Company type | Subsidiary |
---|---|
Industry | Entertainment |
Genre | Superhero fiction |
Founded | September 9, 2009 |
Headquarters | , United States |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | |
Products |
|
Services | Licensing |
Parent | Warner Bros. Discovery |
Divisions | |
Subsidiaries | |
Website | dc.com |
DC Entertainment is an American entertainment company that was founded in September 2009 and is based in Burbank, California. The company is a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery [1] [2] that manages its DC Comics units and characters in other units, as they work with other Warner Bros. units. It also delves into those units within their flagship the DC Extended Universe (DCEU). DC Comics was founded in 1934 when it was National Comic Publications.
In April 2022, following the merger of parent company WarnerMedia with Discovery, Inc., DC Entertainment was reported to be reorganized into its own vertical unit rather than being handled by other Warner Bros. subsidiaries on its behalf. [3]
On September 9, 2009, [4] [5] Warner Bros. announced that DC Comics would become a subsidiary of DC Entertainment, Inc., with Diane Nelson, President of Warner Premiere, becoming president of the newly formed holding company and DC Comics President and Publisher Paul Levitz moving to the position of Contributing Editor and Overall Consultant there. [6] Warner Bros. and DC Comics have been owned by the same company since.
On February 18, 2010, DC Entertainment named Jim Lee and Dan DiDio as Co-Publishers of DC Comics, Geoff Johns as Chief Creative Officer, John Rood as EVP (Executive Vice President) of Sales, Marketing and Business Development, and Patrick Caldon as EVP of Finance and Administration. [7]
In October 2013, DC Entertainment announced that the DC Comics offices were going to move in 2015 from New York City to the headquarters of Warner Bros. in Burbank, California. The other units, animation, film, television and portfolio planning, had preceded DC Comics by moving there in 2010. [8]
DC Entertainment announced its first franchise, the DC Super Hero Girls universe, in April 2015 with multi-platform content, toys and apparel to start appearing in 2016. [9]
Warner Bros. Pictures reorganized in May 2016 to have genre-responsible film executives, thus DC Entertainment franchise films under Warner Bros. were placed under a newly created division, DC Films, created under Warner Bros. executive vice president Jon Berg and DC chief content officer Geoff Johns. This was done in the same vein as Marvel Studios in unifying DC-related filmmaking under a single vision and clarifying the greenlighting process. Johns also kept his existing role at DC Comics. [10] Johns was promoted to DC president and CCO with the addition of his DC Films while still reporting to DCE President Nelson. [11] In August 2016, Amit Desai was promoted from senior vice president, marketing & global franchise management to exec vice president, business and marketing strategy, direct-to-consumer and global franchise management. [12]
DC Comics are available in digital form through several sources. Free services: In 2015, Hoopla Digital became the first library-based digital system to distribute DC Comics. [13]
In April 2017, [14] DC announced an upcoming streaming service with Warner Bros. Digital Networks, which was to feature original live-action and animated series based on DC characters and franchises, such as Titans and Young Justice: Outsiders . [15] [16] The service, later announced as DC Universe, would launch in September 2018, and also feature access to classic DC television series and digital comics. [17] [18]
With frustration over DC Films not matching Marvel Studios' results and Berg wanting to step back to being a producer in January 2018, it was announced that Warner Bros. executive Walter Hamada was appointed president of DC film production. [19] After a leave of absence starting in March 2018, Diane Nelson resigned as president of DC Entertainment. The company's executive management were to report to WB Chief Digital Officer Thomas Gewecke until a new president was selected. [20]
In June 2018, Johns was also moved out of his position as chief creative officer and DC Entertainment president for a writing and producing deal with the DC and WB companies. Jim Lee added DC Entertainment chief creative officer title to his DC co-publisher post. [21] In September 2018, DC became part of the newly founded Warner Bros. Global Brands and Franchises division overseen by Pam Lifford. [22] [23] In January 2019 it was reported that 7 of the DC's 240 person workforce were laid off, including several vice presidents. [24]
In August 2020, DC publisher Jim Lee announced that DC Universe's original productions would migrate to WarnerMedia's new streaming service HBO Max, [25] with the majority of the staff of DC Universe having been laid off. [26] In January 2021, the remainder of the service would become a comics-centric service known as DC Universe Infinite. The service would feature DC titles six months after their retail release date (comparable to Marvel Unlimited), early access to DC Comics' digital-first titles, exclusive comics created for the service, and access to 24,000 titles in DC's back catalog. [27] [28]
On April 14, 2022, after the merger of parent company WarnerMedia with Discovery, Inc., it was reported that the company was exploring a restructuring of DC Entertainment into a "solidified content vertical" more akin to Marvel, with its film, television, and video game development brought directly under DC with a central leader, rather than being handled by other Warner Bros. subsidiaries on its behalf. [29] In August 2022, DC relaunched its website at DC.com, while also dropping "comics" from the usernames of its other social media outlets. [30]
In October 2022, DC Films was replaced by DC Studios, which would be led by co-chairmen James Gunn and Peter Safran under a four-year deal to oversee film, television, and animation productions involving DC properties. They will report directly to WBD CEO David Zaslav, while also working with Warner Bros. Pictures' Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy among others. [31]
In May 2023, Lee was promoted to president, publisher, and chief creative officer of DC, continuing to report to Pam Lifford as president of Global Brands and Experiences. [32] [33]
All the films are distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, except as indicated.
