#FireDavidZaslav Trends In Response To Warner Bros. Cancelled Projects
Image Source: FandomWire
Warner Bros. Discovery has been off to a rocky start, to say the least. Overall, the merger between the companies seems to be causing more harm than good to each corporation’s stock and reputation. At the heart of the debacle is Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav. Since his appointment, Zaslav has garnered criticism from various sources, each citing the numerous odd decisions he has made for the newly merged conglomerate. Among these is the firing of Ann Sarnoff, who is one of the highest ranking women in Hollywood, the appointing of exclusively white men to Warner Bros. Discovery’s new board, and the layoffs of 70 staffers from HBO and HBO Max. The most talked about topics on the internet at this time are the many unfinished projects that Zaslav has either canceled or halted mid-production.
The project that has gotten the most publicity recently is the highly anticipated Batgirl. Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah’s DC film was set to star Leslie Grace as the titular heroine, JK Simmons as Jim Gordon, Brendan Fraser as Firefly, and Michael Keaton himself as the Dark Knight. With music by Natalie Holt of Obi-Wan Kenobi and Loki and a budget of at least $90 million, Batgirl was in the final stages of post-production when Zaslav shelved the project without plans for any kind of official release. The decision has drawn ire from thousands of comic book fans and even led to the creation of the hashtag #ReleaseBatgirl, which is still trending. Others, such as Kevin Smith, have openly criticized Zaslav for shelving a nearly completed film, all the while going forward with the release of The Flash, starring the controversial Ezra Miller. Sadly, Batgirl is not the only high-profile project that Zaslav has unceremoniously pulled from production.
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On the list of suddenly canceled Warner Bros. Discovery projects are the CW’s reboot of Charmed, Roswell: New Mexico, 4400, Naomi, a series from Ava Duvernay, Raised by Wolves, In The Dark, The Wonder Twins, Batwoman, Legends of Tomorrow, Scoob 2: Holiday Haunt, and J. J. Abrams’ Demimonde. Most of these were in the middle of their runs, while others never even reached the first stage of production. Zaslav seems to be axing projects from before the merger for the sake of short-term financial gain, with Batgirl reportedly being pulled from release for a tax write-off. Needless to say, this has not gone over well with fandom or the general public. The hashtag #FireDavidZaslav is now gaining traction on Twitter. Many have been quick to point out Zaslav’s disregard for the work and money put into these films and shows. This has been especially noticeable with the company’s treatment of its more diverse projects, with Batgirl being the first DC film since Catwoman to star a woman of color as well as the first to have an openly transgender character played by Asian trans-actress Ivory Aquino.
With every one of Zaslav’s decisions, Warner Bros. Discovery continues to take hits to its profits and its public reputation. At this rate, will the company push forward with Zaslav as its CEO or consider other possible candidates as we near the end of the year? Whatever the solution to this corporation’s issues may be, let’s hope they discover it soon.
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Source(s): Screen Rant, Variety, Bloomberg [1], [2]