Warner Bros. Sets Up DC Entertainment

BURBANK: Warner Bros, Entertainment has established a new division focused on exploiting its DC Comics brand and characters across feature films, television and other platforms, to be led by Diane Nelson. 

Nelson will serve as president and CEO of DC Entertainment and is charged with integrating the DC Comics business, brand and characters with Warner Bros. Entertainment and all its content and distribution businesses. The division will build franchises for DC in feature films, television, interactive entertainment, direct-to-consumer platforms and consumer products. The DC Comics publishing business will remain the cornerstone of DC Entertainment, releasing approximately 90 comic books through its various imprints and 30 graphic novels a month. Nelson reports to Jeff Robinov, the president of Warner Bros. Pictures Group. She will also continue to oversee the franchise management of the Harry Potter property. She will segue from her post as president of Warner Premiere but maintain oversight responsibilities of that division. 

Paul Levitz, who has served as the president and publisher of DC Comics since 2002, will return to being a writer for DC and becomes a contributing editor and overall consultant to DCE. 

“DC Comics and its super hero characters are truly touchstones of popular culture, and the formation of DC Entertainment is a major step in our company’s efforts to realize the full potential of this incredible wellspring of creative properties,” said Barry Meyer, the chairman and CEO of Warner. Bros. “Diane knows our studio as a creative executive, a marketer and a senior manager, and this varied background will help her effectively and creatively integrate the DC brand and properties across all our businesses. We’re also thrilled that Paul will remain involved with DC and we’ll be able to tap his expertise to help us reach our goals for this new business.”

“It’s no secret that DC has myriad rich and untapped possibilities from its deep library of iconic and lesser-known characters,” added Alan Horn, the president and COO of Warner Bros. “While we’ve had great success in films and television, the formation of DC Entertainment will help us to bring more DC properties across additional platforms to fans around the world, while maintaining brand integrity and authenticity. Diane is a terrific choice to lead DC Entertainment, and with Paul in his new role as a valued consultant and contributing editor, both our company and comic fans win.”

“Based on the great success we’ve had working with DC Comics to create some of the most popular and successful super hero films of all time, I’ve long believed that there was much more we could do across all of Warner Bros.’ businesses with this great body of characters and stories,” said Robinov. “The prioritization of DC and the creation of DC Entertainment is a great opportunity that reaches far beyond the film group. There are endless creative possibilities to build upon the many significant successes already achieved by my colleagues Kevin Tsujihara and the Home Entertainment Group in the videogame, home video and direct-to-platform arenas and Bruce Rosenblum and the Television Group in live-action, animated and digital series. Collectively, we have the ability to grow a body of properties highlighting the iconic characters and the diversity of the creative output of DC Comics.”

Current DC properties in development and/or production at Warner Bros. Entertainment include Human Target for FOX; Midnight Mass for consideration for the 2010-11 season; Jonah Hex, Warner Bros. Pictures’ supernatural Western starring Josh Brolin, Megan Fox and John Malkovich; and The Green Lantern, Warner Bros. Pictures’ next big superhero tentpole release, recently cast Ryan Reynolds as the titular character.