Warner Bros. Discovery recruits Alan Horn, former creative director of Disney studios
For some, it is really enough to cross the street to find work. After spending years (nine, to be precise) as creative director at Disney, and a few months after leaving this position, Alan Horn went to direct competition – some would say “distinguished” – by going to work at the new entity Warner Bros. Discovery.
From Marvel to DC (even if it’s not just that in life)
He’s the informant TheWrap which reports the news, explaining that the current president of Warner Bros Discovery informed his employees through an executive memo, to which the media had access, that Alan Horn had been recruited as a principal consultant (senior adviser) for the American giant. In reality, it is a form of homecoming since Horn had taken the helm of Warner Bros in 1999 (an entirely different era), staying long enough to be able to participate in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight trilogy. . As a reminder, he was fired when he was replaced by Kevin Tsujihara.
Recruited in 2012 by Bob Iger to go to Walt Disney Pictures, Alan Horn subsequently had an assistant/consultant role (according to his own statements) for the Marvel Studios entity. Having managed to lead the franchises of the Disney empire to success, and having operated alongside Kevin Feige for years, it is very easy to understand that David Zaslav, who takes care of revamp Warner Bros Discovery and its brand management strategy (including DC Comics), saw a choice recruit in the person of Horn. In the note, the man explains that the latter has “agreed to [l’] assist in a consulting role during the transition period“, praising the merits that Horn had to oversee the production of films and manage the integration of Lucasfilm and then Fox.
Certainly, the experience with Disney and Warner Bros. previously is an essential quality for WB Discovery – and somewhere, surely a fun way for Horn to come out of the retirement he had publicly announced, at 78 years old. To see now if the advice of Alan will help the studio to manage its new strategy, and what it will be on the side of DC Comics.
