Are the streaming wars officially over? Maybe not, but Hollywood’s retreat from peak TV is becoming harder to ignore. After Marvel Studios sharply reduced its Disney+ output, DC Studios is reportedly pivoting to a similar rethink, putting greater emphasis on theatrical films while becoming much more selective about what moves forward at HBO.
According to a new Ankler report, “Waller” (featuring Viola Davis‘ meanie government handler who sends enhanced criminals to their deaths) and “Paradise Lost” are no longer in development at DC Studios. Both were part of James Gunn and Peter Safran’s original DCU slate announced in 2023, with “Waller” designed to bring Davis back as Amanda Waller (a key character in Gunn’s “The Suicide Squad” and her daughter was a main character in the “Peacemaker” spinoff played by Danielle Brooks) and “Paradise Lost” conceived as a pre-“Wonder Woman” drama set on Themyscira.
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The outlet also reports that proposed series centered on Catwoman and Poison Ivy were pitched to DC Studios and HBO but ultimately rejected. It’s unclear whether those projects were intended for Gunn and Safran’s DCU or Matt Reeves’ separate “The Batman” universe. There had been a rumbling that Scarlett Johansson could be playing the new cinematic take on Pamela/Ivy in “The Batman Part II,” but that has yet to be confirmed in any official capacity (only internet rumblings for now), and we already have Zoë Kravitz in the Selena Kyle part in the Reeves corner of the franchise (the report claims that a show with Kravitz was rejected, so this could be something else).
That doesn’t mean DC television is disappearing altogether. “Booster Gold” reportedly remains a priority for DC Studios and HBO, although the project is currently searching for new writers. Meanwhile, “Lanterns,” starring Kyle Chandler and Aaron Pierre, finally premieres Sunday after a development process stretching back nearly seven years.
A main takeaway is that DC Studios appears to be narrowing its television ambitions and shifting attention back toward theatrical features. Gunn and Safran initially pitched a deeply interconnected universe spanning film, television, animation, and gaming, but the TV side now looks considerably leaner than that original roadmap. We’ll keep our fingers crossed that “Waller” could end up getting repurposed into a third “Suicide Squad” film; it feels weird they haven’t pursued that, no?
But that’s yet another sign that Hollywood’s streaming-era expansion is contracting or arguably even over—at least for big-budget franchise TV. After years of studios commissioning expensive brand-heavy series meant to feed their platforms, theatrical movies are once again becoming the centerpiece for major IP. What’s old is new again.
