How Netflix’s Purchase of Warner Bros. Could Impact James Gunn’s DCU

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On December 5, 2025, the streaming service finalized a deal to buy the historic studio, which has been around for over a century, for about $72 billion.

Wow, this merger is huge – it’s already being compared to Disney buying Fox, and everyone in Hollywood is seriously wondering what it all means, especially right now when things are so shaky in the industry. As a comic book fan, the biggest question on my mind – and on a lot of other fans’ minds, too – is what’s going to happen with James Gunn and the amazing stuff he’s been building!

Will DC Studios’ Release Schedule Be Affected?

DC Studios, which is owned by Warner Bros. Discovery and will soon be part of Netflix, is already facing a lot of attention and criticism regarding its upcoming movie releases. The delays with The Batman Part II caused a major backlash, and the uncertainty around when other films will come out has only increased the frustration among fans.

Netflix buying Warner Bros. Discovery probably won’t affect DC Studios much. As long as James Gunn and his team can keep working at their current speed, the movies and shows already planned should still come out on time. Projects that haven’t been scheduled yet will likely stay on hold until a decision is made, but hopefully not indefinitely.

Netflix likely won’t interfere with the creative process, as they generally give artists a lot of freedom. Any problems would probably be related to business decisions, not the content itself.

Will DC Movies Still Receive Theatrical Releases?

Netflix has always focused on delivering entertainment through streaming. Even when they started releasing films in cinemas, it was only in a few locations and for a short time, before quickly making those films available to their subscribers.

As a gamer and movie fan, I’m a little worried about how this whole limited theatrical release thing might impact DC’s upcoming superhero films. But honestly, I’m hoping not every DCU movie gets stuck with that treatment. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that we’ll still get some big, proper theatrical releases for the ones we really want to see on the big screen!

It’s almost certain the next major film will bypass a wide theatrical release in 2027, and the same is likely true for movies starring popular characters like Batman. However, smaller films based on lesser-known characters might have limited theatrical runs or even premiere directly on streaming services. This raises the question of where we’ll be able to watch them.

Will HBO Max Be No More?

HBO Max has been the main streaming home for everything from Warner Bros. Discovery, including most movies and TV shows based on DC Comics. But now that a major streaming giant owns the company, it raises the question of whether HBO Max will still be necessary.

Okay, so this new deal has me thinking HBO Max might be going away, and everything we love on there – all those shows and movies – could end up on Netflix instead! That means Netflix, which used to work with Marvel, could become the one place to watch everything, from Stranger Things and Wednesday to pretty much anything DC is making. The only exceptions seem to be a couple of Batman animated series – Batman: Caped Crusader and Bat-Fam – which will probably stay on Amazon Prime.

If this deal goes through, it could actually be a positive outcome. It would reduce the number of streaming services competing for viewers, simplifying choices and potentially saving people money. However, given Netflix’s history of quickly cancelling shows, there’s concern about how long any acquired content might remain available.

Despite all the recent changes and questions about who owns DC Studios, James Gunn and Peter Safran remain in charge of its creative direction. They’re involved in every decision about the DC Universe. Gunn even reportedly told a fan on Threads that the Warner Bros. Discovery acquisition by Netflix shouldn’t be a cause for concern.

DC fans can only hope for the best and keep supporting the future plans of DC Studios.

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2025-12-05 18:37