Warner Bros. Staff Say Company Failed To Support DC’s Walter Hamada Against Online Harassment

Walter Hamada's DC future remains uncertain.

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A new report reveals many staffers at Warner Bros. feel the company did not do enough to support DC Films president Walter Hamada in the wake of online harassment from “Snyder Cut” trolls.

The “Release the Snyder Cut” movement emerged after the 2017 theatrical cut of Justice League left many DC fans underwhelmed. The blame was pinned on revisions imposed by Warner Bros. and changes implemented by Joss Whedon, who took over direction late in the project, after Zack Snyder had to exit due to a family tragedy.

What started as a simple campaign to see Zack Snyder’s original vision realized quickly turned ugly as Warner Bros. executives, including Walter Hamada, found themselves subject to harassment and death threats.

Walter Hamada’s DC Future

With Warner Bros. Discovery’s ongoing shakeup of DC Films, questions have been raised over whether Walter Hamada will remain at the company.

A report from Variety reveals that, while Warner Bros. Picture Group bosses Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy want to keep Walter Hamada in post at DC, many at the company feel Warner Bros. did not do enough to defend Hamada when he came under fire from online trolls.

In the midst of the “Release the Snyder Cut” campaign, Justice League actor Ray Fisher, who played Cyborg in the movie, publicly claimed that Walter Hamada had undermined an investigation into misconduct allegations during Joss Whedon’s reshoots. Hamada subsequently received death threats from some online trolls.

The report notes that many at Warner Bros. “believe the studio did not do enough the back their embattled executive,” also noting that Walter Hamada joined DC Films in 2018, after Justice League had already been released.

Walter Hamada has already come close to resigning from his role at DC Films, following the last-minute cancellation of Leslie Grace’s Batgirl. However, Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy convinced him to stay on at least until the October release of Black Adam.

While the precise details of the situation are not yet clear, it looks like David Zaslav’s new plans for DC could mean throwing away the long-term plan for DC releases already being spearheaded by Walter Hamada. If true, this could bring further doubt on Hamada’s future with the company.

Here is the synopsis for DC’s next film, Black Adam:

“Nearly 5,000 years after he was bestowed with the almighty powers of the ancient gods—and imprisoned just as quickly—Black Adam (Johnson) is freed from his earthly tomb, ready to unleash his unique form of justice on the modern world.”

Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra from a script written by Adam Sztykiel and Rory Haines & Sohrab Noshirvani, the DCEU film stars Dwayne Johnson, Aldis Hodge, Noah Centineo, Sarah Shahi, Marwan Kenzari, Quintessa Swindell, Bodhi Sabongui, and Pierce Brosnan.

Black Adam opens in theaters on October 21, 2022. Be sure to continue following Heroic Hollywood for all the latest news regarding the future of the DC Universe, and subscribe to our YouTube channel for more original video content.

Source: Variety