From: madlove@arkham.dc   
      
   DC Shake-Up in the Works After 'Justice League' Stumbles,   
   http://variety.com/2017/film/news/dc-films-justice-league-1202632214/   
      
   Warner Bros. is planning a shake-up and restructuring of its DC Films   
   operation following the box office disappointment of "Justice League",   
   Variety has learned.   
      
   Jon Berg will be leaving his current job running the comic book's film   
   production division, according to several sources with knowledge of the   
   studio's plans. A search is underway for his replacement.   
      
   Berg will instead become a production partner with Roy Lee, the producer of   
   "The Lego Movie" and "It", who has a deal on the lot.   
      
   "This is something that Jon approached me about six months ago, and he   
   expressed his goal was to ultimately be a producer at the studio",   
   Warner Bros. Picture Group President Toby Emmerich said in a statement   
   to Variety.   
      
   "I first met Jon when, as a producer, he brought 'Elf' to New Line,   
   which remains one of the best and most evergreen titles in the library.   
   We're thrilled that Jon is partnering with Roy and anticipate their   
   company being a valuable source of movies for Warner Bros. and New Line."   
      
   Warners is expected to name a new person to run point on DC's films.   
   Geoff Johns, who has partnered with Berg on much of the creative   
   direction of the movies, is expected to continue serving as DC   
   Entertainment's chief creative officer.   
      
   Johns, who reports to DC president Diane Nelson, works in areas such as   
   television (and has written various episodes for DC-inspired shows),   
   publishing, and consumer products, in addition to his contributions to   
   the films.   
      
   Going forward, his work on the films may evolve, and could be more   
   advisory in nature. The DC overhaul is expected to happen by January.   
      
   Warner Bros.' corporate leaders at Time-Warner support the moves and are   
   said to be unhappy with the financial performance of "Justice League."   
      
   The film was intended to be DC's answer to Marvel's "Avengers", uniting   
   the likes of Superman, Wonder Woman, and Batman under the banner of a   
   team of world-saving superheroes.   
      
   With a budget reported to be as high as $300 million, it represents an   
   expensive bet.   
   After three weeks of release it managed to gross $570.3 million worldwide.   
      
   In contrast, the first "Avengers" film racked up $1.5 billion. The   
   studio did have a number of successes this year with "Wonder Woman",   
   "Dunkirk", and "It", which has helped offset the disappointment of   
   "Justice League."   
      
   Berg and Johns were intimately involved in the production. Berg   
   essentially decamped for the film’s London set, and both men have full   
   producer credits on the picture, which would likely not be the case on   
   future movies.   
      
   "Justice League" suffered from a difficult birth. An early version,   
   directed by Zack Snyder, alarmed studio executives with its dark tone.   
   That had been the knock on Snyder's two previous DC films, "Man of   
   Steel" and "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice."   
      
   Snyder eventually left the production before it underwent costly   
   re-shoots. Joss Whedon, who was brought on to punch up the dialogue,   
   took over directing, but studio brass recognized that so much footage   
   had been shot already that there   
   were limits to what could be done to improve the picture.   
      
   Studio executives realized early on that Snyder's decision to have   
   Steppenwolf, a god-like, all-CGI creation, as the principal antagonist   
   was faulty.   
      
   In fact, many reviews were particularly harsh about Steppenwolf,   
   criticizing the character for being one-note and the product of   
   unconvincing visual effects.   
      
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