Warner Bros. CEO Kevin Tsujihara is stepping down. Tsujihara is currently amidst an investigation looking into the CEO’s misuse of his position to land an actress Charlotte Kirk a role, an actress with whom he had sexual relations with. As of now, an internal committee is being formed to head the corporation in the absence of a CEO, lead by WarnerMedia CEO John Stankey, Warner Bros. CCO Peter Roth and at least one other executive. Together, they will steer Warner Bros. until a new CEO is finalized.
Stankey issued a statement explaining Tsujihara’s departure:
It is in the best interest of WarnerMedia, Warner Bros., our employees and our partners for Kevin to step down as Chairman and CEO of Warner Bros.. Kevin has contributed greatly to the studio’s success over the past 25 years and for that we thank him. Kevin acknowledges that his mistakes are inconsistent with the Company’s leadership expectations and could impact the Company’s ability to execute going forward.
The removal follows resignation of other key executives as the AT&T acquisition of Time Warner is leading to an internal restructuring. As of now, there are no firm shortlists for a new CEO although word is that 20th Century Fox Chairman and CEO Stacy Snider is one of the top candidates under consideration for the role.
Tsujihara lead Warner Bros. since 2013 through some of its more recent franchises, including the DCEU and the Harry Potter prequel / Fantastic Beasts series. Fans however, remember him notoriously as the executive who pushed forward the release of Justice League against delaying the movie, simply so he could cash-in on his yearly bonus. He also mandated an under 2-hour run time for the movie that, under Zack Snyder’s original direction, would’ve lasted much longer.
It’s probably because of his missteps with Justice League that a lot of DC Comics fans will be rejoicing at his removal. It remains to be seen now what a new CEO will bring to the table. For now, Walter Hamada has been heading the DCEU since last year to seemingly great success.