DC's film and television projects will remain relevant by exploring different tones and genres and allowing new voices to be heard.
WarnerMedia Studios CEO Ann Sarnoff spoke to Variety about the future of DC's movie and television. When asked whether the plethora of superhero projects in the works would lead to the much-discussed but yet-to-be-seen fatigue with the genre, Sarnoff revealed how the company's strategy will help keep audiences interested.
"One of the reasons I’m excited about our strategy going forward is it is multidimensional," Sarnoff said. "We’re not just serving the same fanbase with the same creative vision, we’re trying to expand it. Not every fan has to love every piece of what we’re doing, but we’re putting out more tentacles to be able to reach people with different stories on different platforms, so there isn’t fatigue. It’s not just the same cadence. We’re going to mix things up. We’ll have a slate of DC movies but it will be richer and more multi-dimensional with a broader array of characters. That will help reduce the fatigue because you’ll see a whole story about the Flash and then you’ll see sequels like Aquaman 2, or new takes on Superman, or Shazam which plays to a family audience. There would be fatigue if we stayed on a more singular path, but because we are broadening, we’ll have much more potential to grow the franchise across various demos and various types of fans."
Sarnoff also spoke about the multi-platform approach to DC properties in the post-Zack Snyder era, as well as the new creators who will be stepping up to lead things. "It’s my job to make sure we super-serve our fans across all demos and all fanbases," Sarnoff said. James Gunn's The Suicide Squad film and Peacemaker TV show are one example of this, while Matt Reeves' The Batman and the upcoming Gotham P.D. series on HBO Max will be another. Rather than focus on rehashing more old projects, like a David Ayer cut of the first Suicide Squad, the company will focus on new stories.
One such new project, alluded to in Sarnoff's answer, is Ta-Nehisi Coates' Superman movie, which will reportedly feature a Black lead in the role for the first time outside of the comics. And sequels to Shazam! and Aquaman along with Flash's first solo film will help cater to established characters and their fans.
Source: Variety