The CW chairman and CEO Mark Pedowitz reassured DC fans that the network plans to continue making superhero shows despite recent events.
“[We’re] staying in the superhero business,” Pedowitz said on a press call ahead of the network’s annual upfront presentation for advertisers. “We are staying working with Greg Berlanti, who has masterminded creatively The CW DC Universe.”
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Pedowitz then pointed to the fact that DC’s “Stargirl” will be on The CW’s fall lineup, while fellow DC shows “The Flash” and “Superman & Lois” will be airing at midseason along with the new DC show “Gotham Knights.” He did acknowledge, however, that the network’s DC offerings have been pared down, such as the cancellation of “Legends of Tomorrow” after seven seasons and of “Batwoman” after three.
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“So we’re not as robust as we were in the past, but still very much there,” Pedowitz said. “We started with one — this was ‘Arrow’ 10 years ago — we have now moved to create a whole bunch of superheroes. And we’re proud of it and we plan to stay in that business. No matter what the outcome is, with any event of sale or no sale. I think the Warner side realizes the value of having these properties up. DC Comics realizes the value of what it does to their marketability, in terms of what these franchises are.”
In terms of a sale, Pedowitz was referring to talk of Nexstar acquiring a majority stake in The CW, which calls into question how much original scripted programming the network will offer should the deal go through.
Pedowitz went on to say he could offer no guidance on what the future of DC Entertainment will be amid rumors that top executives are looking to creatively overhaul the division in the wake of the WarnerMedia-Discovery merger. He did point out, though, that The CW’s DC shows have been shown to connect to the larger DC Universe in recent crossover events that featured Ezra Miller as The Flash from the DC films.
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