Warner Bros.' DC Extended Universe franchise will continue to be shaped by Walter Hamada for the foreseeable future. The film executive and producer has signed a multi-year extension to remain on board as President of DC Films through 2023.
Hamada's tenure as President of DC Films began in 2018 after previously serving as executive vice president of production at Warner Bros.' New Line Cinema. Until then, the DC Films division and the DC Extended Universe franchise had been run by the subsidiary's founders, Jon Berg and Geoff Johns. However, the disappointing critical and financial debut of Justice League prompted Warner Bros. to move Berg and Johns to producer roles while appointing Hamada to oversee the production of DCEU films and other DC-based features.
Variety notes that as President of DC Films, Hamada will continue to report to Warner Bros. Picture Group Chairman Toby Emmerich. Per the outlet, the extension indicates Emmerich trusts the direction DC Films is heading towards under the leadership of Hamada, who recently outlined a bold plan to potentially produce HBO Max spin-off films and television shows for every DC film. "Walter is not only passionate about story and the DC canon, but he's also a thoughtful and incredibly talented executive who is fully committed to investing the time and care necessary for moviemaking on this scale," said Emmerich in a statement. "With Walter overseeing our DC movies for theatrical exhibition and on HBO Max, we are excited for him and his team to bring more of these stories to life, working with new and established talent to broaden the reach and diversity of the DC cinematic universe."
Over the course of Hamada's time as President of DC Films, the DCEU franchise has gone from releasing critical and box office disappointments such as Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice to debuting billion-dollar hits with Aquaman and well-received features like Shazam!. In a statement, WarnerMedia Studios and Networks Group chair and CEO Ann Sarnoff expressed her excitement about the future of DC Films under Hamada's continued leadership. "[Hamada's] an incredibly talented, well-respected executive, known by his colleagues and our filmmakers as a great collaborator. I'm excited about where he's taking DC Films and look forward to working with him and the rest of the team to build out the DC Multiverse," she said.
The DC Films division was recently put in the spotlight after Ray Fisher accused executives at the studio of inappropriate and racist behavior during reshoots on Justice League. While an investigation into Fisher's allegations concluded with "remedial action" being taken, the actor declared that he disapproves of Hamada remaining on board as DC Films chief.
The Justice League reshoots were overseen by Avengers director Joss Whedon, who was brought on board to retool the DC film after Zack Snyder exited the project following a personal family tragedy. However, Snyder was later given the chance to complete his original version of the film and will release the "Snyder Cut" on HBO Max later this year.
Zack Snyder's Justice League is scheduled to be released on HBO Max in 2021.
Source: Variety