The old adage there’s no such thing as bad publicity may prove a test as very public difficulties currently in motion at Warner Bros. continue to make headlines. Friday saw the publication of an open letter to WB CEO KevinTsujihara over at Pajiba. Allegedly written, anonymously so, by former Warner Bros. employee, the letter expressed disapproval over directives taken at the studio in recent years and targeted further criticism over the management of their DC Comics cinematic universe. This letter arrives one week after the latest DC entry Suicide Squad opened in theaters – while the film opened to an August opening weekend record, the movie received major critical lashing and perhaps showcased further chinks in the WB armor following the reaction and less-than-expected box office take of this spring’s Batman v Superman.
The letter was perhaps most critical of director Zack Snyder, the director of Batman v Superman as well as the upcoming Justice League. Most scathing was perhaps the criticism concerning WB staff dismissals following a round of box office disappointments in the past few years. The letter included the following on Snyder:
Zack Snyder is not delivering. Is he being punished? Assistants who were doing fantastic work certainly were. People in finance and in marketing and in IT. They had no say in a movie called Batman v Superman only having 8 minutes of Batman fighting Superman in it, that ends because their moms have the same name.
As from also chastising the bulk of the Warner Bros. slate in the past few years, the letter also alluded to possible further tensions with DC’s upcoming Wonder Woman feature. “Maybe Wonder Woman wouldn’t be such a mess. Don’t try to hide behind the great trailer. People inside are already confirming it’s another mess,” the letter stated. That statement didn’t sit well with Wonder Woman director Patty Jenkins, who took to Twitter in an effort to set the record straight.
While this may just be frustration from a disgruntled former employee, Warner Bros. has certainly had more than a fair share of recent public kerfuffles, particularly focused on their handling of the DC Comics franchise. For what it’s worth, Gal Gadot’s debuted Wonder Woman in Batman v Superman and was considered by critics and fans alike as one of the bright spots in the film. The recently unveiled trailer of Wonder Woman likewise received glowing praise…however Suicide Squad impressed with its marketing as well so time will tell.
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