Year | Title | Director | Co-production(s) | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
2010 | Jonah Hex | Jimmy Hayward | Legendary Pictures / Weed Road Pictures | Loosely based on the character of the same name. |
2010 | Red | Robert Schwentke | Di Bonaventura Pictures | Based on the miniseries by Warren Ellis and Cully Hamner. Wildstorm (an imprint of DC Comics). Distributed by Summit Entertainment. |
2011 | Green Lantern | Martin Campbell | De Line Pictures | |
2012 | The Dark Knight Rises | Christopher Nolan | Warner Bros.Pictures / Legendary Pictures / Syncopy Inc. | The Dark Knight Trilogy. |
2013 | Man of Steel | Zack Snyder | The first film to be set in the DC Extended Universe. | |
2013 | Red 2 | Dean Parisot | Di Bonaventura Pictures | Based on the miniseries by Warren Ellis and Cully Hamner. Wildstorm (an imprint of DC Comics). Distributed by Summit Entertainment (Lionsgate). |
2016 | Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice | Zack Snyder | Warner Bros.Pictures / RatPac Entertainment /Cruel and Unusual Films / Atlas Entertainment | R-rated extended version, the Ultimate Edition, was released on home video in 2016 and is the second film to be set in the DC Extended Universe. [37] |
2016 | Suicide Squad | David Ayer | Warner Bros.Pictures / RatPac-Dune Entertainment Atlas Entertainment | This is the third film set in the DC Extended Universe |
All the films are made for Direct-to-video/television and produced by Warner Bros. Animation, except as indicated.
All short films are direct-to-video are produced by Warner Bros. Animation, except as indicated.
Year | Title | Collection | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2010 | Joker's Playhouse | DC Super Friends | A one-off special short, produced as part of Fisher-Price's Imaginext product line. |
The Spectre | DC Showcase | Included in Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths. | |
Jonah Hex | Included in Batman: Under the Red Hood. | ||
Green Arrow | Included in Superman/Batman: Apocalypse. | ||
Superman/Shazam!: The Return of Black Adam | Included in DC Showcase Shorts Collection. | ||
2011 | Catwoman | Included in Batman: Year One. | |
2015 | Nightwing and Robin | DC Animated Movie Universe | Included in Justice League: Throne of Atlantis. Part of the DCAMU. |
Constantine: John Con Noir | Constantine | Produced by Cool Town Claymation; part of the promotion of the TV series Constantine . | |
2018 | #TheLateBatsby | DC Super Hero Girls | Theatrical; Appeared in front of Teen Titans Go! To the Movies . |
2019 | Sgt. Rock | DC Showcase | Included in Batman: Hush. |
Death | Included in Wonder Woman: Bloodlines. | ||
2020 | The Phantom Stranger | Included in Superman: Red Son. | |
Adam Strange | Included in Justice League Dark: Apokolips War. | ||
Batman: Death in the Family | Interactive movie. Follow-up to Batman: Under the Red Hood. Based on Batman: A Death in the Family storyline by Jim Starlin and Jim Aparo. | ||
2021 | Kamandi: The Last Boy on Earth! | Included in Justice Society: World War II. | |
The Losers | Included in Batman: The Long Halloween, Part One. | ||
Blue Beetle | Included in Batman: The Long Halloween, Part Two. | ||
2022 | Constantine: The House of Mystery | An long-form animated short. Sequel to Justice League Dark: Apokolips War. [47] |
All television series are (co-)produced by Warner Bros. Television Studios, except as indicated.
