Warner Brothers was once a respected film studio for several decades. It holds many intellectual properties that have become successful franchises. They have the rights to DC superheroes such as Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, etc. They also have the rights to the Harry Potter franchise that is considered to be very beloved by people all over the world. These are the kind of properties that they can produce to make any blockbuster they want. Warner Brothers sometimes acts as a rival to Disney Studios; however, this year has not been kind to the studio. They have been under fire with behind the scenes scandals relating to actors in the two of their biggest franchises. Warner Brothers must take action to figure out how to handle these circumstances to best suit the situation.
Ever since Zack Snyder announced that he will be releasing his version of 2017's Justice League, Ray Fisher has come out against Joss Whedon and Geoff Johns for their unprofessional and disrespectful behavior while filming Justice League. Fisher has been working hard to make sure that they will not get away with their poor behavior, but it could be possible that Fisher may not get justice for this. It is unclear what Warner Brothers might do, but it could mean another shakeup over at DC.
Another DC-related scandal is one involving Ezra Miller. There is a video of him attacking and choking a female fan. Ezra Miller is one of Warner Brothers' stars as DC's The Flash and in Fantastic Beasts as one of the main characters. There have been some cases of unfortunate fan incidents with actors. There have also been cases where actors commit horrible behaviors in public and private places. Most of the time, they are punished by any representative to make sure it does not happen again. Ezra Miller appeared to have not gotten any kind of punishment by either Warner Brothers or his representatives. Many people ask for Ezra Miller to cut ties with Warner Brothers because of what he did, but the studio has yet to address it.
Out of the first two scandals that were covered, the biggest one that Warner Brothers has taken action was with Johnny Depp and his court case with ex-wife Amber Heard. After Depp lost a court case with the Sun on the account of his abusive nature toward Heard, Warner Brothers have decided to let him go as the main antagonist in their franchise Fantastic Beasts. They did say that his role would be recast, but Depp will receive some money for filming one scene onset. Many people have come to Depp's defense with evidence of Heard being abusive to him. The situation itself is very complicated because it is unclear on what is true and who is right. Some people have called into question if Heard should be punished. It would seem more likely that Warner Brothers will reduce her role as Mera in Aquaman 2 and that she may never be trusted again with any other studios.
I have never seen a film studio deal with a number of scandals like this before since the 1920s and 1930s. Back in those days, film studios were very concerned about the kind of message that they were spreading in their films and how actors were presenting themselves. It has definitely changed since then and the Fisher, Miller, and Depp scandals are more shocking compared to ones from the past. If I were with Warner Brothers, I would consider what would best for my actors and audience. When it comes to Ray Fisher's case, it is best to cut ties with Joss Whedon and Geoff Johns so that they never display any bad behavior to any actor. If this will mean finding someone else to take over DC films, so be it. That maybe even a good decision considering that DC films are indecisive on what kind of franchise it wants to be. Ezra Miller should at least be let go the same way that Depp was. Many actors have shown violent behavior in the past and it is not right to ignore it so it could go away. For Depp, it is very tragic what is happening to him. I don't see a way that he could recover from this and I don't know what will happen next for him.
The Fantastic Beasts franchise has already been attacked before with J. K. Rowling's transphobia being exposed. Rowling is attached to the upcoming installment as one of the screenwriters, but she has not come out to say anything about this situation. Fantastic Beasts was originally intended to be a trilogy before adding two extra films to make it a five-film franchise. It would be best to rework the third film into finishing the story. After the critical reaction to the last film, many people do not want to see another film in this franchise. Warner Brothers, of course, does not care because they invested themselves enough to earn money from the Harry Potter fandom.
If any reader is a fan of either DC or Harry Potter, I can sympathize with the struggle over these scandals and controversies. We all want to enjoy the properties that we love with good films and adaptations. It is hard to do when the rights belong to a big film corporation. It all depends on the reader's point of view on the original story/material. I will also say that the original story still holds up for the sake of comfort. Many fans have ranted that their original love of a property has been ruined because of a horrible adaptation. This can only be true if some dark, twisted element was in the original story. If it is just the adaptation, it is more of a problem within themselves. After all is said and done, it best to turn to the one story that brings you comfort from all the madness in the world.- What the Hell Happened: Fans Call for Ezra Miller to be Fired over ... ›
- Ezra Miller Appears to Choke Woman in Video - Variety ›
- Interview: Ray Fisher Speaks Out On “Toxic” Set And WarnerMedia ... ›
- Johnny Depp leaves Fantastic Beasts film franchise - BBC News ›
- Behind Warner Bros.' Decision to Sever Ties With Johnny Depp ... ›
- Johnny Depp Exits 'Fantastic Beasts' Franchise - Variety ›