DC Films President Walter Hamada has left Warner Bros. Discovery, according to a new report in Deadline. The 15-year operation leader is just waiting for the company’s leadership to finalise his exit package, according to the Deadline report. Hamada had made major contributions to the work that the company has produced since 2018.
Hamada is an award-winning producer and business tycoon who began his career in the horror genre. As President of DC Films, Hamada expanded the DC Extended Universe to 11 motion pictures, with a number of exciting projects in the works or on the way, including Dwayne Johnson’s Black Adam.
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Hamada’s tenure as President of DC Films has been fraught with ups and downs. He took over after the notoriously disturbed Justice League film whiffed with both audiences and critics. Toxicity accusations levelled against Justice League reshoot director Joss Whedon, prolonged the legal and organizational crisis well into Hamada’s term. However, under Hamada’s management and executive production, the DC brand has produced three separate films that have grossed more than one billion dollars – Aquaman, The Joker, and Wonder Woman, with Matt Reeves’ The Batman coming in a close second at nearly $800 million.
Hamada’s exit from Warner Bros. is official, and the search for the next president of DC Films is underway, according to Deadline. While serving as CEO of Warner Bros Discovery, David Zaslav has redefined the leadership team, and Hamada is the fifth movie executive to be let go.
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Zaslav is searching for someone who can replicate Kevin Feige’s excellence with the Marvel Cinematic Universe, though world-building talents like Feige are hard to come by. Hamada’s departure comes a year before his contract with DC Films expires at the end of 2023, according to reports.
The next five DCEU films are currently in the post-production stage, but fans should not expect projects green-lit under Hamada to make it to the big screen. As the Batgirl fiasco demonstrated, Warner Bros Discovery might not be reluctant to cut a deal at the last minute. The next president of DC Films will face a difficult task in meeting Zaslav’s standards while making the transition out of the popular Hamada era.