Title | Aired | Production companies | Network(s) | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Human Target | 2010–11 | Wonderland Sound and Vision | Fox / CTV | |
Arrow | 2012–20 | Berlanti Productions | The CW | Part of the Arrowverse |
Gotham | 2014–19 | Primrose Hill Productions | Fox | |
The Flash | 2014–23 | Bonanza Productions/ Berlanti Productions | The CW | Part of the Arrowverse |
Constantine | 2014–15 | Ever After Productions / Phantom Four Films | NBC | |
Supergirl | 2015–21 | Berlanti Productions | CBS (season 1) The CW (seasons 2–6) | |
Legends of Tomorrow | 2016–22 | The CW | ||
Lucifer | 2016–21 | Jerry Bruckheimer Television | Fox (seasons 1–3) Netflix (seasons 4–6) | Based on Vertigo Comics. Arrowverse adjacent. |
Powerless | 2017 | Ehsugadee Productions | NBC | [48] |
Black Lightning | 2018–21 | Berlanti Productions / Akil Productions | The CW | Part of the Arrowverse |
Krypton | 2018–19 | Warner Horizon Television (Warner Bros. Television) / Phantom Four Films | Syfy | |
Titans | 2018–23 | Weed Road Pictures / Berlanti Productions | DC Universe (seasons 1–2) HBO Max (season 3–4) | Arrowverse adjacent |
Swamp Thing | 2019 | Big Shoe Productions, Inc. / Atomic Monster | DC Universe | |
Watchmen | Paramount Television / White Rabbit | HBO | ||
Doom Patrol | 2019–23 | Berlanti Productions / Jeremy Carver Productions | DC Universe (seasons 1–2) HBO Max/Max (since season 2) | Arrowverse adjacent. Spin-off of Titans. |
Batwoman | 2019–22 | Berlanti Productions | The CW | Part of the Arrowverse |
Pennyworth | 2019–23 | Warner Horizon Television ((season 1 only) Warner Bros. Television) / Primrose Hill Productions | Epix (seasons 1–2) HBO Max (season 3) | Set in the same universe as Gotham |
Stargirl | 2020–22 | Mad Ghost Productions / Berlanti Productions | DC Universe (season 1) The CW (seasons 1–3) | Arrowverse adjacent |
Superman & Lois | 2021–2024 | Berlanti Productions | The CW | Arrowverse adjacent |
Naomi | 2022 | ARRAY Filmworks | ||
DMZ | ARRAY Filmworks / Analog | HBO Max | Based on Vertigo Comics | |
Gotham Knights | 2023 | Berlanti Productions | The CW |
Title | Aired | Production companies | Network(s) | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Batman: The Brave and the Bold | 2008–11 | Warner Bros. Animation / DC Comics (2008–09) | Cartoon Network | |
Young Justice | 2010–13 2019–22 | Warner Bros. Animation | Cartoon Network (seasons 1–2) DC Universe (season 3) HBO Max (season 4) | |
Green Lantern: The Animated Series | 2011–13 | Cartoon Network | ||
Beware the Batman | 2013–14 | Cartoon Network/Adult Swim | ||
Teen Titans Go! | 2013–present | |||
Justice League Action | 2016–18 | Cartoon Network | ||
DC Super Hero Girls | 2019–21 | |||
Harley Quinn | 2019–present | Warner Bros. Animation / Yes, Norman Productions / Delicious Non-Sequitur | HBO Max | |
Batwheels | 2022–present | Warner Bros. Animation Bang Zoom Ltd. | Cartoonito | |
My Adventures with Superman | 2023–present | Warner Bros. Animation | Adult Swim |
Title | Aired | Production companies | Network | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
DC Nation Shorts | 2011–14 | Warner Bros. Animation | Cartoon Network | Animated shorts aired as interstitials on the DC Nation television block on Cartoon Network |
Batman Unlimited | 2015–16 | YouTube (DC Kids Channel) | ||
DC Super Friends | 2015 | Warner Bros. Animation / Imaginext / | ||
Justice League: Gods and Monsters Chronicles | Warner Bros. Animation / Blue Ribbon Content | YouTube (Machinima channel) | Related to the film. Renewed for season 2, but subsequently shelved indefinitely [49] | |
Vixen | 2015–16 | CW Seed | Part of the Arrowverse. | |
DC Super Hero Girls | 2015–18 | Warner Bros. Animation | YouTube (DC Super Hero Girls channel) | |
Justice League Action Shorts | 2017 | YouTube (DC Kids Channel) | ||
Freedom Fighters: The Ray | 2017–18 | Warner Bros. Animation / Blue Ribbon Content | CW Seed | Part of the Arrowverse. [50] [51] |
Constantine: City of Demons | 2018–19 | Warner Bros. Animation / Blue Ribbon Content / Berlanti Productions / Phantom Four Productions | Part of The DC Animated Movie Universe | |
DC Super Hero Girls: Super Shorts | 2019–20 | Warner Bros. Animation | YouTube (DC Super Hero Girls channel) | |
Deathstroke: Knights & Dragons | 2020 | Warner Bros. Animation / Blue Ribbon Content / Berlanti Productions | CW Seed | [52] |
Aquaman: King of Atlantis | 2021 | Warner Bros. Animation / Atomic Monster | HBO Max and Cartoon Network | [53] [54] |
