Zaslav has served as CEO of Discovery since 2006, and after the company was merged with WarnerMedia in 2021, he remained as CEO and president of the newly formed conglomerate, now known as Warner Bros. Discovery. This means that Zaslav now oversees all of Warner Bros.’ many film and television companies, including HBO and HBO Max. However, since Zaslav took over, several streaming projects have been canceled, including the nearly complete Batgirl movie.

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Last week, IndieWire columnist Eric Kohn wrote an article detailing HBO and Warner Bros.’ history of canceling projects, and what the current status of the company means for streaming going forward. In a more recent article, Kohn shared a particularly poignant response from an actor who was allegedly featured in the Batgirl movie but requested to remain anonymous. In the response, the unnamed actor expresses their sadness at the outcome of the film, saying that they were “very offended” by the decision and felt terrible for the directors and lead actor Leslie Grace. They finished off their response with some strong criticism of Zaslav, saying, “None of these things matter to an imbecile like [Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav]. His cowardice is breathtaking. I am glad I got to participate and I wish the best for all those involved — except the suits at Warner Brothers. But they all get replaced sooner than later.”

Ever since the Batgirl news was announced, Zaslav has been the primary target of many people’s criticism. After some very bad press, Zaslav and Warner Bros. claimed that the decision to cancel Batgirl came down to the company’s desire to focus on a larger theatrical release, such as the upcoming DC film Black Adam. However, the decision became even more controversial when it was revealed that the primary motive for the cancellation likely came down to a tax write-off since the company can make its money back if they don’t release the film.

While the world of streaming has been fickle from the beginning, recent months have shown just how uncertain the future is for many shows and movies on platforms such as HBO Max. On top of the recently cancelled scripted projects, HBO Max has also quietly removed several of their original films and shows, including Seth Rogen’s American Pickle. Many movie and TV writers and fans have also pointed to Zaslav’s alleged lack of interest in scripted content as a big concern.

Zaslav is allegedly more interested in the business aspect of Warner Bros. and rather than pursuing scripted content, he’s more interested in affordable and easier-to-produce reality programming. It’s difficult to predict what exactly will come of the Warner Bros. Discovery merger, but needless to say, the recent regime change has ruffled a few feathers in Hollywood.

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Source: IndieWire