David Zaslav, CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery, has frequently emphasized the necessity for DC to catch up to Disney and Marvel Studios, and it now appears that a sound strategy has been outlined in order to attain a similar level of success.
The DC Universe, or DCU as it was originally known, is in a period of transition as co-CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran take the helm as the leaders of the new era. Zaslav stated that as part of the transformation, “DC is at the top of the list” of its future ambitions as they try to emulate Marvel Studios’ strategies, adding that it intends to create “a ten-year plan” for the property.
Zaslav even acknowledged the MCU’s advantages over DC, saying “Marvel is seven, eight, nine times greater” than the DCU.
With HBO Max Head of Original Content Sarah Aubrey pointing out that it intends to use the streaming service to assist the overall tale of the movies, the strategy to emulate Marvel’s approaches is also consistent with the goals of its small-screen counterpart.
The studio’s intentions for the DCU have now received yet another concrete update from Zaslav.
CEO of Warner Bros. Announces Strategy to Use a Strong Roadmap
David Zaslav, CEO of Warner Bros. (WB), spoke with Deadline about the DCU’s future and how it will maintain consistency while creating a connected on-screen universe.
Zaslav praised Disney on how the Hollywood behemoth did such a good job with the establishment of Marvel as its own connected world while claiming that DC has been a “hugely undervalued asset.”
The success of the MCU, according to Zaslav, may be attributed to having a “bible,” with the key being “having one person following everything:”
Zaslav had this to say:
“[DC is] a hugely undervalued asset. Disney did a wonderful job with Marvel. But if you looked at Marvel and DC ten years ago, you would have said DC is as good or better. But Marvel is a connected universe. It has a ‘bible.’ The key was having one person following everything. All of Marvel is one place. You don’t wake up and find that there has been a Batman TV show someplace.”
The term “bible” alludes to a plan for the company’s filmmaking initiatives, and Zaslav also stated that Gunn and Safran are “getting near to the conclusion” of completing such a manual for WB.
The CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery had promised fans that “there’s not going to be four Batmans” in the DC Universe, given that there are four actors portraying various iterations of Batman currently working in the DCU: Michael Keaton, Ben Affleck, Robert Pattinson, and Iain Glen (from Titans).
Meantime, Zaslav persisted in dropping hints that DC will have “a lot of development” with the intention “to drive the heck out of DC, which is what [James Gunn and Peter Safran] are going to do.
Zaslav went on to say, “DC is one of the biggest opportunities [for] this company. Our company is a creative company and so we found two great guys. You will see a lot of growth around DC. We haven’t done a Superman movie in 13 years.”
Why a “Bible” Is Necessary for the DCU’s Success
The DCU’s content is undeniably scattered, with a number of unrelated properties from its greater world being created and distributed on both the big and small screens.
In addition to the mainline DC Universe, other Earths serve as the setting for Keanu Reeves’ planned Constantine sequel, Todd Phillips’ Joker universe, and Matt Reeves’ The Batman. It is unclear how Zaslav, Gunn, and Safran will integrate these other universes into the main DCU, but their promise to adhere to a bible may be a sign that they have a well-thought-out strategy.
This road map may be followed immediately after The Flash proves the Multiverse exists, ultimately revealing where each universe is located. The Arrowverse used a similar thing to unite all of its superhero series on one Earth after staging a significant crossover event in the shape of Crisis on Infinite Earths as an alternate strategy.
Another option would be to put a stop to the storylines of characters like the Joker and Constantine, while allowing the only survivor—The Batman—to carry on with the understanding that it would eventually be merged into the mainline DC Universe.
In any case, it is encouraging that a roadmap or bible will soon be followed, since this will prevent future fan misunderstanding over whether a project is related or not.
