Will Warner Bros. Discovery get gobbled up by another studio by next year? Netflix and Paramount Skydance both have bids for the studio on the table, so it may very well happen. And Puck reports that if David Ellison and Paramount win out, then the hierarchy of DC Studios is about to change.
Jokes aside, the column suggests that if Paramount Skydance takes over WBD in a merger, James Gunn and Peter Safran would lose full control of the direction of the DCU, with Ellison and Paramount co-chair Josh Greenstein pushing to let Zach Cregger write and direct his own movie set in the universe. Puck writes, “According to a knowledgeable source, Paramount has been crushing lately on writer-director Zach Cregger, [and] I’m told Cregger discussed with Greenstein his desire to write and direct a movie set in a particular corner of the DC universe (which character or characters are involved is unclear), and Greenstein said he would be more than happy to make that happen, if possible.” That sounds like Cregger’s “Henchmen” script, a project the director revealed in September, but it could also be something else entirely.
Puck alleges that Greenstein met Cregger about the potential DCU project in Prague, where the director is hard at work on his “Resident Evil” reboot for Sony Pictures. If Paramount indeed buys out WBD, then Puck concludes Ellison and Greenstein would override Gunn and Safran’s creative control to greenlight Cregger’s project. “As things now stand at Warner Bros., James Gunn and Peter Safran control who directs DC movies, choices they make after they have developed scripts to their liking,” Puck continued. “It sounds like change may be in the wind if, indeed, the Ellisons prevail.” Paramount had no comment on the matter.
Of course, this entire story hinges on whether Paramount Skydance successfully takes over Warner Bros. Discovery, and as of this morning (via Variety and THR), that outcome may be unlikely. Netflix appears to be the frontrunner right now, and Paramount Sky issued a scathing letter earlier today about what they claim is an “unfair” sales process, “tainted by management conflicts.” Expect major creative shake-ups at WBD if either buyout happens, but, if Puck is correct, it’s safe to predict at least one of them if Paramount wins out. And that could spell chaos for DC Studios, a franchise that’s only one film into its full reboot.
As it stands now, however, Gunn and Safran’s creative control of the DCU remains undisputed. “Supergirl” arrives in theaters next, on June 26, 2026, with “Clayface” also in theaters next September; further ahead, Gunn’s “Superman” sequel, “Man Of Tomorrow,” slated for a July 9, 2027 release. Sony also plans to release Cregger’s “Resident Evil” in theaters next September. That means the director’s potential DC Studios project wouldn’t interfere with the current release slate if Ellison and Greenstein push to make it after a Paramount-WBD merger, but then who knows what DCU project may get greenlit between now and then.
A lot of things would need to fall into the right place for Gunn to lose full control of DC Studios. If it does happen, though, it’d be a major identity shake-up to a still-nascent brand. It would also make the competition between the DCU and the MCU even shakier, as moviegoers and critics still debate on superhero fatigue and the genre’s future. Would Gunn’s rescinding of complete creative power over DC Studios cut the franchise’s legs off below the knees before it even has a chance to reach a full sprint? Ellison and Greenstein may not even be thinking that far ahead, but let’s wait and see if this development happens in the first place.
