WBD Selling DCEU Snyderverse To Netflix Is Surprisingly The Best Option

Hashtag activism is the popular stuff of superhero film fandom, and Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) has faced a stream of such hashtag movements about their cinematic DC Extended Universe (DCEU). But the new #SellZSJLtoNetflix message is one of a rare few that seems crazy but actually could work, and just might have some unexpected (albeit unintentional) side benefits to consider. That’s why I think WBD selling the DCEU “Snyderverse” to Netflix could surprisingly be the best option.

I want to be clear that I’m excited to have Gunn writing a new Superman movie, and I’m eager to see what Gunn and Safran have in store for a new era of DC movies. I don’t like or support the angry movement calling for the firing of these two co-CEOs or for boycotts of upcoming DC projects. But it’s also no secret I’m a big fan of Snyder’s DCEU and the other filmmakers’ movies arising from Snyder’s original setup, and I’d personally hypothetically love to see Snyder get a chance to finish his DC plans.

So if there’s a way to get Snyder’s vision completed, in a way that’s actually advantageous for DC Studios and alongside the new films and plans Gunn and Safran developed, I feel like it’s at least worth talking about.

I don’t write this to try to add pressure to DC Studios, or to in any way lend support to the hateful “fire Gunn and Safran” demands. This is merely an honest assessment of a new development that caught me by surprise and which I think can benefit everyone involved, including WBD and DC Studios, and in ways they may not yet realize.

So buckle up and give me a chance to lay out the arguments, and see if it sways you, dear readers…

This latest #SellZSJLtoNetflix and #SellSnyderversetoNetflix hashtag trend is an evolution of the “Snyderverse” and “Snydercut” movement, as it adapts to the fact WBD’s newly created DC Studios is moving on from previous iterations of the DCEU under the leadership of co-CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran.

There will be no return to the early vision and plans for the DCEU, which included Man of Steel, Batman v Superman, Suicide Squad, Wonder Woman, and — for the dedicated Snyder fanbase — Zack Snyder’s Justice League (in place of the theatrical cut of Justice League). Instead, some will reboot, others will… well, we’ll see, but for now one thing is clear: those who want a continuation of Snyder’s original multi-film arc plans are not going to get it from DC Studio’s upcoming future films.

So, fans who previously launched the #ReleaseTheSnyderCut movement and succeeded in helping convince WB and HBO Max to greenlight and release Zack Snyder’s Justice League quickly moved to also launch #RestoreTheAyerCut. I supported both of those (although initially my support to release Snyder’s cut of Justice League assumed the film was only about 75-80% completed and could be released as-is, akin to Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut, until I saw more proof of just how far along Snyder’s edit was).

However, when a portion of the fanbase then began #RestoreTheSnyderverse and called for boycotts against future DCEU films unless the studio reverted the DCEU back to the original plans, I didn’t think it was either realistic at this point or the best option anymore, for several reasons.

First and foremost, Snyder had already moved on to original projects I was more interested in seeing him complete. Plus, there was so much conflict and bad feelings involved that I feared the whole thing would suffer or wind up incomplete again amid inevitable divisions.

And I ultimately felt the DCEU was already settling into a new phase that either needed to be allowed to proceed or just ended completely instead of more tinkering and yet another “course correction.” At some point, constantly reshuffling your movie plans and retconning back and forth undermines audience faith in keeping up with whatever is happening in the latest films, and the whole thing threatens to collapse under the weight of its own indecision and perpetual revolution.

When some of the fans expressed a version of “RestoreTheSnyderverse that meant just allowing Snyder to complete his Justice League film arc in a pair of HBO Max streaming films to give that corner of the multiverse the finale it deserves, I sympathized and felt it shouldn’t be too hard to convince HBO Max to invest in animated movies to complete the JL trilogy plans. But my expression of support for that idea met with quick and loud backlash from most of the fans in that movement, who only wanted live-action projects and many of whom outright condemned the notion of animated sequels as inferior and an insult. So, I disengaged from them and haven’t participated in any of that particular movement.

