It has long been reported that the new administration at Warner Bros. Discovery was looking to hire a new head of DC, who would guide the company's DC Extended Universe film franchise in a manner similar to what Kevin Feige has done with Disney and Marvel Studios' Marvel Cinematic Universe. That search is apparently nearing its conclusion.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, producer Dan Lin is in talks to become the new DC chief. In this role, Lin would oversee DC's film and television divisions. Sources say that Lin would be reporting directly to Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav, bypassing Warner Bros. Pictures bosses Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy, HBO/HBO Max chief Casey Bloys and Warner Bros. Television chairwoman Channing Dungey. In other words, control of DC's screen projects would rest squarely in Lin's hands. THR also reports that should Lin take over DC, current DC Films president Walter Hamada would transition out of that role.
In spite of THR's report, however, Variety reports that while Lin is indeed in the running for the role of DC's "Kevin Feige," Warner Bros. Discovery has yet to extend him a formal offer. Furthermore, "several hurdles stand in the way of any deal moving forward." The biggest hurdle would be Lin's production company, Rideback, which has ties to other studios, including a first-look deal with Universal and multiple projects in the works at Disney. Still, Variety notes that Lin himself is a strong contender for the leadership role at DC, even with Warner Bros. having reportedly considered other candidates like Arrowverse boss Greg Berlanti.
After all, Lin is certainly no stranger to producing Warner Bros. films. He produced The Lego Movie and The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part, as well as the DC-themed spinoff The Lego Batman Movie and another spinoff in the form of The Lego Ninjago Movie. He also produced live-action Warner Bros. productions like Sherlock Holmes, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, It and It Chapter Two. Some of the other films Lin has produced include The Invention of Lying, Netflix's Death Note and Disney's live-action remake of Aladdin. Meanwhile, his executive producing credits include films like The Departed, Terminator Salvation and Godzilla vs. Kong.
Warner Bros. Discovery Is Making Changes at DC
This past April, Variety reported that the aforementioned Zaslav and his top leadership were "toying with the idea of turning DC into its own solidified content vertical." Moreover, Zaslav had apparently already "vetted candidates" in an attempt to find "someone to serve as a creative and strategic czar similar to what Marvel has in Kevin Feige." Notably, a common criticism of Warner Bros. Pictures' DCEU is that, unlike the Feige's MCU, it has lacked a singular creative voice to guide the franchise.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter; Variety