Geoffrey Johns is an American comic book writer, screenwriter, and film and television producer. Johns's work on the DC Comics characters Green Lantern, Aquaman, Flash, and Superman has drawn critical acclaim. He co-created the DC character Courtney Whitmore based on his deceased sister. He also expanded the Green Lantern mythology, adding in new concepts and co-creating numerous characters. Among the DC characters and concepts he co-created are Larfleeze, the Sinestro Corps, the Indigo Tribe, the Red Lantern Corps, Atrocitus, the Black Lantern Corps, Jessica Cruz, Hunter Zolomon, Tar Pit, Simon Baz, Bleez, Miss Martian, and Kate Kane.
Warner Bros. Animation Inc. is an American animation studio which is part of the Warner Bros. Television Studios, a division of Warner Bros., which is a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery and serves as the animation division and label of Warner Bros.
The DC Animated Universe is a shared universe centered on a group of animated television series based on DC Comics and produced by Warner Bros. Animation. It began with Batman: The Animated Series in 1992 and ended with Justice League Unlimited in 2006. Animated feature films and shorts, comic books, video games, and other multimedia adaptations are also in the continuity that continued to be released years later.
Lego Batman is a discontinued theme and product range of the Lego building toy, introduced in 2006, based on the superhero character Batman, under license from DC Comics. The sets feature vehicles, characters and scenes from the comics and films. The inspirations for the design of these vary widely. For example, the Batmobile retains its basic sleek shape and prominent fins from the Tim Burton films, whereas the "Bat-Tank" seems to be based on the tank-like Batmobile in Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns. The theme was relaunched in early 2012 as part of the Lego DC Universe Superheroes line, which is a sub-theme of the Lego Super Heroes line. In total there were 17 sets, almost all of them including Batman.
The Batman franchise, based on the fictional superhero Batman who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics, has seen the release of various films. Created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger, the character first starred in two serial films in the 1940s: Batman and Batman and Robin. The character also appeared in the 1966 film Batman, which was a feature film adaptation of the 1960s Batman TV series starring Adam West and Burt Ward, who also starred in the film. Toward the end of the 1980s, the Warner Bros. studio began producing a series of feature films starring Batman, beginning with the 1989 film Batman, directed by Tim Burton and starring Michael Keaton. Burton and Keaton returned for the 1992 sequel Batman Returns, and in 1995, Joel Schumacher directed Batman Forever with Val Kilmer as Batman. Schumacher also directed the 1997 sequel Batman & Robin, which starred George Clooney. Batman & Robin was poorly received by both critics and fans, leading to the cancellation of Batman Unchained.
DC Comics's Superman franchise, based on the character of the same name created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster in June 1938, has seen the release of various films since its inception. The character debuted in cinemas in a series of animated shorts beginning in 1941, and then was the protagonist of two movie serials in 1948 and 1950. An independent studio, Lippert Pictures, released the first Superman feature film, Superman and the Mole Men, starring George Reeves, in 1951. In 1973, the film rights to the Superman character were purchased by Ilya Salkind, Alexander Salkind, and Pierre Spengler. After numerous scripts and several years in development, Richard Donner was hired as their director, and he shot two films, Superman (1978), and Superman II (1980), at the same time, both starring Christopher Reeve. Donner had already shot eighty percent of Superman II before it was decided to finish shooting the first film. The Salkinds fired Donner after Superman's release and commissioned Richard Lester as the director to finish Superman II. Lester returned to direct Superman III (1983). The Salkinds also produced the related spin-off Supergirl (1984). They then sold the rights to Cannon Films, which produced the poorly reviewed Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987). Ilya Salkind commissioned a fifth Superman script before Warner Bros. acquired the rights entirely in 1993.
