Batman and the Justice League are getting a new boss.
And it’s not Commissioner Gordon.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Walter Hamada, the Executive Producer behind The Conjuring series and the recent It remake, has been hired by Warner Bros. under the newly-created title of DC Movies President.
“Warner Bros. has found a new hero to spearhead the slate of movies based on the DC Entertainment characters,” they revealed. “Walter Hamada, one of the executives behind the massively successful The Conjuring horror movies made by Warner Bros.’ New Line division, has been named president of DC-based film production.”
What does this mean?
Well, it’s likely that Warner Bros. is looking for someone to swoop in and save the day following the disappointing critical run of its recent DC movies. After all, beginning with Man of Steel, the recent DC superhero movies have left a lot to be desired.
And they often haven’t gone down well with fans or critics.
“Hamada will focus on Warners’ slate of upcoming films based on superheroes and villains, as well as titles based on other characters and stories also licensed from DC. He will work closely with Geoff Johns, the president and chief creative officer of DC Entertainment who worked side-by-side with Berg, while also drawing resources from both Warners and New Line.”
But could this move save the DC Movies?
Well, it’s certainly worth a shot. Aside from Wonder Woman, most recent DC superhero flicks have vastly underperformed – even the sure-fire hit Justice League failed to ignite the fans, the critics, or the box office.
And let’s put it this way – Hamada has great form when it comes to building a franchise. He’s the executive responsible for steering The Conjuring from a low-budget hit into a fully-blown franchise… and he might just be what Warner Bros. needs to turn around the DC universe.
“Walter is creative, resourceful, and committed to excellence, and will bring those qualities to his oversight of our superhero films,” said Warner Bros. President Toby Emmerich. “He’s a terrific production executive and served as an executive producer on two of the summer’s most popular films, New Line’s It and Annabelle: Creation. I’m confident Walter and Geoff, working with our filmmaking partners, will deliver films that will resonate with both broad global audiences as well as DC fanboys and fangirls. Walter’s a great addition to the Warner Bros. Pictures team, and I look forward to working with him in his new post.”
Will he make a difference? For now, we’ll have to wait and see.
But I can’t help thinking Warner Bros. may just have hired its very own Kevin Feige.
