shifty]

WB has established Feb/Mar as a time to release comic book adaptations and I would keep that. For some years I would grab the first week in May away from other studios, especially Marvel or Sony with Spider-Man as they'll likely milk that cow. Nolan would return for one more Batman and then a spinoff series based off Gotham Central would appear a couple years later.

2010
March - Ronin
early July - Man of Steel (total reboot)
August - Y:The Last Man part i

2011
March - Ex Machina part i
July - Hunt The Dark Knight (finish as trilogy)
November - Green Arrow: Escape from SuperMax (remove cameos, doesn't come out same year as The Green Hornet, include Flash in a small role, mention Green Lantern)

2012
March - 100 Bullets (2 or 3 stories in the film)
1st week May - Y:The Last Man part ii
July - Green Lantern Corps. (cameo by Green Arrow, Flash)

2013
March - Ex Machina part ii
early July - Superman: The Last Son of Krypton (Wonder Woman appears)
early November - Gotham Central

2014
March - 100 Bullets part ii
1st week May - Y:The Last Man part iii
July - Wonder Woman

2015
March - Ex Machina part iii
July - Green Lantern & Green Arrow
October - Watchmen:Extended Edition, includes animated Black Freighter (special limited run, 30 years since "alternate 1985")

2016
March - 100 Bullets part iii
1st week May - The Death of Superman
November - The Sandman part i

2017 and beyond
March - Swamp Thing (a reboot)
Memorial Day Weekend May - Wonder Woman & Superman: World's Finest

Shazam!
Jonah Hex
Flash (solo)
Transmetropolitan
Preacher
Fables


Gotham Central would take place in the Nolan-universe as a spinoff series and would feature the GCPD's MCU. It could lead to more sequels or perhaps a 13 episodes a season cable show. Batman, just like in the series, would see very little screen time. Gary Oldman would star.

Watchmen: Extended Edition, the pirate story will eventually come out on DVD but this would be the first time in theatres that the full version of the film would be shown. Possibly show it in 3-D.

Y:The Last Man, Shia (if he doesn't kill himself or his career) would star and the sequels would command the opening weekend of the summer blockbuster season.

Man of Steel, reboot. Introduce Wonder Woman in the 2nd Supes movie. Possibly team up for World's Finest.

Green Arrow: never have a Justice League film. 5 or 6 characters it wouldn't do them proper "justice." But you could split the team and exclude Batman as to not tarnish what has been done with the universe created. So out somewhere in space, GA is in prison and breaks out with Flash. Green Lantern Corps. have their own situation to handle because of who else got out in the prison escape. Later Green Arrow teams up with Green Lantern in a film.


Movie universes
Ronin universe
100 Bullets universe (1-3)
Watchmen universe (Watchmen, Watchmen Extended)
The Dark Knight universe (Batman Begins, TDK, TDKR, Gotham Central)
Ex Machina universe (1-3)
Y:The Last Man universe (1-3)
DC Universe Earth (Superman 1-3, Wonder Woman)
DC Universe Intergalactic (Green Arrow, Green Lantern Corps., GA & GL. Flash)

 

[Gabe99]

Warner Bros Moving To Elevate Production Pair After Lynn Harris’ Exit

In the wake of Lynn Harris exiting Warner Bros as EVP Production, possibly to join Jeff Robinov’s shingle that’s taking shape at Sony, veteran Warner Bros execs Jon Berg and Courtenay Valenti are in the process of being promoted, I hear. Word is that Berg might have a supervisory role in DC Comics movie transfers, but all of this should become clear over the next couple of weeks.

Lynn Harris Exits Warner Bros Exec Post; Could A Jeff Robinov Re-Team Be In The Cards?

Warner Bros EVP Production Lynn Harris is leaving the studio after a ten year run there. One of the smartest execs in town, she has long been rumored for top posts in all sorts of places, to the point where, each time I’d call her she would say, “Where am I going now?” The most recent speculation was that she could wind up in a high post at Disney after Alan Horn left Warner Bros to take over that studio. Harris will stay until June 1, and she will oversee Godzilla, Jupiter Ascending, and Blended through their conclusions. The early speculation now is that Harris might go and rejoin Jeff Robinov in his new Sony deal, for which he is still raising money. They worked well together on Alfonso Cuaron’s Gravity, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it takes him that long to get things up and running. Harris said she hasn’t decided on anything yet.

Harris leaves after having her best year at the studio. She has a great relationship with filmmakers and had a strong hand in films from David Fincher’s breakthrough film Se7en, Paul Thomas Anderson’s Boogie Nights, and the Blade series at New Line, to such Warner Bros pics as Man Of Steel, the Fincher-directed Zodiac and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, the Steven Soderbergh-directed Contagion and Magic Mike, the Spike Jonze-directed Where The Wild Things Are and many others.

There is always fallout when regimes change at studios as happened at Warner Bros when Robinov exited last summer, and when you are a candidate for that top job and it goes to someone else, the next step is often elsewhere. This marks the second respected female executive to exit the Warner Bros ranks in quick succession, after Sarah Schechter left to run Greg Berlanti’s WB-based film and TV company. While Robinov has taken most of the bows for pushing Alfonso Cuaron’s Gravity through the green light process, I’ve always heard that Harris was the unsung hero who kept it on track through all of its travails. So expect her next move to be a good one. Here is the internal memo just disseminated by Greg Silverman.

All:

It’s always hard when a valued colleague decides to leave the Warner Bros. family, especially one as well liked and respected as Lynn Harris. And in this case, it’s particularly difficult because she is not just a colleague, but a long-standing friend to everyone in our group.

