Right now three major companies are engaged in a bidding war for Warner Bros. Discovery – Paramount Skydance, Netflix and Comcast.
Of the three, Paramount Skydance is generally considered the most likely winner and The LA Times reported yesterday that they’ve increased their bid for the studio with thanks to backing from Middle Eastern sovereign wealth funds, including Saudi Arabia.
If Paramount does emerge the winner though, expect a big shake-up at Burbank – especially over at DC Studios.
According to a report at Puck News, the potential merger will reportedly see studio co-chiefs James Gunn and Peter Safran have less control of what gets made at DC Studios.
The article states: “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. It sounds like change may be in the wind if, indeed, the Ellisons prevail.”
The article adds that Paramount Pictures co-chair Josh Greenstein says he would be “more than happy” to work with “Weapons” director Zach Cregger on making a DC movie if the merger were to happen, and recently visited Prague to try and ‘court’ Cregger.
They say: “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.”
Rumours said the project was titled “Henchmen” and would follow a low-level henchman in Gotham City who incapacitates Batman through a ‘stroke of luck. After this, he begins to gain notoriety in Gotham’s crime underworld.
Cregger has previously said the favourite thing he’s written was a script for a potential film based on a DC property. The new DC Universe has only just begun rolling out with “Creature Commandos” a year ago, followed by “Superman” and “Peacemaker” Season 2. Next year sees “Lanterns,” “Supergirl” and “Clayface” all hitting – all three having already completed filming.
