DC Films has been through a lot. Despite finding success in certain individual projects, they’ve never been able to get everything to gel the way Marvel Studios has. A lot of that may change in the future thanks to James Gunn and Peter Safran running the newly renamed DC Studios.
But what happened to the other guy? The one largely blamed for everything that went wrong with “Justice League,” among other things? That would be Walter Hamada, former head of the company from 2018 until October of 2022. His next gig post-WB? Heading to Paramount Pictures to start what they hope will be a frighteningly good relationship.
Prior to being in charge of DC film projects at WB, Hamada primarily worked in the horror genre as an executive producer. His credits include a number of mid to low budget films; “The Gallows,” “Lights Out,” and “The Conjuring,” alongside its sequels and spin-offs. At DC, his tenure wasn’t nearly as rosy. While yes, he was the executive producer of “Aquaman,” “Shazam,” and “The Batman,” he was also behind films that struggled. “Birds of Prey” could not capitalize properly on the success of Margot Robbie‘s Harley Quinn, and “Wonder Woman 1984″ was seen by many as a massive letdown to the first movie. There’s also the matter of “Joker,” which was massively successful while also being controversial in its irresponsible handling of presented white male rage.
Hamada is being tasked with helming several mid-budget films for theatrical and streaming release. This is definitely in his wheelhouse, considering his previous success. Assuming of course we excuse the reboots he was an executive producer for of “Friday the 13th” and “A Nightmare on Elm Street.” No one’s perfect.
The good news for this future line-up is that horror films tend to be a bit more critic proof than other genres. Like 2018’s “The Nun.” The film made over $365 million on a $22 million budget. It also received a 24% on Rotten Tomatoes with CinemaScore reviewers giving it a C. Not exactly high praise, but it’s hard to argue with a profit of that magnitude. If Hamada can continue to drum up that kind of revenue, he’ll probably be in a much better position than he was at DC.
Hamada’s move to Paramount is set to take place on January 1st, 2023. He still has his name attached to a few upcoming DC projects. Though perhaps the less said about everything going on with Ezra Miller and “The Flash,” the better. There’s a horror movie in itself right there.
