Warner Bros. Discovery is reportedly purchasing “Batman: Caped Crusader” after it shelved a slew of animated projects amid steep cost-cutting on the firm.
Media giants like Netflix, Apple and Hulu are wanting to scoop up the Bruce Timm and JJ Abrams-directed flick, which attracts inspiration from DC Comedian’s Batman franchise, in accordance to The Hollywood Reporter. Leisure website the Direct floated Disney as a doable bidder, too.
Warner Bros. Discovery, Disney, Apple, Netflix and Hulu didn’t return requests for remark.
Warner Bros. Discovery not too long ago yanked six animated initiatives that had been earmarked for its streaming service HBO Max, together with “Did I Do That to the Holidays: A Steve Urkel Story,” an animated “Family Matters” spinoff; two “Looney Tunes” options, and the high-profile “Caped Crusader.”
Initially, the “Caped Crusader” was slated to air on Warner Bros. Discovery’s HBO Max and Cartoon Community, however that was earlier than Discovery and WarnerMedia merged this yr and CEO David Zaslav promised to minimize $3 billion by 2024.
As a part of its plan to scale back prices, the corporate will unload initiatives to rivals, a method that has been a part of its playbook for a while. Previously, Warner Bros. bought many exhibits it made, together with “Friends” and “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” which aired on NBC. It additionally made “Two and a Half Men” and “Big Bang Theory” for CBS, and “The O.C.” for Fox.
Zaslav has been making information in latest weeks for his swift cost-slashing. The CEO, who is understood for his working chops, axed over 36 initiatives. Whereas it’s not clear what number of initiatives might be shopped round, the exec drew criticism over his decision to cut “Batgirl,” the DC Comics-inspired film starring Leslie Grace.
The $90 million movie, which was set to hit theaters and HBO Max, was canceled, meaning it will never be seen. Not too long ago, Zaslav said he didn’t “believe in the film” and that it was not anticipated to do nicely on the field workplace. The choice to pull it was made so the corporate could take a tax write-off, in accordance to stories.