Diane Whelan Nelson is an American business executive who was president of DC Entertainment from 2009 to 2018, and president and chief content officer of Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment from 2013 to 2018.
Justice League is a 2017 American superhero film based on the DC Comics superhero team of the same name. Produced by Warner Bros. Pictures, DC Films, RatPac-Dune Entertainment, Atlas Entertainment, and Cruel and Unusual Films and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, it is the fifth installment in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU). Directed by Zack Snyder and written by Chris Terrio and Joss Whedon, the film features an ensemble cast including Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Gal Gadot, Ezra Miller, Jason Momoa, Ray Fisher, Jeremy Irons, Diane Lane, Connie Nielsen, and J. K. Simmons. In the film, following the events of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) Batman and Wonder Woman recruit The Flash, Aquaman, and Cyborg after the death of Superman to save the world from the catastrophic threat of Steppenwolf and his army of Parademons.
Warner Bros. Pictures Animation (WBPA), formerly known as Warner Animation Group (WAG), is an American animation studio that serves as the feature film label of Warner Bros.' theatrical film production and distribution division, Warner Bros. Pictures. Established on January 7, 2013, by Jeff Robinov, the studio is the successor to the dissolved 2D traditional hand-drawn animation studio Warner Bros. Feature Animation, which shut down in 2004, and is also a sister to the regular Warner Bros. Animation studio.
DC Studios is an American film, television, and animation studio that is a division of Warner Bros., which is a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD). It is dedicated to the production of films, series, and animations based on characters from DC Comics, among them is their flagship franchise, the DC Extended Universe (DCEU). James Gunn and Peter Safran assumed control of the company, on November 1, 2022. Previously, Walter Hamada was the president of DC Films from 2018 until his departure in October 2022.
The DC Extended Universe (DCEU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on a series of superhero films produced by DC Studios and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. It is based on characters that appear in American comic books published by DC Comics. The DCEU also includes comic books, short films, novels, and video games. Like the original DC Universe in comic books, the DCEU is established by crossing over common plot elements, settings, cast, and characters.
DC Universe was an American subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) and digital comics service operated by DC Entertainment and Warner Bros. Digital Networks, both divisions of WarnerMedia. Launched on September 15, 2018, the service featured a streaming library of animated series and films based on DC Comics properties, new original television series adapted from DC properties, as well as a rotating back catalogue of DC Comics publications, and online community features. In 2020, the service won the Webby People's Voice Award for Media Streaming.
Warner Bros. Discovery Global Brands and Experiences is one of Warner Bros. Discovery's major business segments and divisions. It was founded in September 2018.
The fictional character Flash, a superhero appearing in comic books published by DC Comics, has appeared in multiple films since his creation. Unlike fellow superheroes such as Superman and Batman, multiple characters have assumed the mantle of the Flash. These include Jay Garrick, Barry Allen, his nephew Wally West, and grandson Bart Allen.
Warner Bros. Pictures is an American film production and distribution company of the Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group division of Warner Bros. Entertainment. The studio is the flagship producer of live-action feature films within the Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group unit, and is based at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California. Animated films produced by Warner Bros. Pictures Animation are also released under the studio banner.
The DC Extended Universe (DCEU) media franchise has experienced a turbulent history since its inception in 2013, characterized by highly publicized clashes between studio executives and talent, constantly changing approaches to worldbuilding, and repeated changes in management. Warner Bros. Pictures originally announced plans for a shared universe of live-action films based on the DC Comics, starting with the release of Man of Steel (2013), with director Zack Snyder set to spearhead the franchise. Following the negative reception to Snyder's follow-up film Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016), Warner Bros. created DC Films, a new division led by Geoff Johns and Jon Berg tasked with overseeing development of the DCEU. DC Films attempted to correct the course of the franchise, culminating in the troubled production and disastrous release of the crossover film Justice League (2017), which significantly deviated from Snyder's original vision.
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: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)The new position, announced on Thursday by Warner Bros. chairman-CEO Kevin Tsujihara, will have responsibility over Warner Bros. Consumer Products, DC, themed entertainment, and a new global franchise team.
The day-to-day operation of DC will continue to be run by Jim Lee, Publisher and Chief Creative Officer, and Dan DiDio, Publisher, who both now report to Lifford.