When Warner and Discovery merged and new leadership took over the film studio, the Snyder fans thought they might see a surprise change of fortune for their demands, since there seemed to be a lot of maneuvering to reinstate certain key elements of Snyder’s original cast, as well as the departure or unceremonious removal of executives toward whom this fanbase was hostile — in particular, Walter Hamada. Fans got ahead of themselves with predictions and false rumors that multi-year contracts had been signed to bring back Henry Cavill and Ben Affleck for more movies and streaming series, all of it made up by fans or spread by pseudo-”sources” with their own ulterior motives and agendas.

Then came news of Gunn and Safran taking the helm at DC Studios, followed by the announcement they were charting a new course for DC movies, word Cavill was officially done playing Superman, and the cancellation of Patty Jenkins’ plans for Wonder Woman 3. The fans erupted in outrage and spawned a whole new set of hashtags, all boiling down to demands that Gunn and Safran be fired. It also revived the #RestoreTheSnyderverse hashtag.

Now, however, with Gunn and Safran finished with their multi-year plan to reestablish the DC franchises along a new path for the future and build something that can stand alongside the success and acclaim of Marvel Studio’s MCU, some of the fans have finally internalized the fact that Gunn and Safran aren’t going anywhere and a new DCEU will be created. Some fans still think they can hashtag their way to victory and win a complete restructuring of the entire studio and a reversal of all plans and contracts in favor of a new slate that puts everything back the way it was in early 2016, but I have to think most of them must realize it’s been too long and there’s no real chance of that happening.

What I do think is possible, however, and what I also think is actually a smart move for a number of reasons, is the idea that WBD could license a singular set of stories and plans for development in a specific way by a particular set of people at Netflix. I know many of you are shaking your head at the very notion of it, but hear me out and you might find yourself supporting it for reasons you didn’t even consider previously.

First, just consider it from a cold business perspective. If WBD announces a willingness and intent to offer this opportunity to Netflix, it instantly “meets” the demands of the fanbase and puts the ball in the court of another studio. If Netflix is uninterested, then WBD can point out it’s not their own fault that it’s not going forward. Likewise, if the projects fail to materialize or somehow fail to meet with approval from the fans, once again WBD aren’t the ones who will be blamed and the attention will be focused elsewhere.

In short, if WBD has no desire to develop any projects within the Snyderverse anyway, and if they are seeking ways to develop and/or license properties to maximize revenue, then why not license the Snyderverse to Netflix and be done with any Warner attachment or involvement or blame from now on.

From WBD’s standpoint, either it works out well and DC properties have a whole new successful licensed set of shows nobody will confuse with any other DC properties (since it’s always only on Netflix and a very specific alternate world for the heroes) and thus a whole new revenue stream and merchandising opportunities that otherwise wouldn’t exist at all; or, it fails and the attempt takes further wind out of the sails and nobody can claim the studio didn’t give fans what they were demanding, and it’s unlikely any future movements could arise at that point (since it will be several years down the road and other new DC movies will already be in release in theaters, as part of the new overarching DC Studios plan).

To continue a moment purely from the cold business perspective for WBD, the major creative reasons offered in opposition to doing this are (a) it could distract from or otherwise harm WBD’s own DC plans because of competing stories for viewers to choose from, (b) it once again empowers a fanbase that has been hostile to the studio at times and which previously said they only wanted one thing but continued asking for more, and (c) it gives the power to make decisions about DC characters to people over whom WBD and DC Studios have no control.

However, there are good answers to those concerns. There’s also the separate point that Netflix would surely balk at the notion of spending hundreds of millions of dollars to make these streaming movies licensed from another studio, but I’ll get to that point after I address the above primary concerns from the creative perspective.

If hypothetically Netflix bought the license to make Snyderverse continuation films and miniseries, it would be exclusively on Netflix and wouldn’t compete with anything DC Studios is releasing in theaters.

Moreover, audiences haven’t had any trouble distinguishing between — or caring much to even worry about distinguishing between — DCEU releases alongside a solo The Batman rebooted franchise and a standalone Joker movie. Likewise, the collection of shared-world shows Arrowverse on the CW, the DC Unlimited series like Titans and Doom Patrol, and a plethora of animated shows and films have all coexisted just fine in streaming and TV while the movies have their own separate corners too.

