Warner Bros chairman and CEO Kevin Tsujihara has drawn up an aggressive content strategy for the studio that would increase profits while ‘doubling down on outstanding content’.
“The demand for high quality video content is growing fast – in the United States and around the world – as new technologies have created new platforms and millions of new connected consumers. The opportunity is huge. And no studio is better positioned to take advantage of it than Warner Bros,” he said while addressing a Time Warner investors meeting recently.
As part of his presentation, Tsujihara announced a bold expansion of the industry’s broadest theatrical slate, built around the largest, most important global franchises. Warner Bros Pictures will release three Lego-branded films over the next four years, building upon the enormous success of this year’s “The Lego Movie” ($468 million worldwide box office), starting with ‘Ninjago’ in 2016, directed by Charlie Bean.
‘Batman’ will take a star turn in ‘The Lego Batman Movie’ in 2017, directed by Chris McKay, while the sequel, ‘The Lego Movie 2’, will debut in 2018. The studio will release three pictures, in 2016, 2018 and 2020, based on best-selling author JK Rowling’s original story and screenwriting debut, ‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.’
Set in an extension of her familiar wizarding world, featuring magical creatures and characters inspired by Harry Potter’s Hogwarts textbook and its fictitious author, Newt Scamander, ‘Fantastic Beasts’ will be directed by David Yates, who directed the last four Harry Potter movies.
In a massive expansion of the studio’s DC Entertainment-branded content, Warner Bros Pictures and New Line Cinema will release a slate of at least 10 movies – as well as standalone Batman and Superman films – from 2016 through 2020 that expands this universe of characters: ‘Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice’, directed by Zack Snyder (2016) ‘Suicide Squad’, directed by David Ayer (2016) ‘Wonder Woman’, starring Gal Gadot (2017) ‘Justice League Part One’, directed by Zack Snyder, with Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill and Amy Adams reprising their roles (2017) ‘The Flash’, starring Ezra Miller (2018) ‘Aquaman’, starring Jason Momoa (2018) ‘Shazam’ (2019) ‘Justice League Part Two’, directed by Zack Snyder (2019) ‘Cyborg’, starring Ray Fisher (2020) ‘Green Lantern’ (2020).
“At Warner Bros, we are united to not only continue to create the world’s greatest entertainment content, but to over-deliver on our financial targets. I’ve been with the company for over 20 years and I can’t remember a time when I’ve felt more confident about our future. We’re committed to maintaining and enhancing the great legacy of Warner Bros, the world’s most iconic and profitable studio,” added Tsujihara.