We are now just over a week into 2023, and on the surface, it would appear that Warner Bros. Discovery finally has a vision for DC Studios and the future of the superhero franchise. With James Gunn and Peter Safran in charge, there is clearly a new direction for the DCU, and we’ll probably learn the first steps later this month. But that isn’t stopping Zack Snyder’s legion of fans from beginning a new social media campaign to somehow continue his vision of the DC superhero universe. And folks, this campaign is positively bonkers.
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Over the weekend, you may have noticed #SellSnyderVerseToNetflix was trending on social media. This is the beginning of what Snyder fans are hoping is a #ReleaseTheSnyderCut-style campaign where WBD would sell the rights to Zack Snyder’s version of the DCU to Netflix so that the filmmaker can continue the story he tried to set up in his three superhero films. Apparently, this is going to build some sort of groundswell that will lead to… something on February 14.
I’ll admit, I was skeptical of the #ReleaseTheSnyderCut campaign while it happened. It just seemed completely unlikely that Warner Bros. would give the money to Snyder to make it happen. Well, the studio did do that. However, even though the Snyder fans got their way in that instance, there is really just no way this new Snyder/Netflix push is going to result in anything. It just doesn’t make sense from any angle.
First, the obvious— WBD isn’t going to give Netflix access to DC films or license out these billion-dollar characters for a competitor to use. Yes, WBD will cancel a “Batgirl” film. Yes, the studio will remove “Westworld” from HBO Max and license that out to other streamers. But CEO David Zaslav has made it abundantly clear DC Studios is the crown jewel for WBD and will be a major focus over the next decade. So, don’t expect Zaslav to give the go-ahead to sell off the film rights to Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and various other DC characters to Netflix under any circumstances. And before you say, “But, but, but, WBD and Netflix can both use these characters!” just think about how ridiculous that sounds.
Second, WBD is focusing on the new plan from DC Studios, as conceived by James Gunn and Peter Safran. The studio is clearly investing a lot of time and effort into making sure Gunn and Safran are able to see their vision come to fruition. That means making Henry Cavill look silly in front of the world. That means turning down Patty Jenkins for “Wonder Woman 3.” And honestly, we don’t know what else WBD is going to do to make sure Gunn and Safran have all the tools they need. But clearly, the studio is willing to do just about whatever it takes, right now, to focus on the future.
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And lastly, do we honestly believe Zack Snyder wants to finish his vision for the DC superhero universe? Netflix would probably spend the money to make it happen (what studio wouldn’t want the chance to make films with DC superheroes?), but Snyder is seemingly having a blast working on his original films that have nothing to do with major IP owned by studios. It would make sense for Snyder to feel completely burned by WB and major studios right now and not want to do anything relating to pre-existing IP, let alone spend the next decade making two new “Justice League” films and whatever else fanboys want. He’s got his “Army of the Dead” universe going strong, as well as “Rebel Moon,” which could be a franchise he works on for the next decade. (But he’s not above “liking” a post on Vero to further stoke the flames because why not?)
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All of this to say, you gotta respect the enthusiasm (as long as these people don’t threaten executives and call for the firing of Gunn and Safran because that’s over the line). However, #SellSnyderVerseToNetflix is silly.