DC Comics president Diane Nelson, who also served as president of Warner Brothers consumer products, is leaving WB after 22 years. She took a leave of absence in March to deal with family matters and was expected to return, but has decided not to.
Warner Bros. Entertainment CEO Kevin Tsujihara made the company-wide announcement Wednesday:
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“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 issued her own statement saying:
“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.”
Nelson started her career at Warner Brothers by befriending J.K. Rowling and helping to turn ‘Harry Potter’ into one of the most famous brands in the world. As she stated, Nelson spent the last nine years as president of DC Comics, helping to streamline the line and vision, between television, films, video games and more.
Nelson’s favorite character, ‘Wonder Woman’ headlined one of 2017’s highest grossing movies and became a pop culture phenomenon. The same can be said of Harley Quinn, who was brought to life by Margot Robbie in 2016’s ‘Suicide Squad’. ‘Shazam!’ and ‘Aquaman’ have movies on the way, while additional movies featuring Batman, Batgirl, The Joker, Harley Quinn, The Flash and more are in development.
The film division is having trouble getting off the ground, but in television, DC characters have excelled. The CW is home to six DC-based live-action series– ‘Arrow’, ‘The Flash’, ‘Supergirl’ and ‘Legends of Tomorrow’, plus the unrelated ‘Black Lightning’ and ‘iZombie’. Syfy just kicked off ‘Krypton’ based on the past of Superman’s home planet. And there are even more projects in the development stage, including ‘Pennyworth’ based on the past of Batman’s butler, at Epix. To top things off, WB is unveiling a streaming service devoted to DC TV series, including several that are brand new and exclusive to this service.
WB’s chief digital officer and executive vp of strategy and business development, Thomas Gewecke will oversee the DC executive management team of Dan DiDio, Jim Lee, Geoff Johns and Amit Desai.
Nelson did not announce the move to another company, so for the time being it looks as though she is simply taking a break for personal reasons. At some point she will surely return to the entertainment industry and when she does, it should be a big deal.
There will surely be some huge changes at Warner Brother’s DC division in the coming weeks, so check back for any updates!
Jax's earliest memory is of watching 'Batman,' followed shortly by a memory of playing Batman & Robin with a friend, which entailed running outside in just their underwear and towels as capes. When adults told them they couldn't run around outside in their underwear, both boys promptly whipped theirs off and ran around in just capes.
