After the dismal box office for Warner Bros. “Justice League” in November, many speculated that the ax was going to fall on a number of executives. Earlier this year, Walter Hamada was given the job as the president of DC films, but other than that, not much has changed over at the superhero wing of WB. That is, until now.
Today, Warner Bros. announced (via THR) that Geoff Johns, who was given the title of DC Entertainment president and chief creative officer, will be leaving his roles with the company and forming Mad Ghost Productions. But he’s not leaving DC entirely. As part of Mad Ghost Productions, Johns will write and produce a variety of DC comics, television series, and of course, films.
WB announced that the first major film project for Johns will be as writer and producer of the upcoming “Green Lantern Corps” film. Johns is also listed as a writer on “Aquaman” and has previously stated that he is helping write “Wonder Woman 2.”
“I took on a role at DCE because I love the characters and this universe more than anything. But, I want to spend my days writing and on set. I’m thrilled to get back to a more hands-on creative role. It’s a dream job on dream projects, reaching even deeper into DC’s vast pantheon of characters,” said Johns in a statement.
“Geoff is a super talented writer and truly embedded in the DC Universe and its characters,” stated WB Chairman Toby Emmerich. “We’re thrilled that he’s returning to his passion and his roots as a writer and producer. And, it’s even better that he’s staying in our Warner Bros. family. We look forward to working with him on ‘Green Lantern’ and other projects going forward.”
Johns was previously brought into the executive role as assumed savior of DC films. Fans were hoping that the comic book writer and TV writer would be able to help steer the ship over at WB/DC. However, with the disappointing critical and box office results of “Justice League,” many assumed that Johns would eventually return to his more creative roots. And now he has.
The move comes on the heels of another major executive leaving their post at DC. Last week, it was announced that Diane Nelson, head of DC and WB Consumer Products, would not be coming back after she took a leave of absence in March. Unlike Johns, who was new to the executive role, Nelson was a fixture at WB for over two decades and acted as the overseer of the entire DC universe of projects, including films, TV, and comics.
So, now it looks like Hamada is the last man standing over at WB/DC. The studio is currently putting the finishing touches on “Aquaman,” scheduled to hit theaters later this year, as well as finishing production on “Shazam,” which will be released in 2019.