Kevin Tsujihara, Warner Bros.’ Chief Executive, has discussed how DC has changed its movie strategy by focusing less on a connected universe.
It was quite clear that in the aftermath of Batman v Superman and Justice League, DC’s connected universe wasn’t quite working out how they wanted, and was unable to quickly replicate the success of the MCU.
But there has been a change in approach from DC, which has reaped big rewards for the brand. Kevin Tsujihara, the Chief Executive at Warner Bros., has spoken to the Los Angeles Times about the switch up and their new focus on individual films:
“The upcoming slate, with Shazam, Joker, Wonder Woman 1984 and Birds of Prey, feels like we’re on the right track. We have the right people in the right jobs working on it. The universe isn’t as connected as we thought it was going to be five years ago. You’re seeing much more focus on individual experiences around individual characters. That’s not to say we won’t at some point come back to that notion of a more connected universe. But it feels like that’s the right strategy for us right now.”
What was the catalyst for this change? Tsujihara explains: “What Patty Jenkins did on Wonder Woman illustrated to us what you could do with these characters who are not Batman and Superman. Obviously, we want to get those two in the right place, and we want strong movies around Batman and Superman. But Aquaman is a perfect example of what we can do. They’re each unique and the tone’s different in each movie.”
Are you happy with this new direction for DC? Let us know in the comments below if you have been enjoying this approach of focusing on individual characters and films rather than the world-building of Batman v Superman and Justice League…