Walter Hamada has signed a multi-year extension through 2023 to remain president of DC Films, overseeing the DC film slate, along with features produced for the HBO Max streaming platform, Toby Emmerich, Chairman, Warner Bros. Pictures Group announced on Tuesday.
Hamada will continue to report to Emmerich. Hamada first joined DC Films back in 2018 and lead the division to the release of its highest-grossing film to date, 2018’s “Aquaman,” which grossed over $1.4 billion at the worldwide box office.
“Walter is not only passionate about story and the DC canon, he’s also a thoughtful and incredibly talented executive who is fully committed to investing the time and care necessary for moviemaking on this scale,” says Emmerich in a statement to TheWrap. “With Walter overseeing our DC movies for theatrical exhibition and on HBO Max, we are excited for him and his team to bring more of these stories to life, working with new and established talent to broaden the reach and diversity of the DC cinematic universe.”
“Walter is an incredibly talented, well-respected executive, known by his colleagues and our filmmakers as a great collaborator,” added Ann Sarnoff, Chair and CEO, WarnerMedia Studios and Networks Group. “I’m excited about where he’s taking DC Films and look forward to working with him and the rest of the team to build out the DC Multiverse.”
Hamada currently oversees the slate of films based on DC’s library of superheroes and villains, as well as titles based on other characters and stories also licensed from DC, including its Vertigo and MAD Magazine imprints. Hamada and the DC-based film team also draw upon resources from across both Warner Bros. Pictures and New Line Cinema. Going forward, the DC Film team will increase its production level to include producing several feature-length productions specifically for the HBO Max platform each year, while continuing to produce a roster of theatrical releases through the Warner Bros. Pictures and New Line labels.
In 2019, Hamada oversaw production of New Line’s “Shazam!” and Warner Bros. Pictures’ Academy Award-winning blockbuster “Joker,” which has earned almost $1.1 billion at the global box office. In February 2020, DC-Based Films released “Birds of Prey,” and currently has “Wonder Woman 1984” on HBO Max.
The slate of upcoming DC films includes “The Suicide Squad,” in theaters worldwide and on HBO Max in the U.S. this summer, and in 2022 and beyond, “The Batman,” “Aquaman 2,” “The Flash,” “Black Adam,” “Shazam! Fury of the Gods,” “Batgirl,” “Static Shock,” and as recently announced the third installment in the “Wonder Woman” franchise.
Before coming to New Line, Hamada served as a producer and manager with H2F Entertainment. He began his career at TriStar and later became vice president of production at Columbia Pictures. During his decade-long tenure at New Line, he worked on films including “Friday the 13th,” “Final Destination,” “A Nightmare on Elm Street,” “The Conjuring” and “Annabelle” franchises and “IT.”
Variety first reported the news.
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