BREAKING: DC Entertainment President Diane Nelson to Leave Warner Bros.
John F. Trent
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Diane Nelson who is the president of DC Entertainment and president of Warner Bros. consumer products will be leaving the company after taking a significant leave of absence which began in late March.
Nelson allegedly took her initial leave of absence “to focus on family-related issues.”
The announcement that Nelson would be leaving the company was made by Warner Bros. Entertainment CEO Kevin Tsujihara in a companywide announcement.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Tsujihara informed the company:
“Diane has been a friend and colleague as well as a valued member of the Warner Bros. family for more than 20 years. Throughout her tenure, her leadership and contributions have helped shape the way the studio operates today, and we’re better for having had her on our team. While we’re sad she’ll be leaving us, we completely respect and support her decision. Whatever her next chapter holds, I know she’ll make it amazing.”
Nelson released her own statement confirming her exit from Warner Bros.:
“Warner Bros. has been my home for over 20 years with a wide variety of incredible professional experiences. The last nine — rebuilding and managing DC Entertainment — have been a particular highlight and privilege. With the support and talents of our staff and creators, I am proud to leave DC even stronger than when I joined it. I will miss everyone —particularly my executive management team — without whom none of our achievements could have been realized. And I am excited to take on my next professional adventure.”
Warner Bros. had already set up an interim structure during Nelson’s leave of absence and will remain in place. That structure includes Thomas Gewecke as the chief digital officer and executive VP strategy and business development at Warner Bros. Gewecke oversees the DC executive team of Dan DiDio, Jim Lee, Geoff Johns, and Amit Desair. Pam Lifford, the president of Warner Bros. consumer products directly reports to Tsujihara.
Nelson worked for Warner Bros. for 22 years and built a close relationship with Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling and spearheaded Warner Bros. development of the Harry Potter franchise. She also served as the president of Warner Premiere during her tenure and oversaw the direct-to-DVD feature film and short-form digital content division. She also oversaw Warner Bros. Entertainment’s global brand management.
Nelson ushered in many of the positive creative changes at DC Comics including bringing on board Scott Snyder, Tom King, and artist Liam Sharp. She also saw John Romita Jr. leave Marvel for DC Comics. Prolific author Neil Gaiman also returned to the publisher and will launch his Sandman Universe later this year.
A number of DC Comics creators have praised Nelson’s leadership.
not only is she a great leader, but she is one of the loveliest, kindest, and most generous folks I know. comics, heck, everyone, could use more people like Diane.
— Marc Andreyko (@marcandreyko) December 28, 2017
However, she also saw major success by adapting popular DC Comics to television on The CW with hit shows like Arrow and The Flash.
Nelson’s absence at the company will surely leave a big hole, but it looks to be getting back on the right track with DC Films releasing Aquaman later this year, and DC Comics putting out some stellar comics in Scott Snyder and Jim Cheung’s Justice League as well as Tom King’s current run on Batman which sees Batman about to get married to Catwoman.
What do you make of Nelson’s departure? Is this a good thing for Warner Bros. or will she be sorely missed by the media giant?
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