We want to start by saying writing reports like these is never easy, especially when we personally know some of those effected. Earlier today, WarnerMedia started to roll out a massive wave of layoffs across multiple portions of their vast entertainment empire including tv, films, and DC Comics.
It is believed these layoffs come from both the current state of Hollywood and the entertainment industry in general as the Covid-19 worldwide pandemic continues raging, as well as WarnerMedia “restructuring.”
In the first round of pink slips, some big names and heavy hitters within the company were included, like Warner Bros. CFO Kim Williams, Warner Bros. Worldwide Television Distribution President Jeff Schlesinger, and Warner Bros. President, Worldwide Theatrical Distribution & Home Entertainment and Executive Vice President, International Business Operations Ron Sanders.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, additional top-tier brass DC Comics Editor-in-Chief Bob Harris, Senior Vice President of publishing strategy and support services Hank Kanalz, Vice President of marketing and creative services Jonah Weiland, Vice President global publishing initiatives and digital strategy Bobbie Chase, senior story editor Brian Cunningham, and executive editor Mark Doyle are all out of a job as of tonight. THR states that Jim Lee remains CCO of DC Comics.
Those are just the top-tier names, as there are a reported 600 employees across various departments and companies being let go.
At present, no one from DC Comics (or WarnerMedia for that matter) has anything official to say to the press about this house cleaning.
There are numerous rumors across various professional groups that state the majority of DC Universe, the streaming service and home of series like “Doom Patrol,” “Swamp Thing,” and the animated “Harley Quinn” series will be ultimately be shuttered. This was largely believed to be the case when HBO Max (another streaming service, which WarnerMedia anticipated to be the WB answer to Disney+) launched in May.
Another casualty is DC Direct, DC Comics in-house merchandise and collectibles manufacturer where many of the officially licensed items for such high-ranking characters as Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman hail from.
Obviously, this story is still developing, and we will no doubt learn more as the week continues.
Guess DCFandome is still happening later this month, though.
