It was revealed the other day that AT&T has basically sold off WarnerMedia to Discovery, but what does this mean for WB, DC Films and the SnyderVerse?
OK, first off, I say they “sold off” WarnerMedia to Discovery, that’s not technically true.
What they’ve done is merged AT&T with Discovery, but Discovery will now be managing all of WarnerMedia’s assets.
So, to cut a bunch of long and rather boring articles short: Discovery is now in charge of WarnerMedia.
So, what does this mean for Warner Bros. Pictures, DC Films and HBO Max?
They are now all under the control of one man: David Zaslav.
He’s now the official CEO of WarnerMedia and this is going to put a lot of people’s jobs over at WarnerMedia in jeopardy.
Out with the old, in with the new
Credit: Small Screen
Read more: AT&T To Merge With Discovery In A $24 Billion Deal?
So, this means that the likes of Toby Emmerich, Ann Sarnoff, Walter Hamada and Jason Kilar might very well leave the company.
We’ve already heard that Toby Emmerich’s been shopping around for a new job.
He’s been linked to Netflix, which would be an interesting move for him.
However, the really interesting bit of news is that Jason Kilar is already negotiating his exit as chief executive of WarnerMedia.
This now puts everything up in the air, and it’s going to be interesting to see how things develop moving forward.
However, I see this new merger as a very good thing indeed for Warner Bros. Pictures in particular.
It’s already being said that AT&T moving out of the movie industry has delighted many people in Hollywood.
It seems as though creatives are happy with the fact that they no longer are in control of Warner Bros. Pictures and HBO.
Discovery is a different sort of beast.
Is the Discovery takeover of WarnerMedia good for Warner Bros., DC Films and the SnyderVerse?
Credit: DC Comics
Read more: The History Of The SnyderVerse – Is It Dead?
They’ve done very well in the entertainment industry, and this new deal now brings the likes of CNN, TBS, TNT, HGTV, Food Network and Discovery Channel, the Warner Bros. film studio, and streaming services HBO Max and Discovery+ all under one roof.
The companies stated that:
The new company will compete globally in the fast-growing direct-to-consumer business, bringing compelling content to direct-to-consumer subscribers across its portfolio, including HBO Max and the recently launched Discovery+.
The transaction will combine WarnerMedia’s storied content library of popular and valuable IP with Discovery’s global footprint, trove of local-language content and deep regional expertise across more than 200 countries and territories.
They also added:
The new company will be able to invest in more original content for its streaming services, enhance the programming options across its global linear pay TV and broadcast channels, and offer more innovative video experiences and consumer choices.
Good for HBO Max, bad for cinemas
Credit: HBO Max
Read more: WarnerMedia’s Plans For DC Films: Inside The Mayhem
So, this is a very streaming focused deal, but that’s not really a bad thing because it really does seem as though the industry is moving towards that eventuality.
This isn’t great news for the cinemas: both the chains and the independent cinemas.
However, things have been looking pretty dire for cinemas for quite some time.
This new merger doesn’t really change the outcome for them, good or bad.
One thing that some people out there might be asking themselves is: What does this mean for the future of the SnyderVerse?
What does this merger mean for the future of the SnyderVerse?
Credit: HBO Max
Read more: Dwayne Johnson’s Fight With WarnerMedia To Restore The SnyderVerse
Well, that’s actually quite a good question.
If, what I think is going to happen, the current executives at the top all end up leaving WarnerMedia, then there will be new management.
This new management might look upon the SnyderVerse more favourably than the old one did.
However, what I’ve been hearing is that one person’s job is safe for now, and that person is Walter Hamada.
It seems like he will remain in charge at DC Films.
However, Ann Sarnoff, Toby Emmerich and Jason Kilar all look set to leave the company before the end of 2021.
This could mean a drastic change in Warner Bros. Pictures’ plans with the DC Comics movies.
We’ll just have to wait and see, but for now, this could be seen as a good thing for the future of the SnyderVerse.
It will also be seen as a good thing as far as other creators are concerned.
Key filmmakers are happy with this new direction for WarnerMedia under Discovery
Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures
Read more: Restoring The Snyderverse: Inside The Civil War Between WarnerMedia And HBO Max
Filmmakers will be pleased to see the back of AT&T, who do have a tendency of putting money before product.
This could end up putting Warner Bros. Pictures back into the likes of Christopher Nolan and Denis Villeneuve’s good books.
They are two highly influential and talented filmmakers who haven’t been very pleased with how the higher-ups at Warner Bros. Pictures and WarnerMedia have been handling things of late.
This could be very important for Warner Bros. Pictures’ future as a movie studio.
They’ve always been known as a ‘creatives first’ sort of movie studio.
However, the beginnings of HBO Max and the decision to put all their blockbusters on the streaming service rather than in cinemas showed a new side to the company that the likes of Nolan and Villeneuve didn’t like.
But, I suppose all this news can be summed by a quote from Nolan himself: “fuck it”.
What do you make of this news?
Do you think the WarnerMedia and Discovery merger is a good or bad thing?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
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