According to Variety, Dungey made this revelation while speaking at a U. K. TV Conference Content in London, where she stated the company’s approach to making animated projects has changed under the new management headed by David Zaslav. Where Zaslav’s predecessor focused on keeping Warner Bros’s projects in-house, the new boss is open to host the company’s animated IP on multiple platforms. Nevertheless, she confirmed HBO Max will remain the first port of call for Warner Bros. projects.
While this is an interesting development, it is not a surprise given the year Warner Bros. has had. The company reduced its workforce after the merging of Cartoon Network Studios and Warner Bros. Animation. It terminated the contracts of 82 employees – roughly around 26% of its total workforce – across scripted, unscripted, and animation divisions, and refused to fill several vacant positions. This “strategic realignment” helped to improve the efficiency of the studio’s animation division. They also suggested the company might outsource its animation projects to third-party studios. During the restructuring, Warner Bros also removed several projects like live-action films to animations. These include the high-profile live-action Batgirl, Infinity Train, OKKO, Summer Camp World, and Scoob! Holiday Haunt. The company further announced it will merge HBO Max and Discovery Plus into a single platform to boost its streaming numbers. The recent moves of the company are with the goal of maximizing its profitability. In other Prime Video-related news, the platform’s beloved series The Boys recently unveiled two new supes for its upcoming season which is currently in production. For fans of the DCEU, Shazam! Fury of the Gods, which the director revealed is ready, is set for release on March 17, 2023. That is a mere two weeks after the premiere of the Michael Jordan-directed film Creed III, which recently released its first trailer. Apart from these two, WB will launch The Flash and Barbie on June 23, 2023, and July 21, 2023, respectively.
