The scattered plans that laid the blueprint for DC’s extended future came up short in David Zaslav’s eyes. The new head of Warner Bros. Discovery soon after taking charge took the axe to the company and mercilessly slashed away at its branches and roots. As a consequence, the world of DC Films is now laid bare with a shelved Batgirl, a barren HBO Max, and several upcoming projects with no prospective reassurance for their future. And in the meantime, all there remains is a distant dream that all of these sacrifices will one day be worth it when DC gets its own variant of Kevin Feige.
The Reason Why WB & David Zaslav Need a DC-Feige
The gradual construction of the Marvellian effigy was not one that came with an instant recipe for success and fame. Like Rome, the MCU wasn’t built in a day. Instead, it took the continued dedication of one man at the helm, an incredibly healthy work ethic, a perpetually supportive crew, and an outstanding array of actors who had so much to prove when the franchise presented them with an opportunity to be a part of the family. And it can all be traced back to Kevin Feige.
Over the years, as Marvel continued to build its universe, DC followed closely behind, watching, learning, and trying to catch up. And for most parts, the comic franchise did manage to carve out a niche of success in its own right. But those were few and far between. Logistically speaking, Marvel was steadfast in its deliveries, never failed to succeed, and kept churning out projects at an escalating pace. The sole reason behind that was Feige’s decade-long vision. DC did not have that — until now. With the root cause now realized, David Zaslav was brought in to make the hard calls, and he called for the hunt for a DC-Feige which, in retrospect, was easier said than done.
Also read: WB Cancels DC Fandome 2022 as David Zaslav Focuses On Rebuilding DCEU After Multiple Cancellations
David Zaslav’s Hunt For DC’s Kevin Feige Looks Bleak
It has already been one semester’s duration of Zaslav’s stay at Warner Bros. and the company seems none the wiser for it. The WBD Chief’s intentions for a “10-year plan focusing just on DC” started off with the basic requirement of bringing in a creative head who would trace the beginning, middle, and end of the saga that would redefine what the DC’s extended universe is supposed to look like. Instead, one candidate after another come and go as egos at the managerial level clash and poke at the sleeping bear that is the pre-existent DCEU of Zack Snyder’s making.
Warner Bros. has already formally retracted the studio’s association with Justice League: Snyder’s Cut — dashing the fragile hopes of witnessing Snyder’s comeback. The radical move essentially put to the test the remainder of the fandom and DC’s future candidates watching from the sidelines. With Snyder out of the picture, the battlefield is all for the taking, and yet the muddied waters have prevented any candidates from feeling too welcome.
“Zaslav doesn’t know what he doesn’t know… that’s scary. And you’re always going to be compared to Marvel. It’s unfair. By the time they were being judged, it was working. It’s the exact opposite at Warner. It’s rough all around. Who the fuck would want that job?”
With talent representatives now having to spell out the troubles that WB is facing, it is only fair to assume that the management at DCHQ, too, has been struggling with the same facts. If the game of DC-Feige Whack-A-Mole finally does reach an end, it would truly be a relief to witness who the long-sought savior turns out to be. And if not, DC will always have Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy to fall back on as its de facto visionaries.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
