According to reports, Walter Hamada was offered a lucrative producing deal by Warner Bros. He seemingly turned it down after seeing how the cancelation of “Batgirl” was handled (via Deadline). Deciding to do away with the DC movie despite it being so far into postproduction was reportedly a huge deal breaker for Hamada and ultimately sparked immense dissatisfaction. Sources told Deadline that he wanted to leave before the release of “Black Adam,” but Warner Bros. execs Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy convinced him to stay through the movie’s release.
Early estimates predict a massive box-office performance for “Black Adam” in the coming weeks, but is it enough to help steer Warner Bros. Discovery back on course (via Variety)? In addition to Hamada, the company execs who have exited top positions over the past year include Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group chairman Toby Emmerich, President of Production and Development Courtenay Valenti, Motion Picture Group COO Carolyn Blackwood, and Animation Group EVP Allison Abbate. Much like them, Hamada is expected to land easily on his feet somewhere else, with Deadline speculating that he could arrive back at New Line Cinema, where he helped churn out horror hits like “The Conjuring” and 2017’s “It.” For now, De Luca and Abdy will oversee operations at DC Films until Zaslav decides on a permanent replacement.
