To the surprise of no one, Warner Bros. Discovery has reportedly decided not to hold a DC FanDome event this year. Following the surprise shelving of Batgirl, the newly-merged media conglomerate has been retooling how it approaches its DC Comics properties as it tries to more closely mirror the success of Marvel. On top of punting the release dates for both Shazam!: Fury of the Gods and Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom, the studio also has a delicate situation on its hands regarding Ezra Miller and The Flash. So, again, not a complete shock that the virtual event has been put on ice for this year.
Comic Book reportedly confirmed the FanDome decision with Warner Bros. Discovery, which still plans on having a presence at upcoming fan events:
“With the return of in person events, Warner Bros. Discovery is excited to be able to engage with our fans live at numerous comic-cons around the world and will not be scheduling DC FanDome for 2022,” a statement from Warner Bros. Discovery reads.
Warner Bros. Discovery appears to be putting the focus back on in-person events, such as San Diego Comic-Con, C2E2, and Emerald City Comic Con bringing in talent and attendees for the first time since the COVID pandemic canceled shows across the globe.
While canceling DC FanDome will no doubt concern DC Comics fans who are understandably wary after Batgirl was axed, there’s been surprisingly little turmoil outside of that strictly financial move. (The tax write-off was worth more than releasing the film on HBO Max.) Matt Reeves’ The Batman sequel is moving forward, Joker: Folie à Deux is adding cast members, and Harley Quinn just got picked up for a fourth season. The studio is also dead-set on releasing The Flash as it moves away from making films for HBO Max and puts all its chips on theatrical blockbusters.
In short, maybe don’t read too much into DC FanDome not happening. It was more of a response to COVID thing to begin with, and with the obvious exception of Batgirl, the DC Comics brand is still a major priority at Warner Bros. Discovery.
(Via Comic Book)