DC FanDome 2022 Has Been Canceled As Warner Bros. Makes Pivot Back To Live Events
DC's foray into virtual fan events has ended. According to Popverse, DC's FanDome event will not return in 2022, a move that will likely cause even more ire among DC fans amidst a series of cuts and cancelations. It is important to note that DC has not publicly acknowledged this news. However, Popverse did receive a statement from the brand regarding the future of the event, which reads:
"With the return of in person events, Warner Bros. Discovery is excited to be able to engage with our fans live at numerous comic-cons around the world and will not be scheduling DC FanDome for 2022."
This statement makes sense in theory, but might be confusing to those that have already experienced an in-person DC panel event. The brand had a Hall H presentation at this year's San Diego Comic-Con, but only showcased two movies: "Black Adam" and "Shazam! Fury of the Gods."
Another Warner Bros. Discovery casualty
Why were these two films featured when, at the time, they had a much larger slate of movies to promote? Well, that was because DC's parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery, had not yet rearranged the prestigious brand. One notable absence from the panel, "Batgirl," was canceled last month despite principal photography having been completed. "The Flash," while also being in a post-production stage, has also been riddled with controversies surrounding allegedly abusive behavior by star Ezra Miller. Outside of the films featured at San Diego Comic-Con, only "Blue Beetle" and "Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom" are confirmed to be released sometime in the future. To say that's a slim release schedule would be an understatement.
What makes this decision even more confusing is that David Zaslav, CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery, had said during this year's second-quarter earnings call that DC remains a top priority for the merged company, even teasing a ten-year reboot plan. The cancelation of DC FanDome seems to be a significant part of this prioritization, although a bizarre one, given how it gave the company a perfect chance to individually connect with fans. Because of this, it's likely that the cancelation stems from budgetary reasons, which means all of the planning that made the event work in 2020 and 2021 could all be thrown away for a tax write-off. We currently hope that isn't the case, though.
Warner Bros. Discovery has yet to comment on the Popverse report.