Lynn has had a spectacular run — from BENJAMIN BUTTON and the TITANS franchise to MAGIC MIKE and MAN OF STEEL — and she was instrumental in bringing GRAVITY to the screen.

Most recently, Lynn shepherded GODZILLA, BLENDED and JUPITER ASCENDING for us and I’m pleased that she has agreed to continue consulting on those projects for the studio.

We, of course, support her decision to seek new challenges, and I personally know she will be as successful in her future endeavors as she has been during her tenure here at Warner Bros.

Greg

 

[Airwings]

If I was in charge, the plan would be much different.
To begin with, I would have started working on a DC cinematic universe already back in 2003 when Hulk came out.
I would have offered bigger and/or interesting directors to pitch their ideas for Wonder Woman, The Flash, Green Lantern, Aquaman, Hawkman and Green Arrow - and give them creative freedom to come up with their own unique takes on the different superheroes. Reboots of Superman and Batman also included. Nolan's Bats would've happened, but not sure about Singer's Supes.

The directors I would approach are Peter Jackson, Ridley Scott, Robert Zemeckis, Baz Lurhmann, Terry Gilliam, Tony Scott, Walter Hill, John Woo, Brian De Palma, Joe Dante, Ivan Reitman, Peter Hyams, John Landis, John Carpenter, Steven Spielberg etc etc. I think atleast two or three of them would have agreed to do something.
For a Batman vs Superman film, maybe I could get Burton and Donner to work together. Who knows?

I would also try to get known actors for the leads, and really famous stars as villains or supporting characters.

By now (2014), several of the heroes could have ongoing franchises. Maybe I've even managed to produce adaptions of all the heroes I would want to see (the list above)?

 

[Chip Chipperson]

what WB/DC movie execs will be doing

 

[cleverusername8]

what WB/DC movie execs will be doing

 

[The_Manhunter]

what WB/DC movie execs will be doing

Unfortunately this is almost certainly correct.

 

[DrCosmic]

What I would have done in 2008

Back in 2008 the MCU had just stared. You could see they were going towards Avengers and WB had Nolan working out his Batman Trilogy that was committed to having no superheroes in the same universe. This was a tough spot.

I would have started developing a superhero universe right then, not waiting for Nolan to finish. That meant fast tracking Green Lantern and Superman. GL because he is an answer to Iron Man on the cultural and wish fulfillment levels. Will Smith coming off of Hancock I would have given him Green Lantern. Win over a great indie director, like Duncan Jones, fresh off of Moon with much better support and premise than he would have had for Source Code and put them on Green Lantern with some solid genre writers who can commit to a trilogy arc and hard sci fi. Superman would have gone to someone like Snyder with a different writing team, much more an alien disaster movie. Each of these franchises would be handled with the same level of depth that the Nolan franchise got. Let this be your only superhero for the universe. Run that.

2010 would hit, and we'd have Green Lantern and Man of Steel coming out from a Snyder who didn't have Sucker Punch on his record and a Duncan Jones Will Smith combo July 4th weekend. This is the year of Iron Man 2. All of a sudden, the balance between WB and DC shifts dramatically. But they're all in separate universes, what gives? But no Jonah Hex here, superheroes aplenty.

2011 brings Wonder Woman as a mythic epic, get Brad Bird. Add a Flash as a television show, with the same team from Arrow using their same Flash movie script ideas. Nolan would finish the Batman trilogy with a push from the studio and no studio interference to try and make it fit with a Justice League, Dark Knight Rises. Almost a direct response to Thor and and Captain America you have Wonder Woman and Batman.

2012 was the big deal, but instead of Batman going against the Avengers it'd be Man of Steel 2 against the Avengers. Put him out in April, the way TWS is this year. He's already repelled an alien invasion, now he's got to deal with the full wrath of his adopted planet, led by Lex Luthor. All the epicness you can muster. Let Green Lantern 2 hit July 4th again. Alas, no Men In Black 3. Too bad.

2013. Now the Avengers are out! How can WB "Catch up?" First, you drop Wonder Woman 2 early and Superman 3 late this year. Flash has been going strong for two years now. Do a Zatanna show, or something like that as a spinoff of Flash. Charmed/Buffy-esque. It's a great time to be a superhero fan. IM3 still cleans up. Thor TDW still does okay.

2014. Now you spring the trap. This is when "Justice League: Secret Origins" comes out. While Marvel is setting up GOTG, you drop Justice League July 4th weekend (with Will Smith in it ). The kicker: you film a whole Justice League trilogy back to back to back as a Crisis on Infinite Earths-like adaptation, where people from multiple universes (the League) has to come together and ends up merging all their worlds in the end!

2015. Finish it out, Wonder Woman 3 and Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths here with Green Lantern 3 and Justice League: Final War the following year. Avengers 2 and 3 still do well, but the sprawling Lord of the Rings-like epic of Justice League has already been told.

From there, WB has 4 epic trilogies in their stable, and can build from their extending any or all of their franchises. A new Batman franchise, since it's been laying resting for so long, the Justice League actor needs room to stretch his legs (assuming Bale didn't stay on). They can elevate Flash or Zatanna to a movie franchise, switch GL to a Hal-focused TV show. So many options.

What I'd do now.

After Batman vs Superman to introduce these characters, shoot Justice League as a trilogy all at once.

 

[Joeyjojo72]

This is easily the most depressing thread on shh. Sigh.

 

[Destructus86]

I'd start with a new Batman film and bring it much closer to the comics...to the point that it wouldn't resemble Nolan's Batman at all. Because that was a really crappy version of the Batman. I'd probably keep the current Superman but introduce a bit more humor and hope into the next film. Then a seperate Wonder Woman film, sticking true to the source material but nothing campy.