There needed to be some big changes over at DC Films, and change has finally come. Following the critical and box office disappointment of Justice League, Warner Bros. pushed out co-heads Jon Berg and Geoff Johns, to nobody’s surprise. Berg went on to become a producing partner alongside Roy Lee (The Lego Movie), while Johns saw his role reduced to more of an adviser. Now a permanent replacement for them both has been found and it’s The Conjuring and It producer Walter Hamada.
You probably don’t know his name and, honestly, neither do I. Working for New Line, a subsidiary of Warner Bros., Hamada has been a production executive on the aforementioned flicks as well as Annabelle, and has a close relationship with James Wan, who just happens to be directing Aquaman, the next big DC Films release. That can only help if the film does well and WB hopes to keep Wan around. Hamada will exit New Line and take over as head of DC Films and all of the studio’s comic book-related movies.
Hamada’s got a tough uphill climb ahead of him. Wonder Woman and Suicide Squad are the only true success stories in a sea of misfires. Here’s hoping that putting one guy in charge of all of it will help to minimize some of the confusion surrounding DC Films projects. Like, how many Harley Quinn and Joker movies are coming up? Three? Four? Ask any fan what Marvel movies are coming and they can probably rattle them all off, plus give you their release dates. Warner Bros. needs to find a way to get the DCEU to that level of simplicity.
