According to Deadline, Dan Lin is the favorite for an impossible job. The producer of massive blockbuster IP hits like Sherlock Holmes, The LEGO Movie, and the live-action Aladdin may become the new shepherd for DC Films, overseeing the attempted connected universe of expensive superhero movies.
This move comes during a great reset for the superhero universe, set into motion by the new CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery, David Zaslav, who has been transparent about his desire to copy the Marvel/Kevin Feige model. That requires a Feige of their own.
Is there really anyone who can pull off the once-in-a-lifetime miracle feat that Feige did with Marvel? A calculated gamble that owes an equal amount of its success to luck as it does to shrewd motion picture business savvy? Deadline notes that Lin is potentially favored by Zaslav because he’s a Harvard MBA grad, but could that possibly matter when trying to build a conveyor belt of connected blockbusters? Feige got his start thanks to a TV producer grandfather and a job as a production assistant on You’ve Got Mail! One of the main reasons he was so successful with turning Marvel into a movie juggernaut (sorry) was because he cut his teeth as a producer for Marvel and knew the company’s characters inside and out. Lin’s pedigree as a blockbuster producer is undeniable and laudable. Maybe that’s exactly the right blend of talents to make the DCU truly rival the MCU.
But whoever takes the job is effectively volunteering to be the second person to climb Everest. Meanwhile, they’re holding “funeral” screenings for the shelved Batgirl, and the Joker sequel is the only thing that’s safe under Zaslav’s reign.
Speaking of which, that same Deadline piece mentions that Todd Phillips also made the shortlist, is beloved by Zaslav, and won’t be taking the job because he’s spending all his energy on the new Joker. Thankfully, this rumor gives us the opportunity to close our eyes and imagine 10 DC movies in a connected universe brought into existence under Phillips’ creative umbrella.
(via Deadline)