IT Producer Walter Hamada To Take Over DC Film Production
The DC Cinematic Universe is in, shall we say, a precarious position. Despite Wonder Woman knocking everybody’s socks off, Justice League landed with all the sound and fury of a jar of piss - and made about as much money as one, too, as far as giant superhero team-up movies go. Who would have thought It would outgross a movie with Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman and Steppenwolf in it?
Warner Bros. is clearly asking that question, too, as it’s promoting It producer Walter Hamada to serve as president of DC film production. Hamada will replace Jon Berg and Geoff Johns, who were themselves appointed to run the DC unit less than two years ago, although Johns will remain at DC working on its comic and TV output, while “work[ing] closely” with Hamada.
A look through Hamada’s back catalogue as producer doesn’t really scream “superheroes” or even “big-budget tentpoles.” It consists of mostly horror films, from the aforementioned It to several major studio horror remakes, all of which are relatively low-budget, which could signal a drop in budgets on future DC projects. However, Hamada's CV also includes the Conjuring series, arguably one of the more successful shared universes in cinema - and whose expansion into a franchise is supposedly largely Hamada’s doing. That he’s already worked heavily with Aquaman director James Wan can’t hurt, either. If that movie hits as hard as Jason Momoa's body, perhaps Wan will be offered a greater foothold in the franchise. Or perhaps not! Who knows, in this topsy-turvy world.
Ultimately, it’s hard to look at Hamada’s hiring and not see Warner Bros panicking. It feels like this messy franchise gets new overseers with every new major entry, and with the exception of Wonder Woman (and elements of Suicide Squad, if not the movie as a whole), none of the films have captured the public’s imagination. DC is in major need of a hit, and it’s currently lacking a clear creative vision to make that happen. Will this shakeup be the one it needs to get back on track?
DC fans could be reached for an opinion, but weren't.
