It’s safe to say Netflix winning the bid to buy Warner Bros. Discovery blindsided everyone.
People in “the building” are “shellshocked” because the expectation was that Paramount would take it. I’m told the top concern inside WBD is theatrical releases.
Netflix’s “Expects to Maintain Operations”
Recently saw Netflix announce in their official press release that it “expects to maintain Warner Bros.’ current operations” (“expects” is a red flag).
WBD Tries To Hold Executives
WBD followed that up by announcing a bonus program to keep executives from leaving during the transition.
Gunn and Safran Contract Questions
Bloomberg reported that James Gunn and Peter Safran’s contracts end in Spring 2027.
I’m told they did get a six-month extension, but insiders say the notable part is what they didn’t get — the kind of long-term deal Mike De Luca and Pam Abdy secured.
Deal Timeline Lines Up With Man of Tomorrow
My insiders say the Netflix–WBD deal could take a year and a half to two years to finalize.
That timeline lines up with Gunn wrapping Man of Tomorrow for its Summer 2027 release — and remember, De Luca scheduled the Minecraft sequel just two weeks after.
They also say the long closing period likely means a pause on big-budget films (is that why Mortal Kombat II was pushed to 2026???).
Gunn Shifts Back to the “Marvel Method”
I’m now told Gunn has abandoned his original DCU approach of waiting for finished scripts and is rushing things and has gone back to the “Marvel method” for Man of Tomorrow.
That’s why he showed all those storyboards. He’s working from a broad outline, previsualizing the big effects and “wow” moments first, then adding character beats and leaning on humor from his writing team to cover weak spots.
My insiders say this approach is going to push the VFX crews hard, and they believe AI will be used to enhance and speed up rendering.
Gunn’s Propaganda Push
My insiders say Gunn is already pushing his own propaganda to the trades, trying to paint a “rosy” picture that Supergirl is amazing. It’s worth noting that both Deadline and Puck News backed up our reporting by questioning Gunn’s future at DC.
Kim Martin at Puck — who previously wrote for THR and covered the abuses involving Geoff Johns, Joss Whedon, and Walter Hamada — is someone my sources believe “KNOWS SOMETHING.”
Paramount Recruiting Behind Gunn’s Back
Paramount was also recruiting behind Gunn’s back when they went to Prague to court Zach Cregger.
Hollywood Goes to War Over Netflix Buying WBD
As I previously went over, my insiders say Hollywood is going to war over Netflix buying WBD. It’s already started.
If Netflix downsizes DC, my insiders expect Gunn out.
Netflix May Not Care About Quality
There’s also the possibility that Netflix won’t prioritize quality at all and will simply crank out volume.
DC titles have already found success on the service, including Black Adam, and even Sony’s Marvel films pull strong numbers despite theatrical failures.
With Netflix’s huge subscriber pool — soon to get even bigger with WBD — the bar isn’t excellence, it’s output. That dynamic could end up helping Gunn.
Netflix freezing out competitors
My insiders also said Netflix may be freezing out competitors with their bid, as they take out the streaming competition for 2 years by weakening WB and removing Paramount or Comcast from the table.
Safran Sends Out Signals
Peter Safran has already gone to the trades pushing the line that Gunn is the best man for the job.
Gunn is also now pushing for a “f’n” awesome Batman.
The fact he’s selling that so hard tells you their jobs are anything but guaranteed.
AI’s Role in the New Regime
Another big part of all this is AI, which I’ll save for another article.
