Following recent reports, I asked my WB insiders for an update on the state of the DC universe.
Here is the latest: Zack Snyder’s Justice League plans might not be what you think anymore, and James Gunn is being kept from overpromising on his DCU plans.
Netflix vs Paramount Could Decide Snyder’s DC Future
My DC insiders tell me that while Snyder has shared some of the previous Justice League plans publicly, his current ideas have shifted because superhero movies have shifted.
And like everything else at Warner Bros. Discovery right now, what happens next depends on who ends up owning the place.
That backdrop got even messier this week after Bloomberg reported FCC Chairman Brendan Carr sees “legitimate competition concerns” with Netflix’s proposed acquisition of WBD’s studios and streaming businesses, concerns he doesn’t share if Paramount Skydance were to acquire those assets.
From what I have been told, Zack Snyder’s SnyderVerse is fully back in play with the WBD sale to Paramount (Saudis are still involved), while the hope is that if Netflix ends up buying WBD, Snyder could do The Dark Knight Returns with Ben Affleck.
While Christopher Nolan said he won’t be directing at Netflix, I’m told Nolan could still be involved and would consider working with Zack as an executive producer since Zack values his opinions.
More below.
Why Snyder’s Justice League thinking has changed
Regarding Snyder’s potential changes to his original Justice League sequel plans, the insider’s point isn’t that Snyder is randomly rewriting the past; it’s that the entire superhero market is different than when the Justice League sequel roadmaps were first being kicked around.
We can argue that back then, studios sold fans on long runway “plans.” Now, the pitch seems more flexible and immediate. Fewer chessboard teases, more payoff. Bigger theatrical reason-to-go, or it gets swallowed by streaming habits and audience fatigue.
That’s also why, I’m told, Snyder’s private ideas today aren’t a carbon copy of the old JL sequel blueprint he’s teased in the past. He’s adapting to where the genre is now, and what actually gets people to show up.
The WB sale cloud is why everything feels frozen
Here’s the part fans keep feeling without always seeing: there’s real hesitation inside the company because nobody knows who’s ultimately going to get WBD.
Netflix and WBD recently announced they amended their deal to an all-cash transaction. The bidding fight has been getting uglier in public, with Netflix’s side taking shots at Paramount Skydance’s competing offer.
Now add regulators into the mix. Carr’s comments are basically a warning flare that the Netflix route could face more scrutiny than a Paramount-Skydance outcome. That’s exactly what David Ellison has been stating all along, who reportedly has the favor of President Trump and the Trump administration.
If you’re inside DC Studios, that translates to one thing: don’t lock yourself into promises a new owner can cancel on day one.
De Luca and Abdy are keeping Gunn from overpromising
According to the insider, Mike De Luca and Pam Abdy are trying to keep things steady at WBD.
“Everyone’s on pins and needles because now nobody knows who’s eventually going to get WB,” our insiders said.
This follows a recent report from Puck News, which insinuated De Luca and Abdy are fully in charge of WB films, including Gunn’s DCU. Gunn may no longer be answering strictly to Zaslav (not confirmed).
The evidence of the difference between De Luca and Abdy and Gunn at WBD comes from simply reading Deadline‘s recent interview with De Luca and Abdy, and then reading Gunn and Safran’s PR stunt with Bloomberg. Worlds of difference.
Among other things, the message is to avoid committing to specifics that might not materialize once the ownership situation is settled.
That’s also the suggested explanation for why James Gunn has been more cryptic lately about projects and even his own future. It’s not just personality. It’s risk management. Nobody wants another era of big announcements that later turn into quiet walk-backs. It hurts the brand.
The insider adds that the sale of WBD is taking a toll across multiple studio groups, because everyone’s waiting on decisions that can’t be made cleanly until the sale picture clears up.
The Affleck and Dark Knight Returns talk is still there
There’s also been talk, I’m told, that Ben Affleck still loves Batman and would come back under the right circumstances (check out that Kevin Smith tease).
The insider connects that to Snyder’s real passion play: a comic-accurate The Dark Knight Returns with Affleck.
I have also been told that Snyder is using his social media posts to gauge fan feedback (reactions have exploded online), which aligns with why you’ll see him surface old material while also, again, from what I have been told, quietly recalibrating what the next step would look like in a very different superhero landscape.
Nolan and Netflix: not directing, but maybe advising
One other detail from the insider: while Christopher Nolan doesn’t want to direct for Netflix, he might be open to a limited role if it’s tied to Zack Snyder.
Think executive producer or advisor, more giving Snyder input than making a “Nolan Netflix movie.”
What this means for DC right now
Since WBD’s ownership is up in the air, DC will keep operating as if it’s in a holding pattern.
That’s the bigger context behind “new Justice League plans.”
Snyder can evolve his pitch for where superhero movies are now, Affleck can be open “under the right circumstances,” and Gunn can keep being cryptic because he’s being kept from overpromising until the corporate dust settles.
