New Line's Walter Hamada to head WB's DC Comics film division

Jan. 5 (UPI) -- Warner Bros. Pictures says it has named Walter Hamada as president of its DC Comics-based, film- production division.

Toby Emmerich, the studio's president and chief content officer, made the announcement Thursday.

Hamada, who reports to Emmerich, "will focus on Warner Bros. Pictures' slate of upcoming films based on superheroes and super-villains licensed from DC Comics, as well as titles based on other characters and stories also licensed from DC," a news release said.

Hamada most recently served as executive vice president of production at New Line Cinema, which is part of the Warner Bros. Pictures Group. His credits include Friday the 13th, The Final Destination, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Final Destination 5, The Conjuring, The Conjuring 2, Annabelle, Annabelle: Creation, The Gallows, Lights Out and IT.

"Walter is creative, resourceful, and committed to excellence, and will bring those qualities to his oversight of our superhero films," Emmerich said in a statement. "He's a terrific production executive and served as an executive producer on two of the summer's most popular films, New Line's IT and Annabelle: Creation. I'm confident Walter and Geoff, working with our filmmaking partners, will deliver films that will resonate with both broad global audiences as well as DC fanboys and fangirls. Walter's a great addition to the Warner Bros. Pictures team, and I look forward to working with him in his new post."

Warner Bros. released the DC blockbusters Wonder Woman and Justice League in 2017.