James Gunn, Peter Safran and Warner Bros. have massive plans for DC Studios, and they go beyond film and TV
When Warner Bros. Discovery formed DC Studios and James Gunn and Peter Safran teamed up to deliver a unified experience of movies, TV, games and comics, fans saw the writing on the wall: the company was pulling out all the stops with its treasure trove of superhero characters. They weren’t wrong. DC Studios has announced a powerful 2023 slate, promising exciting new adventures. Although much of this list did not come to fruition, what did not come to fruition was gradually replaced by new projects.
The franchise now has three parts (two shows in Creature Commandos And Peacemakerand a movie, Superman). It also has an impressive list of epic sci-fi films. Supergirlthe HBO detective series Lanternsand horror function clay face. The universe will expand even more with that of 2027 Superman following, The man of tomorrow. It turns out, however, that Warner Bros. has even more ambitious plans for the already ambitious franchise.
In a profile published by Bloomberg, James Gunn, Peter Safran and David Zaslav provided some fascinating information about DC Studios and the DCU. Among this information was the company’s ambitious plans for its superhero properties. WBD intends to take full advantage of its IP. According to the report, James Gunn and Peter Safran are taking a leaf from the Marvel Studios playbook and want their DC Studios offerings to open up business avenues outside of the streaming and movie business.
As Zaslav explained: “The DC Universe is big enough and powerful enough to be available on all platforms. There are some stories that are important to tell in theaters around the world, and others that are important to be told in series form.”
What do these “trade routes” refer to? Bringing DC’s best and brightest heroes into the real world, especially in theme parks. As mentioned by Bloomberg, WBD was recently in negotiations with Comcast to develop sections and new routes based on DC characters at Universal theme parks. However, DC would have its sights set on a much larger project.
According to the outlet, the company is proposing ideas to build entire life-size blocks of Metropolis and Gotham, which would include essential locations and businesses (in the form of life-size buildings) from the DC Universe (the Penguin’s Iceberg Lounge perhaps being one). During company mergers, pre-purchase plans for the company are usually abandoned because the new management is eager to step in and make their mark on their new purchase as quickly as possible.
In the case of Warner Bros. Discovery, however, it appears its vision of capitalizing on recognizable intellectual property is shared by its new owner. In a conference call with investors after the sale was announced, Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos said the following: “You should think about ways to explore all of these IP universes beyond just making flagship films. Examples would be some of the DC Universe’s past moves for things like Penguin [which was] become great television.”
Sarandos spoke specifically about television, but that appears to be just one example of the possibilities available to capitalize on DC intellectual property. Netflix has also made efforts to market its intellectual property outside of media. Some examples include producing toys for shows like She-Ra and the Princesses of Powera surprise concert by some of the Demon Hunters KPop stars in New York, and on a smaller scale, promoting the real locations of Demon Hunters KPop to further immerse consumers in the world of the film.
The power of the DC brand is known throughout the industry. Bloomberg explained that while James Gunn and Peter Safran were not “a direct part” of the negotiations to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery, DC itself was a central part of the takeover strategy of Netflix, Comcast and Paramount. The latter’s CEO, David Ellison, even considered the brand as an essential element of his plan to release 30 films per year via WBD and Paramount.
Additionally, speaking to Bloomberg, media industry analyst at LightShed Partners Rich Greenfield spoke about DC’s financial promise: “DC is probably the biggest opportunity in this deal. […] DC has been one of the most under-monetized franchises in all of Hollywood, and while it’s certainly showing signs of life, it’s still only a tiny fraction of what Marvel has become under Disney. »
Well, it looks like WBD is working to take full advantage of the superhero intellectual property it has.
The next part of the DCU, Supergirlwill be released on June 26, 2026.
WWhat do you think of DC’s ambitious plans for the future? Would you like to see a life-size recreation of the DC Universe? Leave your thoughts in the comments!
