DC Movies Boss Walter Hamada Ditches Superheroes With New Studio Exec Role

Former DC boss Walter Hamada reportedly found a new home as he shifts his attention from superheroes to the horror genre.

The controversial executive has met a lot of backlash from fans during his tenure at DC Films, with Cyborg actor Ray Fisher being at the forefront in celebrating his departure. Since then, more details about Hamada's time with DC have been unveiled, such as rejecting the idea of a Superman cameo in Black Adam. 

Not only that, but Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav was reportedly frustrated with DC Films' theatrical output under Hamada as he believes it had been inconsistent and the popular comic book brand was under-used.

Now, following his departure from the land of DC superheroes, Hamada has taken his next significant career move.

Former DC Movies Boss Finds New Home at Paramount

Paramount Pictures, via Deadline, officially announced that it has entered an exclusive multi-year production deal with former DC films chief Walter Hamada. 

The deal, which will be effective starting January 1, 2023, will put Hamada in charge of spearheading the studio's mainstream horror genre, with the goal of releasing several low to mid-budget films per year in both theatrical and streaming avenues. 

Paramount Pictures President and CEO Brian Robbins offered high praise to Hamada in his official statement, describing the top-level executive as an "ideal partner and visionary" for the studio: 

“With his track record for groundbreaking success, Walter is the ideal partner and visionary to build out our mainstream horror genre franchise business. As evidenced by the fantastic performance of Smile, there is a tremendous appetite for original, high-concept storytelling in the global marketplace, and we look forward to a long and successful partnership.”

Hamada said in an official statement that he's "thrilled" to collaborate with Paramount to create "exceptional" horror movies moving forward: 

“I am thrilled to collaborate with Paramount Pictures with the singular goal of creating exceptional movies in the horror genre. Over the course of my career, nothing has been more gratifying than discovering emerging, first-time filmmakers and writers and unleashing their brilliance in a studio setting. Thank you to Brian and the entire team at Paramount Pictures for this tremendous opportunity, I can’t wait to get started.”

This announcement comes after Hamada departed his position as DC Films head after four years of leading the superhero franchise.

Will Walter Hamada Be Successful at Paramount?

Under Warner Bros., Walter Hamada climbed the executive ladder from New Line to DC due to his successful handling of horror franchises, such as the Conjuring and IT. 

This latest move is a fitting one for Hamada, considering that Paramount is coming off the success of its own surprise hit, Smile. Hopefully, the controversies surrounding Hamada from DC will not hound his upcoming tenure in Paramount. 

At this stage, DC is clearly doing its own thing with James Gunn and Peter Safran on board as the new heads of the studio. This next step for Hamada is also a sign that everyone is now moving past the controversies and issues as a new beginning is in tow. 

As Hamada takes over the horror realm of Paramount, it looks like the studio will have many opportunities to develop a potential sequel to Smile, expanding the Quiet Place universe, and maybe reviving the Friday the 13th franchise.