WB Discovery boss David Zaslav would rather talk about James Gunn’s “mission from God” than the strike
The Warner Bros. Discovery earnings call saw more DC Studios bravado, streaming trending upwards, and no mention of the writers strike
Aux News David Zaslav
You wouldn’t know it by David Zaslav’s impressive salary, but Warner Bros. is coming off of “two of the worst years,” as the boss himself said on the company’s quarterly earnings call (via The Hollywood Reporter). To hear him tell it, the Discovery merger was indeed just the thing to right the ship, and the company is now able to “rebuild” historic WB “to its former glory.” And what, pray tell, will restore the illustrious studio’s glory? DC superheroes, of course.
“We got James Gunn and Peter [Safran] working very hard on DC, which is going to be a very big growth driver for this company,” the WBD CEO emphasized on the call (per THR). “We are very bullish on DC. The Superman script first draft is done. Gunn is on a mission from god. It is a really good moment to prove out on DC what we got and how strong it is globally for long-term sustainable growth.”
From the start of his tenure, Zaslav has championed theatrical releases. That strategy saw straight-to-streaming fare like Batgirl struck from the record entirely while a film mired in controversy like The Flash has been positioned as DC’s big comeback feature. “We got some more movies that are better; we have been working hard on fixing them and enhancing them and investing,” Zaslav said. “We said no movie before its time. And with Barbie and Flash we have two very good movies. I think the slate coming up now will make a big difference. We have lost a lot of money in the motion picture business, and making that turn is important.”
Like Paramount, Warner Bros. Discovery reported big losses in quarterly earnings (a net loss of $1.1 billion, according to CNBC). However, the streaming side apparently turned a $50 million profit, with the company expecting that segment of the business to be fully profitable earlier than predicted. The company did not comment on the ongoing writers strike in the earnings call, though the writers have been doing their own math about WBD earnings. “David Zaslav, the CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery, the parent company of the network I’m talking to you on right now, was paid $250 million last year,” writer and comedian Adam Conover said on a recent appearance on CNN. “That’s about the same as what 10,000 writers are asking him to pay us collectively.”
The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers released their own rebuttal regarding the negotiations with the Writers Guild of America (per Variety). The studios’ bargaining unit provided its alternate perspective on certain WGA proposals (guaranteeing a certain amount of jobs in the writers’ room, regulating the use of artificial intelligence, etc.) that AMPTP rejected and, in some cases, refused to counter.
As for WBD CEO Zaslav, he later expressed confidence that the two sides will come to an agreement. “A love for the business and a love for working. We all came into this business because we love storytelling,” Zaslav said during an appearance on CNBC’s Squawk Box (via Deadline). “That’s what’s going to bring us together.” Those things may indeed bring people together, but they have to pay the bills, too. If the company makes big superhero bucks, shouldn’t writers get to share the wealth?
25 Comments
Zaslov. You aren’t a storyteller. That is all.
Lol, take a star.
Four fried chickens and a Coke
And this guy’s gonna be commencement speaker at Boston University’s graduation ceremonies (while the strike’s going, no less.) I pity anyone who has to listen to him talk.
Hopefully some college students will heckle him with a “DISCOVERY SUCKS!” or “BRING BACK INFINITY TRAIN!” etc.
Zaslav likes stories so much, he trashed over a dozen of them. One thing that I bet really motivates writers to write is the opportunity to finish their story and have someone immediately dump it in the garbage.
would probably be nice to have a big superhero movie already in the can or maybe a cgi scooby-doo movie oh well ai ai ai ai.
They’re very bullish. Is that why it smells like a barn in here?
“god” with a small “g”? Is that so he doesn’t get a big head?
They’re on a mission from a god, not the God.
Eric Clapton?(let’s see how long until the rage replies start!)
No, Lemmy.
They’re not sure yet which god yet. It could be Darkseid or it could be Isis.
I bet it’s Thor!Wait a minute…
He’s so Thor, he can hardly piss!
“god” with a small “g”? Is that so he doesn’t get a big head?
Zassy is an absolute nothing. He’s rather put 90 day fiancee on HBO then to produce actually beloved content. I am confused and befuddled by his continued allowance to run WB Discovery or whatever its called this week. Just a zero of a human.
“and a love for working.”Said guy who doesn’t actually work for a living and whose salary comes from the labor of actual workers.
There’s “impressive salary” and then there’s 250 million fucking dollars. Oh my god??
This fucker’s salary and compensation:https://variety.com/2023/tv/news/warner-bros-discovery-ceo-david-zaslav-pay-39-million-2022-1235568306/
I mean, I hate this guy, so I wouldn’t spell his name right in the headline either.
“WB Discovery boss David Zaslov would rather talk about James Gunn’s “mission from God” than the strike”
Which is weird, because I think everyone with any common sense probably expected a lot of strike talk during fucking earnings call.
A love for the business and a love for working.Motherfucker, you make $250 million, a figure completely unjustifiable by any logic. Are you a pediatric neurosurgeon? Have you eliminated hunger in the third world?You “work” in only the loosest sense of the world, and most people in history would be baffled by your claim that you do.When the revolution comes, you will be one of the first against the wall, and no one will be sad to see it happen.
Zaslav hired Gunn/Safran, HE gave them their “mission”. Does that mean he’s low key calling himself God?