The two paths DC and Marvel have followed over the last few years have been highly interesting to obsessive film industry watchers, among other sets of nerds. Marvel has jumped in with its movies, creating an interconnected universe that ties in its shows and movies. DC has basically given TV show writers the run of the store while slowly ramping up a separate film juggernaut. And apparently that’s because Marvel’s approach wouldn’t work for DC, according to Diane Nelson.
Nelson, if you don’t read executive mastheads, is president of DC Entertainment and WB Consumer Products and president-chief content officer of Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. In other words, she’s the woman who decides which shows, movies, and video games get made. Essentially, DC’s approach is to be able to make stuff for other companies as well as Warner Bros.
[Marvel’s approach] could end up handcuffing our creators into trying to work with the same storyline or force them to hold back characters or introduce certain characters. Ultimately it hinders the ability for someone like (showrunner) Bruno Heller to come in and create Gotham.
Okay, maybe not quite the example I’d lead with, even if it was a big hit for Fox. Still, it is a good point; DC might well have more than 10 series on the air this time next year, and it’s shaping up to have a good year in theaters, too, with Suicide Squad and Batman V. Superman: You Nerds Will Buy Tickets No Matter What We Do. One can’t help but point out that DC can be a little shy with some characters, though; Arrow has had to bump off characters and tweak existing ones, just as an example. She was also careful to note that hey, Marvel’s way works too, so we suppose it’s Time Warner policy to leave the smack talk to the CEO.
On the other hand, that means a Preacher TV series doesn’t have to exist in the same universe as Teen Titans Go!, so at least parents are spared explaining why the Irish vampire is trying to hit on Starfire.
(Via Variety)
