J.J. Abrams' planned reboot of Constantine is reportedly safe amid the upheaval at Warner Bros. Discovery that's so far claimed Batgirl and Scoob! Holiday Haunt ahead of a "strategic shift" for the company's DC Films division.
Despite canceling Abrams' long-in-development sci-fi series Demimonde in June, HBO Max remains in the Bad Robot business. According to Deadline, his take on DC's Constantine -- it's described as more horror-focused than NBC's version, starring Matt Ryan -- is said to be "moving along."
However, some of Abrams' other projects, part of a $250 million development deal struck in 2019 between Bad Robot Productions and Warner Media, may be on shakier ground. Among them, Deadline contends, is Madame Xanadu, based on the sorceress introduced in 1978 as the host of Doorway to Nightmare, DC's last horror anthology of the era. As of 2021, Abrams was still said to be developing an HBO Max adaptation of DC's Justice League Dark.
Abrams' Constantine Will Lean Into Horror, Feature Diverse Cast
Confirmed in February 2019, Constantine reportedly will feature a diverse cast, with the title character -- John Constantine, con man, warlock and occult detective -- played by someone in the mold of Riz Ahmed. The pilot is written by Guy Bolton.
Last week was tumultuous for Warner Bros. Discovery, a result of the merger of WarnerMedia and Discovery Inc., capped off by an earnings call that sent company shares falling 12 percent. On the call, executives announced plans to effectively combine HBO Max and Discovery+ in a new streaming service to launch in summer 2023.
Contrary to rumors about a "gutting" of HBO Max, both in terms of content and staff, Warner Bros Discovery CEO David Zaslav insisted the company will "dramatically" increase the budget of the streaming service.
Zaslav pledged that Warner Bros. Discovery will pivot away from direct-to-streaming films, such as the abandoned Batgirl. We can't find an economic case for direct-to-streaming films," he said. It's unclear how that move will affect the planned Supergirl movie, or Blue Beetle, which wrapped principal photography in March. Like Batgirl, both were originally targeted for HBO Max.
Zaslav also teased a "10-year plan" for DC content that he likened to the strategy for the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
"We think we could build a long-term, much more sustainable growth business out of DC," he said on the call, "and as part of that, we’re going to focus on quality. We’re not going to release any film before it’s ready… The focus is going to be, how do we make each of these films, in general, as good as possible? DC is something we can make better, and we’re focused on it now."
Source: Deadline