Warner Bros Executive Greg Silverman Talks BVS’ Tone, WONDER WOMAN & The DCCU V MCU Debacle

Many people see Warner Bros CEO Kevin Tsujihara as the key man behind the studios hotly anticipated DC Cinematic Universe, and while that may be true, another executive who will play a vital role over the coming years will be Greg Silverman. WB’s President of Creative Development & Worldwide Production recently sat down with The Hollywood Reporter to talk about the studio’s vision for their upcoming superhero properties.

Unsurprisingly, one of the first things he was asked about was how DC planned on differentiating their universe from their cross-company rivals at Marvel:

“We have a great strategy for the DC films, which is to take these beloved characters and put them in the hands of master filmmakers and make sure they all coordinate with each other. You’ll see the difference when you see Batman v. Superman, Suicide Squad, Justice League and all the things that we are working on.”

Silverman then addressed complaints about the Batman v. Superman trailer being “too dark”:

“There is intensity and a seriousness of purpose to some of these characters. The filmmakers who are tackling these properties are making great movies about superheroes; they aren’t making superhero movies. When you’re trying to make a good movie, you tackle interesting philosophies and character development. There’s also humor, which is an important part.”

He also explained the studio’s decision to hire Monster director Patty Jenkins, following Michelle MacLaren’s exit from Wonder Woman:

“We had a very intensive process looking at everybody. Patty and Michelle were really the ones who came to the forefront the first go-round, so when things didn’t work out with Michelle, we all knew we had someone great who had expressed interest before. She came back and is doing a great job. But it was never about the best female director. She has demonstrated doing amazing work with female characters, such as in Monster.”

Well, there’s plenty to digest there – including some very interesting points on the general direction of the DCCU, the balance between ‘dark’ (intensity) & ‘light’ (humor), and the studio’s thought process behind bringing Jenkins on board.

Source: THR

WONDER WOMAN Finds New Director

Just days after losing a director for Wonder Woman, Warners has quickly found another filmmaker to pick up the reins on the high-profile project.

Patty Jenkins, who at one point was to direct Thor 2 for rival Marvel Studios, has closed a deal to helm Warner Bros.’ female superhero movie.

Warners moved at lightning speed to sew up another director after parting ways Monday with Michelle MacLaren, the experienced TV director and producer who was to have made her feature directorial debut with Wonder Woman. Creative differences were cited as the reasons for MacLaren’s departure.

Selecting Jenkins helps Warners avoid what some saw as a gender bias against women directors helming superhero tentpoles. Ironically, Jenkins would have been the first female director on a Marvel movie if she had continued on Thor 2. She will now become the first female director to handle a big project in Warner’s developing DC universe.

The studio needed to move quickly in order not to lose momentum on the project, which has been slotted for 2017 and has Gal Gadot attached to star.

Jenkins is also another experienced TV filmmaker, although she actually got her start in movies. Her debut film was Monster, the indie that won Charlize Theron a best acting Oscar. But showing how hard the film world can be for female directors, Jenkins has had a tough time finding a follow-up feature. She did, however, make a mark in TV, including directing the pilot for AMC’s acclaimed crime drama The Killing.

Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice will be in theaters on March 25th, 2016; Suicide Squad on August 5th, 2016; Wonder Woman – June 23rd, 2017; Justice League – November 17th, 2017; The Flash – March 23rd, 2018; Aquaman – July 27th, 2018; Shazam – April 5th, 2019; Justice League 2 – June 14th, 2019; Cyborg – April 3rd, 2020; Green Lantern – June 19th, 2020.

Source: THR