While sitting down with IESB.net to discuss his new film The Unborn, writer/director David Goyer discussed the effect the success of The Dark Knight has had on other DC Comics films being made at Warner Bros.
“A lot of the DC movies at Warner Bros. are all on hold while they figure out, they’re going to come up with some new plan, methodology, things like that so everything has just been pressed pause on at the moment,” says Goyer. “It was the double header of both Iron Man and The Dark Knight coming out, so more than ever I think they’ve realized…I think DC was responsible for 15% of Warner Bros.’s revenue this year, something crazy like that, so they realized that comic books, it’s become a new genre, one of the most successful genres.”
This hold includes his own DC projects The Flash and Super Max. Another superhero project Goyer is attached to write and direct that is on hold for much different reasons is X-Men Origins: Magneto. Previously scheduled for release in 2010, Twentieth-Century Fox recently shelved the film pending the success of the upcoming X-Men Origins: Wolverine film starring Hugh Jackman scheduled to hit theaters May 1st.
Despite the tremendous success of The Dark Knight, Warner Bros. has had little success with some of DC’s other superhero staples. Superman Returns was unable to recoup its $270 million budget at the North American box office and other high-profile titles like Wonder Woman have long been gestating. For DC Comics to share in the overall success that Marvel Comics has had, it might be best for them to rethink their strategy for upcoming films.
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