We know Warner Bros. Discovery has heaps of debt and is trying everything to tighten its belt. Their most infamous trick of the last few years is writing off completed films, and ones that were almost finished, for tax purposes.
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They have more tactics than that at their disposal, and there is no shortage of red flags that come with them. Another thing WBD can do is stop shelling out as much money for talent as they used to. A-list actors can cost millions, so if they want to avoid that pitfall, the studio will simply quit hiring them.
This may have been what happened when WBD and James Gunn tried to acquire the services of Josh Brolin to play Hal Jordan in the DCU. Unfortunately, he walked and they couldn’t lock down his gravitas or so the reports say.
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Most sources make it seem like the Thanos actor did so of his own accord, but they don’t get into motivating factors like money. Something broke talks down and that thing very well might be that WBD and DC couldn’t, or wouldn’t, meet Brolin’s asking price.
The Scooper known as MyTimeToShineHello claims such is the case in a reaction to the casting of Kyle Chandler as Hal. “DC Studios/WB is broke,” MTTSH posted on X with a skull emoji. “I’m not saying this is a bad choice, but they were aiming higher and just didn’t have the funds.”
It could also be the case that their funds are adequate, just not allocated wisely enough. A rumor that was unleashed earlier this year painted James Gunn’s Superman as one of the most expensive superhero movies ever made with a price tag of $364 million.
Gunn reacted with skepticism and levity on Threads, trying to debunk the number. “Absolutely not,” he responded to an inquiry. “How in the world do they think they know what our budget is?”
Maybe an unvetted article doesn’t know the truth, but if it is anywhere close to accurate, it hints that WBD is sparing no expense for the next Man of Steel while skimping on zeros in their paychecks. You can call that a harsh reality, though it’s just business – and whatever Brolin’s loss is, could be Chandler’s gain if the DCU flourishes.