WarnerMedia’s Ann Sarnoff on the Future of DC Movies

Snyder Cut

Talking with Variety.com, WarnerMedia Studios CEO Ann Sarnoff has confirmed that there are no plans to continue Zack Snyder’s vision after the recent release of the Snyder Cut of “Justice League” on HBO Max.

Sarnoff said, “We’re always going to listen to our fans, but we are in service of the broadest fanbase and we owe them an integrated, holistic strategy. We are the shepherds of the franchise and hopefully when the fans see what we’ve got in store they’ll know that DC is in good hands across many different platforms with many different creators. We want different voices in the mix. For certain fans that want singular voices, they may be disappointed, but we would ask them to be patient and see what we’ve got in store because perhaps the newer voices in the mix will have just as compelling stories to tell. On balance, you of course want to listen to your fans, but we do want to stay true to our vision and our mission for DC and build that out.”

As for some of the “toxic” behavior of certain sectors of the fandom who have threatened WB executives if Snyder’s vision wasn’t allowed to continue moving forward, Sarnoff has very strong words. “We’re not tolerating any of that. That behavior is reprehensible no matter what franchise you’re talking about or what business you’re talking about. It’s completely unacceptable. I’m very disappointed in the fans that have chosen to go to that negative place with regard to DC, with regard to some of our executives. It’s just disappointing because we want this to be a safe place to be. We want DC to be a fandom that feels safe and inclusive. We want people to be able to speak up for the things they love, but we don’t want it to be a culture of cancelling things that any small faction isn’t happy with. We are not about that. We are about positivity and celebration.”

Fans pushing the #RestoreTheSnyderVerse movement aren’t likely to see any joy from Warner Bros. as Sarnoff is clear that “Zack Snyder’s Justice League” was the end of the director’s trilogy of films. “I appreciate that they love Zack’s work and we are very thankful for his many contributions to DC. We’re just so happy that he could bring his cut of the “Justice League” to life because that wasn’t in the plan until about a year ago. With that comes the completion of his trilogy. We’re very happy we’ve done this, but we’re very excited about the plans we have for all the multi-dimensional DC characters that are being developed right now.”

Read the complete interview at Variety.com, including Sarnoff’s excitement for the upcoming Superman film being written by Ta-Nehisi Coates.

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Superman2878
March 22, 2021 5:29 pm

I hope that there will be a Brandon Routh Superman movie series or streaming series. I hope someone working there hears my voice. I know that my voice maybe a small voice compared to others, but I really really really hope someone over there hears it. WB,Warner Media,AT&T, HBOmax, CW please, please, please make a Brandon Routh Superman movie or series. How about a Routh Superman meets Cavill Superman meets Hoechlin Superman multiverse crossover film? I’m sure fans would love it.
Can we have Brandon Routh back as Superman please? 🙂

SuperFunTime
SuperFunTime
March 22, 2021 6:01 pm
Reply to  Superman2878

I am all for a Brandon Routh Superman show if they can hook me like the creators of Superman & Lois have. 🙂

Superman2878
March 22, 2021 6:14 pm
Reply to  SuperFunTime

Yes! Exactly! Fifth week in and Superman and Lois still has me hooked to see more! 😀
And Brandon’s Superman could theoretically return to help Tyler’s Superman at some point since it’s highly possible that this series will have multiverse story plots. Theoretically speaking of course. 😀

Superman2878
March 22, 2021 6:19 pm
Reply to  Superman2878

I kinda did a tip of the hat to the Reeve and Routh Superman with the “theoretically speaking of coarse” since Reeve and Routh both said “Statistically speaking of coarse.” 😀

Superman2878
March 23, 2021 10:32 am
Reply to  Superman2878

That multiverse crossover idea I suggested I bet would be 99.999% successful. Almost 100% 😀
It could work 🙂

SuperFunTime
SuperFunTime
March 22, 2021 5:57 pm

DC is in good hands across many different platforms with many different creators. We want different voices in the mix. For certain fans that want singular voices, they may be disappointed, …… we’re very excited about the plans we have for all the multi-dimensional DC characters that are being developed right now. I do not need Zack Snyder to be in charge of everything DC. I am completely fine with Zack Snyder being one of many different creators that work on DC projects; specifically, the Snyderverse. In other words, I would like to see other creators work on various DC… Read more »

Last edited 3 years ago by SuperFunTime
Superman2878
March 22, 2021 6:53 pm

How did the movie do financially? Has there been any news?

NeoRanger
NeoRanger
March 22, 2021 7:26 pm
Reply to  Superman2878

Too soon to tell. I saw a completely unverified report about something in the ballpark of 650mil, but I wouldn’t trust it. They might not release any numbers, until the blu-ray is out.

