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‘Batman V Superman’ Failure Will Force This Change From Warner Bros

By Gregory Wakeman
Published on: 15:08 PST, Apr 9, 2016

Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice looks as though it won’t quite match the expectations that Warner Bros. had for the blockbuster. While it has already grossed over $742.8 million, the film was roundly savaged by the critics and the studio originally expected the film to take in at least $1 billion.

The film’s failure means that Warner Bros. are now reconsidering their approach to their DC Extended Universe, which will see 2013’s Man Of Steel and Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice followed by Suicide Squad this summer and Wonder Woman and Justice League Part One in 2017, while there are 6 other films planned for release over 2018, 2019, and 2020, too.

A new report from Variety has teased that Warner Bros. is planning on making some changes following the disappointment of Batman V Superman, which will primarily see some of the studio’s most experienced figures taking a firmer hand in each of the films from the universe.

The report insisted, “I’m told production exec John Berg and Timer-Warner CEO Jeff Bewkes are taking more of a hands-on approach now, paying closer attention to overarching story concerns, but someone well versed in both production and DC’s minutiae is what’s needed.”

If this news is correct, then it suggests that Warner Bros. is about to mirror the same approach as their rivals over at Marvel Studios, who allow their directors to show some creative flair allow producers like Kevin Feige to have more control.

Since the release of Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice, Warner Bros. have been making some small, but subtle changes to the universe that suggest they haven’t been overly happy with how the blockbuster performed.

This included moving Wonder Woman’s release date from November 2017 to July 2017, while reshoots have also been ordered for Suicide Squad, which will allegedly see the tone of the film become much lighter.

Meanwhile, the studio is more confident that Justice League, which is due to begin production next week, will be much more of a crowd-pleaser than either Man Of Steel or Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice. Like its predecessors, Justice League Part One will be directed by Zack Snyder.

Some fans are so upset that Snyder is returning for the third film in the DC Extended Universe that they have even started a petition asking for the filmmaker to be removed from the blockbuster.

But Warner Bros. allegedly doesn’t have any plans to remove Zack Snyder from Justice League Part One, probably because it’s so late into the pre-production process for the film. They also reportedly understand why audiences were unable to connect with both Man Of Steel and Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice.

Man Of Steel was produced without any plan or intention to place the film into an expanded universe. So when Warner Bros. actually decided to create their own cinematic universe that revolved around DC characters, they were very much aware that Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice would be a transitional film.

Sure, they were surprised by the critical mauling that the film received, but, according to Variety’s sources, they’ve been informed that Justice League is a much more of “a crow-pleaser [that’s] suited to Snyder’s talents, and that the upcoming two-part event is ‘extremely kinetic and visual.’ It will be far more straightforward than existential in its handling of superheroes.”

As Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice teased Justice League will see a hoard of DC superheroes brought together, which will include Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, The Flash, Cyborg, and Aquaman.

[Image via Warner Bros.]

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