Stardust
02-12-2002, 02:25 PM
Hi, did anyone read the NYTimes on February 11? The article mentioned that WB is thinking about making two Batman movies. It's kind of interesting to read, but it's a long article.
Here are some selection from the article at http://www.nytimes.com (I think you would need to have an account to view the archives, but you can register for free). the ellipses (....) means there were paragraphs that I didn't copy and paste on here. Still, my condensed portion is still kinda long.
"In Warner Brothers' Strategy, a Movie Is Now a Product Line"
LOS ANGELES, Feb. 10 — Robert W. Pittman, soon to be promoted to the chief operating officer's job at AOL Time Warner (news/quote), last week made his first inspection of one of the many units he will command: the Warner Brothers studio in Burbank.
For Warner executives, the timing was ideal.
Hollywood is abuzz over Denzel Washington's prospects for winning an Oscar nomination for his role in Warner Brothers' "Training Day." Meanwhile, Warner Brothers' TV production arm continues to thrive with hits like "Friends," "The West Wing" and "ER."
But most significantly, the Warner executives could bask in the golden light of the $905 million worldwide box office so far from the studio's November release, "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" — a franchise film with a sequel set for this fall and another in the works for 2004.
Two years after the management shake- up at Warner Brothers that left Barry Meyer and Alan Horn in charge, it has become increasingly clear that within the vast AOL Time Warner multimedia empire the duo intends to run a movie-franchise factory.
Not only do they hope to deliver the same kind of lucrative franchise films that were notable in the era of Bob Daly and Terry Semel, the Warner chairmen who left in 1999 after 19 years together and were responsible for megahit film series like "Lethal Weapon" and "Batman." But Mr. Meyer, the studio's chief executive, and Mr. Horn, the president, plan to produce even bigger and more frequent franchise films, wringing more profits and extending a concept's shelf life through television spinoffs, product tie-ins, movie soundtracks, promotional Web sites and other multimedia means.
.........."The movie industry has learned that they are, in essence, producing a consumer product," said Richard Bilotti, a media analyst at Morgan Stanley. Studio executives, he said, "have come to learn that shareholders expect to see returns, given the capital companies are committing to the movie business."
The trend has left some Hollywood producers wondering if Warner movies might devolve into two-hour-long commercials. But the studio's strategy "is not a bad idea," Mr. Bilotti said.
"Where it becomes impossible," he added, "is if you stop creating new and interesting characters."
Mr. Meyer and Mr. Horn said they have found a wealth of other potential franchise projects for which the studio already owns rights, many of them coming from Warner Brothers' DC Comics group.
The Batman series, which foundered after the relatively lackluster results of its fourth film, "Batman and Robin" in 1997, is ripe for revival, they say. They have similar hopes for "Superman," which spawned four films, but none since 1987. Also under development are "Wonder Woman" and "Catwoman" films.
So intent is Warner Brothers on channeling more sequels to the screen that the studio is commissioning multiple scripts for a single character, with two or more teams working on different movies simultaneously. With "Batman," for example, one team is developing a story featuring the crusader as a young man, while a second team is developing a script in which Batman is an older, more embittered crime fighter. Several Superman scripts are also under way, including one called "Superman vs. Batman."
..........But there is no question that at Warner Brothers Mr. Horn must be more auditor than auteur. "Our job is to make movies that make money for our shareholders," he said. "I like to think we are producing entertainment. These are not teaching tools. We're providing mass entertainment for mass consumption."
Here are some selection from the article at http://www.nytimes.com (I think you would need to have an account to view the archives, but you can register for free). the ellipses (....) means there were paragraphs that I didn't copy and paste on here. Still, my condensed portion is still kinda long.
"In Warner Brothers' Strategy, a Movie Is Now a Product Line"
LOS ANGELES, Feb. 10 — Robert W. Pittman, soon to be promoted to the chief operating officer's job at AOL Time Warner (news/quote), last week made his first inspection of one of the many units he will command: the Warner Brothers studio in Burbank.
For Warner executives, the timing was ideal.
Hollywood is abuzz over Denzel Washington's prospects for winning an Oscar nomination for his role in Warner Brothers' "Training Day." Meanwhile, Warner Brothers' TV production arm continues to thrive with hits like "Friends," "The West Wing" and "ER."
But most significantly, the Warner executives could bask in the golden light of the $905 million worldwide box office so far from the studio's November release, "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" — a franchise film with a sequel set for this fall and another in the works for 2004.
Two years after the management shake- up at Warner Brothers that left Barry Meyer and Alan Horn in charge, it has become increasingly clear that within the vast AOL Time Warner multimedia empire the duo intends to run a movie-franchise factory.
Not only do they hope to deliver the same kind of lucrative franchise films that were notable in the era of Bob Daly and Terry Semel, the Warner chairmen who left in 1999 after 19 years together and were responsible for megahit film series like "Lethal Weapon" and "Batman." But Mr. Meyer, the studio's chief executive, and Mr. Horn, the president, plan to produce even bigger and more frequent franchise films, wringing more profits and extending a concept's shelf life through television spinoffs, product tie-ins, movie soundtracks, promotional Web sites and other multimedia means.
.........."The movie industry has learned that they are, in essence, producing a consumer product," said Richard Bilotti, a media analyst at Morgan Stanley. Studio executives, he said, "have come to learn that shareholders expect to see returns, given the capital companies are committing to the movie business."
The trend has left some Hollywood producers wondering if Warner movies might devolve into two-hour-long commercials. But the studio's strategy "is not a bad idea," Mr. Bilotti said.
"Where it becomes impossible," he added, "is if you stop creating new and interesting characters."
Mr. Meyer and Mr. Horn said they have found a wealth of other potential franchise projects for which the studio already owns rights, many of them coming from Warner Brothers' DC Comics group.
The Batman series, which foundered after the relatively lackluster results of its fourth film, "Batman and Robin" in 1997, is ripe for revival, they say. They have similar hopes for "Superman," which spawned four films, but none since 1987. Also under development are "Wonder Woman" and "Catwoman" films.
So intent is Warner Brothers on channeling more sequels to the screen that the studio is commissioning multiple scripts for a single character, with two or more teams working on different movies simultaneously. With "Batman," for example, one team is developing a story featuring the crusader as a young man, while a second team is developing a script in which Batman is an older, more embittered crime fighter. Several Superman scripts are also under way, including one called "Superman vs. Batman."
..........But there is no question that at Warner Brothers Mr. Horn must be more auditor than auteur. "Our job is to make movies that make money for our shareholders," he said. "I like to think we are producing entertainment. These are not teaching tools. We're providing mass entertainment for mass consumption."