After a failed attempt at a shared universe, Warner Bros. are changing tactics when it comes to their DC films.
Has anyone been able to get a shared universe off the ground other than Marvel? We saw DC’s lacklustre and rushed attempt with the “DCEU” and Universal’s “Dark Universe” which failed after one film (2017’s The Mummy). The only one with some success is Legendary’s “MonsterVerse” (which was also distributed by Warner Bros.) featuring King Kong and Godzilla, and that was on shaky ground after Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019) performed poorly at the box office.
Warner Bros. executive Toby Emmerich has revealed that their new plan for DC is to avoid having each film tie in with others or set up sequels.
Emmerich became chairman of Warner Bros. in 2018 after Justice League disappointed at the box office. Since then, DC films have started to pivot towards standalone films like Joker. There is still a trickle effect from previous projects like Aquaman and Shazam! that were already in production before Emmerich took the reins and so still feel like they are a part of the DCEU. However, those still manage to focus on their own stories.
You can see this approach is already working for Warner Bros. as The Batman and The Suicide Squad are both successes with Suicide Squad launching a successful spin-off series, Peacemaker.
Emmerich spoke to Deadline about the future of DC films,
“The secret of the movie business if quality. It’s the best business strategy for both theatrical motion pictures and superhero movies. The movies don’t have to all have the same tone, or interlock with other DC movies, or have an Easter egg that sets up another film. Quality is the most important factor for a studio, and the biggest thing you can do to influence quality is the filmmaker that you hire.”
Again you can see this in action with Matt Reeves (Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Cloverfield) and The Batman, James Gunn (Guardians of the Galaxy) with The Suicide Squad, and Tod Phillips (The Hangover, War Dogs) with Joker.
They aren’t abandoning the DCEU completely as The Flash is set to reset the entire DCEU into something a little more streamlined.
For more superhero goodness, check out our ranking of the best movie Batman’s ever.
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