The fallout from Justice League is still being felt at Warner Bros.
In fact, if Variety’s latest scoop is any indication, the studio is about to shake things up at the executive level in the hope of course-correcting its DC Extended Universe. The restructuring effort has allegedly been earmarked for January, and will see Jon Berg stepping down from his post – a post that involved running DC Films alongside Geoff Johns – in favor of a production role opposite Roy Lee (The LEGO Movie, It).
Word is Berg never wanted to oversee the entire division for Warner Bros., and approached the studio about adopting a producer role almost six months ago. No word yet on who will replace Jon Berg at the helm of DC Films, but WB will likely want to name his successor sooner rather than later – particularly with Aquaman on the horizon. Meanwhile, Geoff Johns will continue operating as DC Entertainment’s chief creative officer, but his contribution to each film may be “more advisory in nature” henceforth.
Here’s the official word from Toby Emmerich, president of Warner Bros. Pictures:
This is something that Jon approached me about six months ago, and he expressed his goal was to ultimately be a producer at the studio. I first met Jon when, as a producer, he brought ‘Elf’ to New Line, which remains one of the best and most evergreen titles in the library. We’re thrilled that Jon is partnering with Roy and anticipate their company being a valuable source of movies for Warner Bros. and New Line.
Indeed, Emmerich is said to be mulling over the idea of uprooting the DC Films structure altogether so that it’s integrated into the main Warner Bros. arm, as opposed to keeping it in a separate building.
And you can forget about Zack Snyder helming another DCEU film; according to Variety, WB’s parent company Time Warner “is said to be frustrated that Warner Bros. leaders continued to bring the director back.”
Should this prove true, Justice League will truly be remembered as a defining sea change for the DC Extended Universe – but not as we initially thought. More on this story as it develops.