NeoRanger
NeoRanger
March 22, 2021 7:32 pm

Keep in mind that I have no interest in a Justice League sequel with an Injustice-inspired storyline. Keep in mind that I have no real interest in a shared cinematic universe, I much prefer standalone films. Keep in mind that the entire interview is the typical PR b.s. that ultimately really comes down to “we have no real plan, we’re just pretending we do, because it’s good for marketing”. What you should be concerned about is that, if they don’t allow Snyder to return to continue this series, we probably won’t be seeing any version of Darkseid, the 4th World… Read more »

lcmcbain
lcmcbain
March 23, 2021 1:34 pm
Reply to  NeoRanger

That was my thought as well. And say what you will about Snyder, but I think he nailed the little bit we got of the 4th world. And it’ll be a great shame to not see this iteration continue in that regard. Or if it does continue and pivots to something lighter, then I think they will be making a huge mistake..yet again. The vibe of total incompetance that comes from just about every WB/DC exec invloved in the live action movies, continues to astound me.

sundevil82
sundevil82
March 23, 2021 8:59 pm
Reply to  NeoRanger

Is Ava Dubernay still working on a New Gods movie with Tom king? I remember they were working on a story but haven’t heard any updates in a long time.

sundevil82
sundevil82
March 23, 2021 10:17 pm
Reply to  sundevil82

Duvernay*

Adrian22
March 22, 2021 8:21 pm

Proportion and perspective are lacking in some reportage (eg, The Verge item cited by Variety). It’s sensationalism and click-bait journalism that gins up and over-blows matters. Decency and positive actions which represents the great majority of #SnyderCut fans isn’t controversial. Thankfully the public knows the
reality.

afriend
afriend
March 22, 2021 8:54 pm

I understand being passionate about something, I have strong opinions and don’t hesitate to voice them in the appropriate forum (I take credit for Santa being on the Coke can 2006-10), but if one is actually threatening anyone, they deserve the full legal ramifications that come from being caught.

RikkiRoxx
RikkiRoxx
March 22, 2021 10:21 pm

This just comes off as patronizing and dismissive, to me. “We hear you when you say you liked this and want to see more. But trust that WE know better than you do.” It is the worst-kept secret in the business that WB themselves NEVER wanted “Zack Snyder’s Justice League” to see the light of day. The fact that it exists, and what’s more is being mostly well-received, is an embarrassment for them. They backed the wrong horse in 2017, and now that we’ve seen What Could Have Been, it makes that choice all the more egregious. The usual “anonymous… Read more »

GodzillaofSteel
GodzillaofSteel
March 22, 2021 10:55 pm

I love Superman and I really like Zack Snyder’s work. His filmmaking is beautiful and, to me, it’s artistic. With that said, I’ve been VERY “tolerant” of his different take on Superman. I was open-minded about Snyder making Superman go through a different kind of character journey, and I was “especially tolerant” that he came back from the dead as a villain first in “Zack Snyder’s Justice League.” HOWEVER, that should be the end of “evil Superman.” So, I’m okay with The Snyderverse not continuing if he is planning the “injustice Superman” nonsense (and believe me, injustice Superman and all… Read more »

NeoRanger
NeoRanger
March 23, 2021 6:04 pm

“Evil Superman” is played out as it is. Moreover, Injustice Superman is a bad take on “evil Superman”; there are better “evil Superman” stories to adapt. If this was going to work, it would need quite a bit of retooling and, most importantly, it would need *at least* one Superman solo movie in-between the Justice League installments. Otherwise, they’d be running into the BvS problem of deconstruction before construction.

So yeah, if the sequels are going to be that, I don’t have any interest in them either.

sundevil82
sundevil82
March 23, 2021 9:05 pm
Reply to  NeoRanger

I enjoyed his few minutes of confusion in this film, but yeah I’m with you, any additional evil Superman does not interest me at all. This was Zacks film of the three dc films and I loved the apokolips stuff, but evil Superman is soooooo lazy. Cmon man. I’d have preferred Superman be dead during the knightmare stuff and the remaining heroes banding together in his absence. I feel like they listen to the vocal minority so much like Batman needing to fight and beat Superman and then having evil Superman. The majority of people would prefer them working together… Read more »

NeoRanger
NeoRanger
March 23, 2021 10:41 pm
Reply to  sundevil82

I don’t think this had to do with popularity. In Snyder’s original outline, Batman wasn’t going to beat Superman. On the contrary, Superman would pretty much frontline the last movie and lead everyone to victory. I think this is more Snyder thinking his big, mythical, melodramatic pieces. Fallen hero that redeems himself and saves the world is a nice thought. It just doesn’t fit this particular character, at least not in the way he wanted to do it. Especially since, mythical or not, there are SOME things you don’t come back from. Making humanity near-extinct is probably one of those… Read more »

Superman2878
March 22, 2021 10:58 pm

Is this news related or connected to last month’s J J Abrams Superman reboot news? Because this doesn’t seem like coincidence to me on the way this was all timed.

