DC Films reportedly lost its Kevin Feige-esque candidate, Dan Lin, in direct response to the cancellation of Batgirl.

In an exclusive by Umberto Gonzalez at The Wrap, an insider at Warner Bros. Discovery revealed that producer Dan Lin took his name out of the mix of potential leaders for the DC film brand following the studio's shelving of the Leslie Grace-starring Batgirl movie for HBO Max. Lin was reportedly troubled by the studio's decision to not release the completed DC Extended Universe film for a tax write-off related to other abandoned projects following WB's merger with Discovery. The newly minted conglomerate's CFO, Gunnar Wiedenfels, recently defended the studio's decision by stating that the news was "blown out of proportion a little bit," while also reinforcing the studio's plans to spend a lot more money on future content.

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DC's Difficult Search for Its Own Kevin Feige

Lin had previously worked for WB as the producer of The Lego Movie and The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part, as well as the DC-themed spinoff The Lego Batman Movie. Additionally, he served as a co-producer for WB's Sherlock Holmes and It franchises. His name was brought up as the potential head of DC Films in August, and he would have replaced the current president Walter Hamada had he accepted the position. However, in September, Lin dropped out of negotiations with WB-Discovery to commit to his production company, Rideback, and his new non-profit, Rideback Rise.

Since the completion of the WB-Discovery merger, CEO David Zaslav has been on the search to fill DC Films leadership with "someone to serve as a creative and strategic czar similar to what Marvel has in Kevin Feige." Additionally, he wants "someone who had the type of business background needed to keep all the different factions at DC working more harmoniously." Another name rumored for the job is Arrowverse boss Greg Berlanti. However, the creative mind behind DC's television output has not been officially approached by the studio and has not expressed interest in the position.

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As the DCEU struggles to find a clear direction in the wake of Batgirl's cancellation and Warner Bros. Discovery continues searching for a new president for the DC brand, several completed DC Films are seeing changes in post-production and release dates For example, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom has been moved from March 17, 2023, to December 25, 2023, and Shazam! Fury of the Gods has been pushed back three months from December 21, 2022, to March 17, 2023. Moreover, Ezra Miller's The Flash has undergone reshoots in the wake of the troubled star's public incidents and is still on track to arrive in theaters on June 23, 2023.

Nevertheless, the DCEU will make a feature-length return with the Dwayne Johnson-starring Black Adam, which hits theaters on October 21.

Source: The Wrap