Warner Bros. Eyeing 'Joker' Director Todd Phillips To Right The DC Movie Ship - But Is He The Right Choice?
It seems like there might be a changing of the guard in terms of how DC is going to handle their superhero franchise going forward.
Since the merger between Warner Bros. and Discovery, Inc., it has been reported by Variety that Warner Bros. Discovery chief David Zaslav is on the hunt for someone to spearhead the next chapter of DC entertainment and it seems his frontrunner is Joker director Todd Phillips.
The Hollywood Reporter wrote about how MGM executives Pamela Abdy and Michael De Luca are more than likely going to take over for Warner Bros. current chairman Toby Emmerich. The duo will run New Line and Warner Bros., as well as DC, until they find a person to oversee the DC entertainment end.
This move could be a risky one, given Phillips' connection with the Joker. Despite winning an Oscar for Best Achievement in Music for a Motion Picture and Best Performance by an Actor, which went to Joaquin Phoenix, the film was more of an arthouse thinkpiece than a superhero spectacle. DC tried such a move before when they gave creative control to Zack Snyder who split the fandom of properties like Superman and Batman down the middle with his dark, gritty take on The Justice League.
Unlike Kevin Fiege over at Marvel, who seems to be more of a collaborator, trusting his creatives while keeping the status quo, Phillips has only dipped his toe in the comic book realm. With comic book properties being one of the big money makers for studios these days, this decision should not be taken lightly.
