Warner Bros. Discovery CEO Defends Axing ‘Batgirl’: ‘We’re Not Going to Put a Movie Out Unless We Believe In It’

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.

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.

Warner Bros. Discovery has exited its £60M ($72M) shareholding in fledgling UK news channel GB News, having been bought out by existing backers Legatum Ventures Limited and Sir Paul Marshall.

Zack Sharf It’s been two weeks since Warner Bros. announced it would not be releasing “Batgirl” in theaters or on HBO Max, instead opting to take a tax write-off on the $90 million comic book tentpole. In a new interview with Discussing Film, composer Natalie Holt called the studio’s decision to ax the film “a massive shame.” Holt, an Emmy nominee for her work on Marvel’s “Loki,” worked for a year on the “Batgirl” score and had 90 minutes of original music written when the news hit that the film was being shelved.“I had written about an hour and a half of music,” Holt said.

Former CBS Films President and Dreamworks marketing head Terry Press and former Paramount Vice Chairman will be informal advisors to Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav, Deadline has confirmed. The news comes amid layoffs at Warner Bros Discovery hitting the programming operation overseen by HBO and HBO Max Chief Content Officer Casey Bloys.

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.

Cynthia Littleton Business EditorWarner Bros. Discovery shares were battered Friday on the heels of its after-market second-quarter earnings report on Thursday that revealed the depth of the financial and operational pressures that the newly enlarged conglomerate is facing.WB Discovery shares were down more than 17% at midday to the $14.50 range.

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.

Zack Sharf “Batgirl” co-director Adil El Arbi revealed on Instagram that several high-profile Hollywood names have reached out to him and fellow “Batgirl” director Bilall Fallah in the aftermath of Warner Bros. shelving their comic book movie. The studio announced Aug.

Todd Spangler NY Digital EditorWarner Bros. Discovery is looking to pull a FAST one — telling investors the company is mulling the launch of a free, ad-supported TV (FAST) service stocked with content from its portfolio of brands to complement its premium subscription biz.The first strategic priority on the streaming side of the house is to merge HBO Max and Discovery+ into a single platform.

Warner Bros. Discovery is doubling down on HBO and HBO Max.

Warner Bros. Discovery expects to launch its combined HBO Max/Discovery+ streaming service in the U.S. next summer.

In a complete about-face from the business strategy employed by former WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar, Warner Bros. Discovery boss David Zaslav made it firm today that the new merged entertainment conglomerate “will fully embrace theatrical.” Period.

The Flash” movie starring Ezra Miller is still a go, despite the actor’s numerous scandals this year.“We have seen ‘The Flash,’ ‘Black Adam’ and ‘Shazam 2,'” said Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav during the company’s Q2 earnings call on Thursday. “We are very excited about them.

David Zaslav is addressing the controversial cancellation of Batgirl, as well as Scoob!: Holiday Haunt.

Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav addressed why the “Batgirl” was killed and will not be released, saying bluntly during the company’s earnings call that they are focused on quality and will not put out a film that doesn’t meet those standards.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorCombining the former WarnerMedia with the company once know as Discovery Communications took a lot of work. Executives at the newly combined Warner Bros.

major restructuring of its content divisions, and the entertainment conglomerate added 1.7 million global subscribers to both HBO Max and reaching 92.1 million global subscribers. However, Warner Bros.