Warner Bros Chairman Toby Emmerich Outlines The Future Of The DCEU

IMAGE VIA PGA

Following the billion dollar (the number continue to rise) success with Aquaman becoming the first DCEU film to hit a billion, the first DC Comics film to hit a billion since The Dark Knight Rises and Warner Bros first billion film since The Hobbit six years ago.

It was the perfect Xmas/ New Year present to end 2018 for Warner Bros’ chairman Tony Emmerich who spoke to The Hollywood Reporter a couple of days ago about not worrying about Disney and what Aquaman’s success means for the future of the DCEU.

IMAGE VIA THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER/ EMILY BERL

Despite opening admitting “Disney-Fox will clearly remain the No. 1 studio” Emmerich will continue the blueprint of WB’s legacy that’ll be “to produce, market and distribute the most diverse slate we can” which will include being “highly focused on DC, on ramping up animation and on movies that contribute on the social conversation.

“We have a footprint in horror, and we don’t believe comedies are dead.”

About the future of DC, Emmerich has set out the studios approach and things within the Burbank studio looking up for the DCEU.

“We all feel like we’ve turned a corner now” stated the 55-year-old. “We’re playing by the DC playbook, which is very different to the Marvel playbook. We are far less focused on a shared universe.

IMAGE VIA CLAY ENOS/ WARNER BROS

“We take it one movie at a time. Each movie is its own equation and own creative entity. If you had to say one thing about us, it’s that it always has to about the directors.”

It seems to be the way DC Films chief Walter Hamada is looking at these films now to each DC fans would’ve shouted at the execs to do in the first place and if you look at the first four films, Man of Steel, Batman v Superman, Suicide Squad and Wonder Woman, the studio was doing this, it was Justice League that fucked it all up.

Also, I’ve seen other reports taking his quotes as if the DCEU has slightly ended or not bothering, but I don’t get that message.

If anything and Aquaman proved it that while it’s in the DCEU and has a line or something like a post-credit scene to connect it to the universe, it’s not the biggest thing. Instead, each film will have their own look, tone and feel.

This is different to the MCU where everything is planned out to connect each film moving the story forward to the next film towards a bigger event.

It’s just nice to see everyone is hopefully now finally have a plan and will let the directors do their own thing, which is exciting.

We’ll see Cathy Yan bring something new to DC and Harley Quinn with Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn), Patty Jenkins will continue to do her thing with Wonder Woman, all signs point towards Matt Reeves will bring a noir feel to Batman and it will look completely different to what James Gunn might have planned with Suicide Squad 2.

IMAGE VIA CLAY ENOS/ WARNER BROS

All eyes have turned towards David Sandberg with Shazam, which looks a great time with nods towards Man of Steel and hopefully be the Superman meets Big we’re expecting.



It's safe to say all these DCEU will be completely different to whatever Todd Phillips and Joquain Phoenix has prepared for us with Joker.

The final thing I liked hearing was how disappointed Emmerich was in the bombing of Paddington 2 in North America and film he states he loves but left learning a lesson of “how important it is to have the time to market a film properly.”