Jim Lee, DC's Chief Creative Officer, praised parent company WarnerMedia's CEO Jason Kilar as a fan who is dedicated to the success of the DC Universe.
"Jason is a fan. He is very knowledgeable about the DC universe," said Lee, while speaking with The Hollywood Reporter alongside the DC General Manager and Senior VP Daniel Cherry III. "He will talk about the multiverse and the Earth numbers. It's great to have a leader at the top who is that supportive and real champion for DC. If anything, he wants the truest representation of the DC Universe in anything that does, comic books, media productions. It's been great to work with a leader that loves the characters, loves the brand, loves the storytelling."
Cherry added that Kilar, who took on the role of WarnerMedia CEO in May 2020, would not interfere with the day-to-day operations of DC, saying that the CEO only wanted the company's properties to grow. "...The mandate is to accelerate the fandom and share this with as many people as possible and continue to bring more people into the tent, which is about connection and representation and accessibility and having the right stories for the time," Cherry said.
In response to a question about the commitment of WarnerMedia higher-ups to the publishing industry, Lee said that "the core canon we establish in comics is driving everything that we do across DC in media."
In the same interview, Lee spoke on the importance of publishing while addressing the impending merger between Warner Media and Discovery Inc., saying that "publishing is vital to our future." He went on to explain that the merger wouldn't affect DC Comics and the company would proceed with "business as usual" following rumors that DC's publishing arm is in danger.
"You can't rest on our laurels and having an influx of new voices, new characters, new points of view is vital to keeping the industry healthy and representative of current times," Lee said. "It's mission one for us to make sure that universe we create and champion is reflective of the fanbase that loves our characters. So yes, it is the cornerstone of everything we do."
In regards to the merger, AT&T acquired Time Warner in June 2018 for $85 billion and renamed the company WarnerMedia. After facing multiple business hurdles over the next three years, AT&T announced in May 2021 that it would merge WarnerMedia's entertainment assets with Discovery Inc. in an effort to save $3 billion annually. The deal is expected to finalize in 2022, and the combined company will be called Warner Bros. Discovery.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter