Warner Bros. President responds to 'Batman v Superman' Reaction, Addresses the DC/Marvel Debate

Warner Bros. President responds to 'Batman v Superman' Reaction, Addresses the DC/Marvel Debate

Explains 'Wonder Woman' Director Change

By Alex Burns

 

The Hollywood Reporter recently sat down with Warner Bros. President, Greg Silverman, for an in-depth interview. Silverman was quizzed on a range of topics but most interestingly for us were his comments on the current DC film projects in development, including his take on the varied critical reaction to the 'Batman v Superman' trailer when compared to the Marvel movies. Silverman also addresses the appointment of a new Director for the upcoming 'Wonder Woman' film. You can check out a few snippets below and if you're interested head over to The Hollywood Reporter for the full interview.

How will you differentiate the DC Universe from what Marvel is doing?
We have a great strategy for the DC films, which is to take these beloved characters and put them in the hands of master filmmakers and make sure they all coordinate with each other. You’ll see the difference when you see Batman v. Superman, Suicide Squad, Justice League and all the things that we are working on.

There were some complaints that the Batman v. Superman trailer was too dark. Is this a trademark of a DC superhero film in the post-Dark Knight era?
There is intensity and a seriousness of purpose to some of these characters. The filmmakers who are tackling these properties are making great movies about superheroes; they aren’t making superhero movies. And when you are trying to make a good movie, you tackle interesting philosophies and character development. There’s also humour, which is an important part.

Given the debate about the low number of female directors on studio films, how important was it that a woman direct Wonder Woman?
We had a very intensive process looking at everybody. Patty and Michelle were really the ones who came to the forefront the first go-round, so when things didn’t work out with Michelle, we all knew we had someone great who had expressed interest before. She came back and is doing a great job. But it was never about the best female director. She has demonstrated doing amazing work with female characters, such as in Monster.

'Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice' stars Ben Affleck and Henry Cavil and is set for release March 23rd 2016 with Gal Gadot also set to feature as Wonder Woman before starring in her own solo movie set for release June 23rd 2017.