Having Discovery merge with Warner Bros. has already proven to be very useful for DC. If you’re wondering why, then you might not have heard the news about certain CW shows. As YouTuber John Campea puts it, the axe of Zaslav is coming down very swiftly. Just a little recap, David Zaslav is the new Chief Executive Officer and president of Warner Bros. Discovery. He is the guy who spearheaded the merger and successfully finalized it in April. That means he will oversee the production of everything that was previously under the Warner Bros. banner, including all DC media. I have to admit, I expected him to make some changes, but I didn’t expect the changes to come so soon. And boy, he is bringing these changes quicker than the Flash. Yeah, more on that later.
We have to understand by now that David Zaslav isn’t messing around with DC. The biggest proof of this is the cancellation of a DC movie that no one in a million years would ever guess get made. Not too long ago, DC and Warner Bros. announced that they would be developing a movie about the Wonder Twins. No, seriously, they actually wanted to pursue that. And guess what? They actually casted two leading roles for the not-so popular superheroes. Riverdale star KJ Apa and 1883 Isabel May were announced to play the alien twins back in April, right around the same time the Discovery and Warner Bros. merger was being finalized. And about a week later, guess what happened? The Wonder Twins movie was cancelled.
Boy, talk about a mercy kill. I mean, we should feel bad for KJ Apa and Isabel May and I can imagine what their response must have been. If you were cast in a comic book movie and found out it was being cancelled shortly afterwards, wouldn’t you be upset? Then again, we have no idea how the Wonder Twins movie could have turned out. Who knows? Honestly, the biggest upset could have happened and that movie could have been good. But seriously, who on this big, green Earth would actually be interested in seeing a movie about the Wonder Twins? I’m guessing not very many.
For some reason, I guess Warner Bros. felt differently. I can’t imagine why they would choose the Wonder Twins to have their own movie above so many other DC characters. I mean, these two characters made their DC debut in the classic Super Friends cartoon. And even for that time, they were still considered to be very corny. You have two twins who activate their powers by putting two halves of a ring together; one can transform into any form of water and the other can transform into any animal. Not very compelling, is it?
Well, Warner Bros. thought they were intriguing enough, hence the movie being in development. But lucky for us and them, Discovery thought differently and decided to axe that project all together. Needless to say, that was the wise move. You would have to be a major DC nut to actually know who the Wonder Twins are. Their lack of popularity wouldn’t exactly draw a crowd to their movie and I’m confident it would’ve never made enough money to break even. That wouldn’t surprise anyone, which is why Discovery probably decided to pull the plug on it.
That one move alone should prove that David Zaslav and Discovery are aiming to make serious changes for DC. It seemed like the original strategy for DC was to focus on the less popular characters and give them a chance at the spotlight. That’s not really a bad thing, but on the other hand, why bother with characters who are like the Wonder Twins? Better yet, why not give the characters most fans actually know and love a chance at the spotlight? You know, like Martian Manhunter, Nightwing, Deathstroke, Green Lantern, and many, many more. Heck, where is Man of Steel 2? It’s an endless list, but Warner Bros. prioritizing Wonder Twins over the more vital DC characters makes us question their strategy. It was so hard to tell before the merger and it actually makes me glad it happened.
Does this mean Discovery will lead DC in a direction that will make the fans happier? Oh, I bet they will. But hold on, them cancelling the Wonder Twins movie isn’t the only thing they have axed. Shortly after the Wonder Twins movie was cancelled, Discovery proceeded to pull the plug on some CW shows. The first shows they announced for cancellation were Legends of Tomorrow and Batwoman. These are two popular shows, but they were also sinking ships. Their ratings were starting to dip, not to mention the Batwoman show lost its lead. There was honestly no reason for Warner Bros. and DC to keep them going. Luckily, Discovery realized this and made the wise decision to end them.
But guess what? They’re not stopping there. There is now a plethora of shows Discovery has pulled the plug on. This includes Ava DuVernay’s upcoming series Naomi, 4400, Legacies, Dynasty, and Charmed. Holy smokes, these guys really aren’t playing around. If you weren’t convinced before, you should certainly be now. Don’t get me wrong, this is unfortunate for the many people who were involved in those shows. Those are jobs they have now lost and hopefully they all find something else with Discovery. I’m sure they have a lot more shows in mind, so I hope all those crew members can rebound. I believe they can, but we also need to think about what Discovery has in mind for the future of DC.
I truly believe that cancelling these shows was a smart move on their part. They had good reason to do so, including the Wonder Twins movie. Heck, especially that movie. I believe it’s a sign that they plan on changing the path of all DC media properties for the better. It’s too early to know what exactly they have in mind, but I think we’ll get more answers soon. You know, like the possible firing of Ezra Miller? Yeah, I still don’t think that will happen, unless they’re waiting until after the movie releases. But hey, time will tell.
What are your thoughts, DC fans? Do you think Discovery did the right thing by cancelling these shows?John Campea
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