DC’s Kevin Feige Found? Producer Dan Lin in Talks to Take Control of Film, TV for Superhero Arm

Has DC got a new head?

Dan Lin, executive-turned-producer who counts hits like live-action aladdin, the lego movie, And this This Horror movies, DC are in talks to play the lead, multiple sources tell THR.

According to sources, the role includes overseeing not only film but also television, with Lin reporting directly to David Zaslav, CEO of Warner Bros.

This structure bypasses three separate division heads – Michael De Luca and Pam Abdi of Warner Bros. Pictures, Casey Bloys, head of HBO/HBO Max, and Channing Dungey, TV chair of Warner Bros. – and put control of DC in the hands of one person. holds.

According to sources, Walter Hamada, the current head of DC Films, will step down from the role. A Warner insider says no talks are taking place and no official offer has been made, although other sources say that talks are discussing salaries, reporting structure and the future of Lynn’s giant production company, Rydeback. Is.

If a deal closes, it would kick off months of one of the most intense executive searches in recent memory, one that faced scrutiny by rival Hollywood producers and executives, as well as DC fans.

Zaslav has stated that he was looking for Warner’s own version of Kevin Feige, the famed Marvel executive who steered the rival comic book company’s films and then later its TV portfolio into a multi-billion dollar pop culture juggernaut. Changed.

It’s an impossible question, but that hasn’t stopped the names of officials from appearing. Emma Watts proved to be an early contender, while in recent months, names such as Amy Pascal, Matt Tolmach, Sean Bailey and Greg Berlanti were rumored to have been met or pushed by canny agency heads.

Lynn’s name picked up late in the game, but he has a champion in Warner’s mentor, Alan Horn, the former Disney president who ran Warner in the Augats as chairman and COO. During that later tenure, Lynn worked for Horn, starting as a junior executive and rising to senior VP of production. He worked on his own as a producer in 2008, but not before shedding films. dead man And 10,000 BC He also oversaw the infamous and abortion Justice League feature which was to be directed by George Miller. (The 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike and tax credit complications were factors in its derailment.)

Lin is a respected manufacturer known for his smarts and, in a city full of hype and arrogance, his willingness to find experts in areas that are not meant for him. He has worked on franchises – The Moves of Sherlock Holmes starring Robert Downey Jr., four Lego movies – as well as the wildly successful two-part adaptation of Stephen King’s. This, Their resumes range from big offers like bright colors to those earning billions of dollars. aladdinfor intimate plays, such as the Oscar-nominated two popes, He is going to release in early August of Universal’s Joe Koy comedy, Easter Sunday,

And he also has TV experience, which is a key factor for the new position. Lynn and his company executive produced lethal Weapon The show aired for three seasons on Fox and walkerreboot of Walker, Texas Ranger Which will begin its third season on The CW this fall. He and his company are in post-production on the ambitious, big-budget live-action series Avatar The Last Airbender for netflix.

Lynn has also shown ambitions beyond the Hollywood screen. His banner, Rideback, has a non-profit arm and several initiatives and fellowships that assist BIPOCs and budding entrepreneurs. It’s unclear what will happen to the rideback, but one scenario, according to sources, is Warner Bros. will take some sort of stake in the Discovery company. Rideback will also continue to operate as a production unit and will be run by current president Jonathan Erich.

If Lin takes over, he will replace Hamada, who joined DC in 2018, at a time when the brand was looking to reset Justice League (2017) Bombing. Hamada, who has gained a reputation as a friendly collaborator, kept a much lower profile than Marvel’s Feige, the face of the franchise. Although rival Marvel Studios has a closely connected universe, under Hamada DC explored some of the stories that took place in different universes, including winning an Oscar, grossing $1 billion. clown (2019) and Matt Reeves’ Batman (2022), which brought in $769.2 million globally. Work on the sequel of both is going on.

Hamada ties up with talents like Marvel’s favorite James Gunn, who directed suicide squad (2021) and made the HBO Max spinoff peacemakerAnd there are other projects in development in DC.

However, Hamada’s tenure also underscored the public pressures that came with leading DC. For the past two years, Hamda has found itself the subject of critical tweets. Justice League Actor Ray Fisher, who put the executive in the unusual position of running a film division while being publicly criticized by one of its stars. In the summer of 2020, Fisher accused filmmaker Joss Whedon of abusive and unprofessional behavior on the set of the 2017 reshoot. Justice League, which Whedon watched after director Zack Snyder left. Although not in DC during the production of Hamada Justice LeagueFischer accused the executive by trying For throwing “under the bus” Whedon as well as producer Jon Berg for protecting Geoff Johns, another Justice League Producer Fisher said that enabled Whedon.

When Warner Bros. Discovery merged, Hamada was preparing to release three or four movies a year between theaters and HBO Max. Some see his exit as only partially coming through with his DC course, while other observers believe he did not receive enough internal support from the previous AT&T regime.

Lin will join DC at a time when Zaslav has vowed to reshape DC with a ten-year plan he hopes will allow the brand to compete with Disney-owned Marvel Studios, which has set a record high in history. Biggest movie franchise ever.

“We’ve done a reset … we think we can build a more robust, sustainable growth business outside of DC,” Zaslav said in an earnings call on August 4, about $90 million to eliminate HBO Max. After two days bat girl Hamada-headed film. “As part of that, we are going to focus on quality. We are not going to release any film before it is ready… DC is something we can improve upon.”

—Aaron Couch contributed to this story.