Kevin Tsujihara, the CEO of Warner Bros., is optimistic about the future of the DCEU following the success of Wonder Woman.
Warner Bros. introduced the DC Extended Universe in 2013 with
Man of Steel
, hoping to emulate the success of Marvel’s shared universe. Unfortunately, their attempts have fallen short with films such as
Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice
and
Suicide Squad
not being well-received by critics. However, the character of Wonder Woman, played by Gal Gadot in
Dawn of Justice
, was highly praised and has fans eagerly anticipating her solo film next year. There is a glimmer of hope that
Wonder Woman
could be the movie that finally wins over critics and makes the DCEU a success.
Warner Bros. CEO Kevin Tsujihara is confident that the studio has been doing well despite criticism of their DC Extended Universe movies. In an interview with The New York Times, Tsujihara cited the success of the $1.6 billion grossed by Dawn of Justice and Suicide Squad combined as evidence of the studio’s achievements. Furthermore, he expressed his faith in Geoff Johns and Jon Berg, who are now in charge of Warner Bros.’ superhero output, to satisfy fans who have previously been critical of the DCEU movies. Tsujihara also pointed out that he had seen Wonder Woman and found it to be great, which gives him confidence that the film will change critical opinion of the DCEU. With Johns’ excellent comic book pedigree and the fact that he co-wrote Wonder Woman, there is hope for the future of the DCEU in general.
The trailers for the upcoming release of Wonder Woman have been generating a lot of excitement. However, Warner Bros. has a track record of releasing well-received teasers only to disappoint audiences with the actual movie, as seen with Suicide Squad and Dawn of Justice. Wonder Woman could break this pattern and offer a refreshing departure from the Batman and Superman stories that dominate the DC Extended Universe (DCEU). Furthermore, the character of Diana Prince is a rarity in live-action superhero movies and a female-led solo film is long overdue in the genre. Perhaps it will be Wonder Woman that finally showcases the potential of the DCEU. The verdict will come in June 2017.
