On Dec. 4, 2025, news broke that Netflix had won the bid to purchase Warner Bros. Discovery, beating out the likes of Paramount, Skydance, and Comcast. In a deal valued at $82.7 billion, Netflix would take control of the legendary studio. The deal is not official yet and is subject to change, but for the moment, the fate of Warner Bros. looks to be in Netflix’s hands. This has many worried about the future of cinema, as Netflix has not been kind to either theatrical or home video releases, potentially ending two primary ways audiences watch movies. It also puts Netflix potentially in charge of Warner Bros.’ biggest IPs, including the likes of Harry Potter, Looney Tunes, Game of Thrones, and DC Comics.
The DC news is the most curious, given how, after a decade of failing to catch up to the success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the franchise finally seemed to find its footing with the release of Superman, which has outgrossed all three MCU titles released this year. James Gunn and Peter Safran were appointed as the heads of DC Studios in November 2022, a few months after David Zaslav took control of Warner Bros. with the intention of ushering in a new franchise. Gunn’s supposed ten-year plan is just getting started, but can this new leadership impact Gunn’s plans? How will Netflix’s potential purchase of Warner Bros. impact the DCU? It is too early to tell, but there are some potentially troubling concerns.
Everything is Staying Put… For Now
As of right now, nothing has changed for the DCU. Supergirl is still set to open in theaters on Jun. 26, 2026, with Clayface following on September 11, 2026, and then Man of Tomorrow in July 2027. Various DCU films like the Batman-led The Brave and the Bold, a new Wonder Woman film, Swamp Thing, and Teen Titans are reportedly still in development. A trailer for Supergirl is expected to be released in time for Avatar: Fire and Ash.
On the television front, Lanterns is expected to air on HBO Max in late summer 2026. Creature Commandos Season 2 is in production right now, while a Booster Gold live-action series is in development. News recently broke that a series centered on Jimmy Olsen from the creators of American Vandal is in the works at HBO. A Blue Beetle animated series is also in development, with the 2023 feature film star Xolo Maridueña set to reprise his role as Jaime Reyes.
There are also many Elseworlds-inspired animated series in the works, including one based on the Teen Titan character Starfire and My Adventures with Green Lantern, focused on the fan-favorite character Jessica Cruz. Mister Miracle is an animated series based on Tom King’s critically acclaimed graphic novel, though it is unclear whether it is meant to tie into the DCU or exist in its own continuity.
All of these projects are still in development, but are also subject to change. With major acquisitions, projects are typically canceled or altered. David Zaslav canceled both the in-development Wonder Twins movie and shelved a completed Batgirl movie when he took over Warner Bros. in 2022. When Disney acquired 20th Century Fox, multiple X-Men spin-off films were canceled. That leaves the status of many DCU titles currently planned up in the air.
Potentially Shorter Theatrical Windows, Netflix Series, and Potential Home Video Deletion
One of the biggest concerns when the news broke that Netflix was interested in acquiring Warner Bros. was what it would mean for the future of theatrical distribution. Netflix and theaters have had a somewhat contentious relationship over the past decade, as theaters don’t like Netflix’s shortened theatrical window. Netflix, meanwhile, sees theaters as its biggest competitor, not an ally, with Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos saying as recently as April 2025 that movie theaters are “an outdated concept.”
In 2025, high-profile titles like Frankenstein and Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery got the bare minimum of theatrical release. Even when Netflix gave KPop: Demon Hunters a theatrical release and gave Netflix their first number one movie at the box office, they pulled it after only three days. Hours after the news of the acquisition deal going through, Netflix’s Ted Sarandos released a statement regarding the future of Warner Bros. theatrical releases, saying:
“I wouldn’t look at this as a change in approach for Netflix movies or Warner movies, for that matter. I think over time the windows will evolve to be much more consumer friendly … to meet the audience where they are … all those things we’d like to do. But I’d say that right now you should count on everything that has planned on going to the theaters through Warner Bros. will continue to go to the theaters through Warner Bros. And Netflix movies will take the same [path] as they have — which is some of them do have a short run in the theater beforehand.”
This would imply, at the moment, Warner Bros. movies will still be released in theaters. However, it sounds like he is aiming for a shorter theatrical window at a time when theaters are trying to at least push for a 35- to 40-day release. Sarandos has also been known to walk back his commitment on theatrical releases before, as director Zach Cregger’s film The Flood stalled at Netflix when the streamer failed to commit to a theatrical release.
One significant question regards the status of HBO Max. With Netflix being the leader in streaming, it is unlikely they will run two separate streaming services and, instead, fold it into their current platform. However, this potentially raises some antitrust concerns regarding streaming platforms, one that could hold up Netflix’s acquisition, particularly as Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison seems to have backing from the current presidential administration, which would need to approve the merger.
This also raises questions about what will happen to future Warner Bros. releases on home video and other streaming platforms. Except for special occasions on home video, Netflix keeps all of its titles on its streaming service. One can’t purchase a title like KPop Demon Hunters on another streaming video platform like Amazon Prime or Vudu; it is only available on Netflix.
Does this mean that in five years, when a new Justice League movie comes out, fans won’t be able to buy it for their Blu-ray collection and keep it in their digital library? Will they have to go to Netflix to watch it once it leaves theaters? Will Netflix pull the license on all Warner Bros. titles from digital libraries, removing consumers’ past purchases? All of these are possibilities at the moment.
Will James Gunn Stay on Board?
In the days leading up to the news of Netflix’s acquisition, a Puck report outlined how things could change for the DCU if Paramount Skydance acquired Warner Bros. While James Gunn and Peter Safran approve what titles move forward and who writes, directs, and stars in each title, Paramount Skydance was looking to push their own films forward, ones that could conflict with Gunn’s reported ten-year plan. Now with Netflix involved, similar questions arise.
David Zaslav has largely given James Gunn and Peter Safran free rein, but will Netflix’s Ted Sarandos do the same? Will Gunn want to stick around if Netflix pulls back on theatrical releases? While it is far too early to tell, it isn’t like major leadership shakeups haven’t happened before. One need only look at the DCEU, which underwent constant leadership changes from being overseen by Zack Snyder to Geoff Johns to Walter Hamada in the span of a decade.
James Gunn’s ten-year DCU plan was just getting started, and now a potential wrench has been thrown into it. This could easily mark the end just as it was beginning. Or Netflix will look at the success of Superman and give Gunn even more resources to create his DCU plans. Only time will tell.