Walter Hamada’s future at DC Films was in doubt ever since the Warner Bros. Discovery merger was finalized earlier this year. But after the studio’s controversial decision to cancel Batgirl over the summer, Hamada reportedly began plotting his exit from the company. Now, it’s official. According to Deadline, Hamada has formally vacated his role as the president of DC Films, bringing his 15-year tenure at WB to a bitter conclusion.
Earlier this week, The Hollywood Reporter claimed that Hamada was in the process of clearing out his office on the Warner Bros. lot in Burbank. Regardless, there were a few other signs hinting that his days at the studio were numbered. Hamada was noticeably absent from last week’s Black Adam premiere in New York. He also hasn’t been been part of recent creative meetings with other executives. At this time, all that’s left for Hamada to do is to wait for WBD to finalize his exit payout.
Hamada began running DC Films in 2018. Although his tenure wasn’t without controversy, it does boast a handful of wins. He served as an executive producer on Aquaman and Joker, which netted DC two of its biggest box office hits. More recently, he oversaw The Batman’s production during the early days of the pandemic, leading to another rousing success earlier this year. Hamada was also responsible for linking the films of the DCEU to assorted spinoffs on HBO Max, including Peacemaker and the upcoming Penguin series headlined by Colin Farrell.
RELATED: Walter Hamada Almost Left DC Films Over Batgirl’s Cancellation
In January 2021, Hamada renewed his contract with the studio to stay onboard as president through 2023. But he struggled to adjust to WBD’s new corporate regime, and he’s far from the only one. Hamada’s departure makes him the fifth WB exec to leave since David Zaslav took over as the company’s CEO. And while Hamada was offered a producing deal with the studio in following his exit, he reportedly turned it down.
Meanwhile, Zaslav is still searching for DC’s own Kevin Feige who can (hopefully) tie all of their films and TV shows together in one shared universe. Deadline’s sources claim that Hamada wasn’t a “gifted talent schmoozer” (as evidenced by his ongoing feud with Justice League’s Ray Fisher), which likely hurt his chances at filling this role himself. However, one person who might still be in the running is Emma Watts, who previously served as 20th Century Fox’s president of production.
How do you feel about Hamada leaving DC Films? Let us know in the comment section below!
Photo Credit: Kevin Winter/Getty Images
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