Warner Bros. Wants Every DC Movie to Get an HBO Max Spinoff
Superhero comic-based movies and television have become Hollywood’s biggest moneymakers, and their scope will only expand in the future. In a new profile for the New York Times, president of DC Films Walter Hamada shared his plans to churn out new superhero content at breakneck speed. Along with with these new film releases, almost every movie will also have a spinoff series on HBO Max.
“With every movie that we’re looking at now, we are thinking, ‘What’s the potential [HBO] Max spinoff?’” said Hamada. Already in the works are television series based off The Batman and Suicide Squad. WarnerMedia’s television division currently has around 25 live-action and animated superhero shows, including Superman & Lois, which arrives on The CW in February.
Beginning in 2022, up to four high-profile DC movies will be released in theaters annually. On top of that, two additional movies, centering on “riskier” characters such as Batgirl and Static, will debut exclusively on HBO Max. To pull all this off, DC Films will introduce audiences to their multiverse concept. Essentially, there are two parallel worlds — Earth-1 and Earth-2 — allowing multiple incarnations of popular characters. For example, Robert Pattinson’s Batman will operate in a different world than Ben Affleck’s.
“I don’t think anyone else has ever attempted this,” Mr. Hamada stated. “But audiences are sophisticated enough to understand it. If we make good movies, they will go with it.” While the multiverse model isn't often used on the big screen, it has been proven to work for television. With Hamada’s plans to launch spinoff series from all of DC’s movies in development, the multiverse will allow for more freedom in how these stories get told.
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