The word "plan" in relation to the film industry is a dirty word at the moment. It can kill any excitement you may have for an upcoming film because it is advertising that something in that movie will take up too much time in order to set up a franchise that only exists in.
Warner Bros uses the word "plan" again, this time related to adapting DC comics to film. WB Discovery CEO David Zaslav said on the investor call that the company had built a team that would set up a 10-year plan for DC. DC hopes to give its own Kevin Feige, or rather, its own Kevin Feige who the company will actually put faith in for longer than two and a half movies. The reason for Batgirl getting canned is that it didn't fit with the plan, and since WB is now concerned with protecting the DC brand, that involves a reset that hinges entirely on an upcoming movie whose lead actor has become such a PR nightmare.
There have been too many cinematic universes that have failed that you would think studios would stop trying to make money off of it. Even if you don't want to talk about the divisive tenure with DC, Warner Bros. is clearly not suited to the long term game. They weren't back in 2011 when Ryan Reynolds wore that Green Lantern suit, and they weren't in 2017: they were highlighting how out of their depth they were with their superheros. Warner Bros. couldn't pass an easy drug test because of the goodwill they've lost.
Do you know what Warner Bros. is good at? The fractured nature of the DC Extended Universe made it possible for the movies to be self-contained. The directors of all three films were able to have fun with their films because they were all great in their own way. If DC movies feel like they're from the same guy, it's because they feel unique. It is easy to see how Nolan's Batman is different from the other Batman movies.
For the next ten years, Warner Bros. needs to focus on the human element of DC movies. No one is interested in cinematic universes with a hypothetical end game in mind. We should let it be a playground for directors and writers to do what they do best. By now, you would think that WB would be able to internalize such a simple concept.
Do you want to know more about io9. House of the Dragon and Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, as well as what's next for the DC Universe on film and TV, can be found on this page.
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