Although 'Batman v Superman' is inching closer to $800M worldwide, rumored to be the number Warner Bros. needs to break even, the film is dropping like a stone after only a couple of weeks. While audiences largely enjoyed the DC superhero brouhaha, critics savaged it and there's a general sense that the film was underwhelming, with the chief complaint being Zack Snyder's heavy-handed imagery and pitch black tone. As he gears up to direct Justice League next, a new report suggests that Warner Bros. is stepping in to make sure things are different this time.
According to Variety, Snyder may have to answer to studio exec Jon Berg and Time-Warner CEO Jeff Bewkes, who plan to take a "hands-on" approach to Justice League. Their plan is to make the film more "crowd pleasing", while allowing Snyder to do what he does best, delivering an“extremely kinetic and visual" experience.
Marvel is fortunate in that they have Kevin Feige running everything, and it's pretty much all he has to do. He can devote all of his time to steering the ship, allowing the creative people to do their thing within the established framework. The DCU doesn't have that, although Warner Bros.' jack-of-all-trades Geoff Johns was pegged as the guy for a while. The problem is that he's got too much on his plate already, and so the decisions have been left almost entirely to Snyder, who may not be suited for such a gargantuan task.
So we'll see what happens. The thing is, fans usually balk at the idea of too much studio interference, seeing it as a hindrance to true creativity. Remember when Marvel went through the same issues recently, leading to Feige snatching more power within the company? There's always the chance that it could work for DC, though, at least on the short term until someone can be found to really come in and take charge.
Justice League opens November 17th 2017.
