Peter Bart: David Zaslav’s “Gap Year” Is Ending At A ‘Psycho’ Moment For The Entertainment Industry

With all the drama surrounding Warner Bros. Discovery in recent months, particularly after CEO David Zaslav took over the company after its recent merger, it’s easy to forget that it wasn’t that long ago WarnerMedia (without Discovery) was battling plenty of controversy all on its own.

Legendary Entertainment is said to be eyeing a move from its on-again, off-again home at Warner Bros. as its deal with that studio expired recently, Deadline has confirmed.

Of course, WBD CEO David Zaslav wants to emulate that success.  But Feige charted a singular path to becoming the most successful creative executive in Hollywood that afforded him the time, patience and great good fortune to build the MCU more or less from the ground up and on his terms.  

shelved a slew of animated projects amid steep cost-cutting at the company. Media giants like Netflix, Apple and Hulu are looking to scoop up the Bruce Timm and JJ Abrams-directed flick, which draws inspiration from DC Comic’s Batman franchise, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Entertainment site the Direct floated Disney as a possible bidder, too.

In the course of 12 tweets, Batgirl actress Ivory Aquino, who plays Alysia Yeoh, Barbara Gordon’s roommate and the first major trans character in the axed HBO Max DC film, expressed her grief to Warner Bros Discovery CEO David Zaslav over the studio’s cancelation of the film, and pleased with him to “Consider releasing Batgirl“.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter “Batgirl” actor Ivory Aquino is speaking out about Warner Bros.’ decision to indefinitely shelve the DC film. In an emotional letter addressed to Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslov, Aquino — who played the best friend of Barbara Gordon (a.k.a. Batgirl) — pleaded for the studio executive to rethink the alleged plan to permanently destroy the movie’s footage. “As one of many who poured our hearts into the making of this movie, I ask that this measure be reconsidered,” Aquino wrote Wednesday night on Twitter. “As much as I’ve tried my best to be strong these past few weeks, I’d find myself crying, for lack of a better term, from grief, and tonight was one of those nights.”

“Batgirl” actress Ivory Aquino is hoping Warner Bros. Discovery head David Zaslav might reconsider his decision to scrap the superhero film, considering the outpouring of support for the movie since its demise this month.

EXCLUSIVE: Deadline has learned that Warner Bros. is making a slew of release date changes next year. First of all, James Wan’s Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom needs more time in post, so it’s moving from March 17, 2023 to Dec. 25, 2023.

EXCLUSIVE: Warner Bros is going all in on The Batman director Matt Reeves and his 6th & Idaho production company. He has become the first filmmaker given an overall first look film deal since Warner Bros Pictures Group Co-Chairs/CEOs Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy were hired by Warner Bros. Discovery chief David Zaslav to steer the film division. In addition, Reeves has re-upped with the Warner Bros. Television Group and Chairman Channing Dungey, where he is also working on The Batman spinoff series The Penguin with Colin Farrell.

EXCLUSIVE: For all the noise about David Zaslav’s quest to find $3 billion in cost-saving initiatives at the newly merged Warner Bros Discovery, what remains important to the new CEO is to spend on content where those dollars pay off.

Selome Hailu Warner Bros. Discovery has laid off Nicole Nichols, Karen Grant-Selma, Jennifer Giddens and MaryBeth Cunin from their executive positions at the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN), Variety has learned exclusively.Nichols is OWN’s executive vice president of communications.

David Zaslav, president and chief executive officer of the newly-merged Warner Bros. Discovery, has high hopes for “House of the Dragon,” and touted the series in an email to staffers Friday.In his message to the team, obtained by TheWrap, Zaslav praised HBO boss Casey Bloys, and the premium cable network’s team that are behind “HOTD,” which premieres this Sunday night on HBO.“[They] have shepherded what looks to be the next big cultural moment,” Zaslav wrote.

Kevin Smith has weighed in on Warner Bros. Discovery scrapping the  movie starring Leslie Grace. The move made by the conglomerate has caused shockwaves in the industry and Smith, who is a comic book aficionado and writer, shared his thoughts on his YouTube series Hollywood Babble-On.

If there was one thing that the turbulent week at Warner Bros. Discovery displayed, it’s just how quickly conventional wisdom can change from one regime to the next, when each is trying to gin up the stock price for Wall Street.

Clayton Davis It wasn’t a great week for Latinos in Hollywood, but I’m sure many of you knew that already.Between Warner Bros. axing the release of “Batgirl” starring Leslie Grace, HBO Max canceling the coming-of-age comedy TV series “The Gordita Chronicles” and James Franco being cast as Cuban dictator Fidel Castro in an upcoming feature, Latinos are being mercilessly discarded and overlooked in the entertainment business. Worse yet, not many seem to care.Warner Bros.

Cynthia Littleton Business EditorFive years almost to the day after it began, Hollywood’s evangelistic fervor for streaming has been extinguished this week by the “Batgirl” imbroglio. Warner Bros. Discovery’s decision to scrap the completed DC Comics film that was bound for HBO Max marks the boldest example of Old Media economic rigor being applied to contemporary content spending. David Zaslav, CEO of the newly reconfigured media conglomerate, didn’t even mask his bewilderment at the decision-making process and optimistic profit projections made by the previous WarnerMedia regime.

controversial decision to cancel releases for “Batgirl” and “Scoob!: Holiday Haunt.”“We’re not going to launch a movie until it’s ready,” Zaslav said on a a quarterly earnings call late Thursday. “We’re not going to launch a movie to make a quarter and we’re not going to put a movie out unless we believe in it.”Warner Bros.

Warner Bros. Discovery had their earnings call this afternoon, and CEO David Zaslav’s big announcement—as expected— was to confirm that HBO Max and Discovery+ will indeed be merging into a single service that will launch sometime next summer in the United States, with an international rollout happening afterward.

killing a nearly completed “Batgirl” film, Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav discussed his overall plan for DC films going forward on Thursday’s earnings call.“You look at Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, these are brands that are known everywhere in the world,” Zaslav said. “And the ability to drive those all over the world with great story is a big opportunity for us.