RikkiRoxx
RikkiRoxx
March 22, 2021 11:15 pm
Reply to  Superman2878

Rumored, but not proven. But lots of people generally believe the rumor that it was indeed connected. The “conspiracy theory” goes like this: WB didn’t want ZSJL to ever come out. Warner Media and they people above WB “forced” it to happen because HBO Max needed content. WB was allegedly glad to be rid of Snyder and ready to move on. If this movie got a good reception, and people started screaming for sequels, WB look like idiots for throwing Zack aside in the first place. When the buzz started getting too loud, WB put out the news about the… Read more »

rocketdave
rocketdave
March 23, 2021 1:31 am

After all the buzz that the Snyder cut has generated, to immediately dash fan’s hopes for a continuation feels like such a baffling and boneheaded decision. I’m upset to learn that there have been threats against WB execs, but I can’t think of a fandom that doesn’t have its toxic elements, unfortunately.

RikkiRoxx
RikkiRoxx
March 23, 2021 1:51 am
Reply to  rocketdave

Agreed. I can understand perhaps not wanting to get fans’ hopes up too high for things that are unlikely at best. But to come out and plainly say “There is no chance of this ever happening” despite the fact that even people who a week ago fully expected (wanted?) to hate Snyder’s film are now saying they would like to see the story continue… it feels tone-deaf. And it flies directly in the face of their entire “Multiverse”/”Everything Is Valid” approach. “Everything is valid… except for Zack Snyder’s movies, solely and specifically. Sorry if you like them or want to… Read more »

rocketdave
rocketdave
March 23, 2021 4:35 pm
Reply to  RikkiRoxx

Well said.

sundevil82
sundevil82
March 23, 2021 9:09 pm
Reply to  RikkiRoxx

Every fandom has toxicity. It’s not just Snyder fans. Star Wars and Star Trek are just a couple that come to mind. People HATE the new versions of those franchises and are also vocal… a lot of it also has to do with people hiding behind keyboards. The majority of fandom is normal though I would say. I’ve not seen one toxic Snyder fan here and I truly believe the vocal minority ruins it for everyone else with any fandom.

NeoRanger
NeoRanger
March 23, 2021 10:31 pm
Reply to  sundevil82

It’s blogger fodder, pay it no mind. The people who make their living off of outrage latch onto any movement or coordination or any sort of buzz. I’m sure there are crappy people everywhere, but there is a pattern; from Ghostbusters 2016, to Birds of Prey, to The Last Jedi, to Joker, to the Snydercut. If it can make noise, it’s automatically a “story”. And 150 op-eds. And traffic for at least six months.

DW13
DW13
March 23, 2021 8:53 am

Geez, Sarnoff looks like an absolute shill, especially when she’s a fan of Ta-Nehisi Coates, who has gone on record to call 9/11 First Responders as “Racists” and “Terrorists”. And yet, Sarnoff calls that behavior has ‘reprehensible’ to the nth degree. Whatta’ effing hypocrite. >_>

redcape
redcape
March 23, 2021 1:51 pm

The present management is vastly different from when Snyder originally jumped on board. But from a standpoint of what Zack accomplished with his JL, everything points to it being a full blown success. So this new managmnent says,..nope, we don’t want any more of that.

Were in for a depressing ride for quite a while. The CW has “junked up” a large portion of whatevers left. And I think they’re good with that as well.

NeoRanger
NeoRanger
March 23, 2021 6:17 pm

Wanting to continue the Snyderverse would present a problem for them. For one thing, there are persistent rumors that WB wants nothing to do with Snyder or his crew. They want to break off to a completely different direction and they won’t exactly accept responsibility for the gigantic f-ups since Man of Steel. For another, in practical terms, they wouldn’t want to commit. They could get Cavill back for Superman (and probably most of that cast, even though now we’re a good 8 years since the first installment). But it’s unlikely Affleck is in the position to do Batman again,… Read more »

sundevil82
sundevil82
March 23, 2021 9:12 pm

Warner bros doesn’t really have a leg to stand on anymore… for them to dismiss this section of the universe is pretty shortsighted. Wb has managed to anger all of their top tier talent this year. Nolan, velinueve and Jenkins are all leaving after what happened to their films. You would think wb would be a little more open minded. They’re just going in a trendy direction and while that may have short term success, it’s not sustainable.

redcape
redcape
March 24, 2021 1:57 pm

Well… where all this takes us to is “square one”. When you look at the entire entertainment industry, it’s made up of liberal attitudes, and they’ve made it clear there will be no exceptions towards any other direction. Snyder’s movies are all outside of this polluted one sided thinking. Everything now must be done following an exact pattern or it’ll be subject to being endlessly picked apart by any number of like minded followers, which have taken over at this point. It would probably be a monumental, if not impossible task of trying to bring Snyder’s style into days climate.… Read more »

Last edited 3 years ago by redcape
redcape
redcape
March 25, 2021 2:00 pm
Reply to  redcape

This article was on garbage Yahoo’s home page today. It seemed to read with a more direct negative stance towards Snyder’s accomplishments and his supporters.

This is the way it’s going now. ANYTHING that’s media orientated or coming out of Phonywood, is deemed as being pro-liberal along with their opinions. Any disagreement and your assigned as being any number of their self appointed negative descriptions. Snyder fans regrding this aren’t just fans,….they’re “TOXIC” fans.