DC Movie Producer Jon Berg Exits Warner Bros., Joins Roy Lee Banner

Berg's exit comes as the studio reevaluates the direction of the DC superhero universe.


Jon Berg, Warner Bros. co-president of production and Justice League producer, is stepping down from his exec position where he acts as the studio's point person on all things DC films. He has joined Lego Movie producer Roy Lee's production banner, which is based on the studio's Burbank lot.


Berg oversaw the studio's DC films, along with DC chief creative officer Geoff Johns, who also runs point on the studio's comic book television offerings.

It is unclear at this time if Johns, who reports to DC President Diane Nelson, will take on more creative control of DC features after overseeing successful television series like Arrow, The Flash and Supergirl, along with his work in licensing and publishing.


Berg's exit comes as Zach Snyder's Justice League is underperforming at the box office, grossing $572.1 million globally to date. (Justice League had a reported $300 million budget, including the reshoots that were helmed by Joss Whedon.)


For his part, Warner Bros. Picture Group President Toby Emmerich in a statement, “This is something that Jon approached me about six months ago, and he expressed his goal was to ultimately be a producer at the studio. I first met Jon when, as a producer, he brought Elf to New Line, which remains one of the best and most evergreen titles in the library. We’re thrilled that Jon is partnering with Roy and anticipate their company being a valuable source of movies for Warner Bros. and New Line.”


Berg was first tapped to run point (along with Johns) on DC features in May 2016 by then Warner Bros. Pictures president Greg Silverman, after the fall-out from the poor critical and commercial performance of Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice. Emmerich is expected to name a new person to oversee the studio's comic book projects in the near future.


Berg's DC credits include hit Wonder Woman, which has pulled in over $800 million at the box office, as well as the upcoming Aquaman standalone, which is due out December 2018.