Audiences just want great movies telling great stories, and they aren’t going to punish or otherwise neglect DCEU cinematic offerings based on some supposed confusion or clash with a series of Netflix movies in a separate shared universe.

Additionally, the success or failure of a separate set of Netflix movies isn’t going to affect the success or failure of DC Studios theatrical releases or other DC series on HBO Max and elsewhere. If you need proof of that, I’d point to all of the various Marvel-aligned shows that were on different services and channels, some of which (like The Inhumans) failed miserably without remotely moving hurting the MCU films and other shows.

Did the failure of the Green Lantern movie harm The Dark Knight Rises? Did the success or failure of certain animated series and movies help or hurt DCEU theatrical releases? I’m not saying that supplemental and related series or films isn’t capable of having an effect, I’m just saying it doesn’t have to and that it can be controlled either way, especially when we’re talking about streaming content entirely apart from everything else and kept in one specific place.

And frankly, I don’t think DC’s new direction and other plans will be so weak that they could be hurt or killed by separate licensed content on Netflix. I think it could all exist, live or die, and WBD and DC Studios would simply be cashing the checks and being glad they finally got out from under the whole things while being able to honestly say they gave these fans what they wanted.

On that latter point, that’s another huge advantage for the studio here — WBD could honestly say they gave fans what the fans wanted by making the offer. If Netflix declines, then what? Or what if Zack Snyder isn’t interested? Or what if he’s interested, but it’ll be a few years before he has his schedule free to make it?

Well, the point is, from the WBD business perspective, it doesn’t matter — once the offer is made, it’s up to Netflix and Snyder to accept or decline, right? If they accept, then the Snyderverse is alive again but is someone else’s responsibility from now on. If they decline, WBD can say, “We offered, they said no, what do you expect us to do now?” In the meantime, WBD and DC Studios would be developing their own projects and plans, but now without the daily and yearly conflict with that segment of fans.

It will also help make it easier for fans who’ve spent years resisting any new DC approaches, or who’ve refused to consider the new planned DC films, to give in and come back into the broader fandom fold again. Instead of viewing new DC projects as “opponents” that are in the way of what those fans want, it’ll be extra DC storytelling in addition to the ones they want and are going to get at Netflix. It’s easier to win them over because it’s harder for them to sustain anger and opposition at that point.

If Netflix rejects the offer, then some fans will have a new place to focus efforts, other fans will probably give up, and still other will hope a different studio steps up to say “we’ll take that offer!” Regardless, WBD would be in a much better position and could rightly say they’re making the offer and open to the whole thing, and it would be pretty hard for anyone to blame them or sustain a campaign against them at that point.

But if, hopefully, Netflix said “yes” and Snyder was on board too, then it suddenly becomes a win-win for everybody. And then the only issue is making sure the Snyderverse projects are as good as everyone thinks and hopes they can be. But again, that is no longer WBD’s responsibility, they just cash the licensing checks and merchandising checks (because of course such films and miniseries would be accompanied by toys, shirts, etc — let companies bid for the license to make and sell the Snyderverse merchandise exclusively too, right?).

Remember, this is all regardless of how you feel about the DCEU or Snyderverse, and regardless of whether it’s successful on Netflix or not. Whatever happens, WBD has made the offer and handed off the entire topic once and for all. It mitigates all future questions of “what next?” or fans wanting more than they said they were asking for, because it’s somewhere else and someone else has to answer those questions, not WBD. Which is what fans say they want, anyway, right?

The concern about not having creative control is a non-issue, really, if the licensing deal is smart about outlining exactly what this is intended to do — to move forward with those Snyderverse projects consisting of additional Justice League movies continuing ZSJL’s arc, the solo The Batman movie, Wonder Woman 3, and a few others that were to round out the original overall DCEU vision. By making sure to identify the scripts, outlines, stories, and treatments that would be used and including certain conditions (like “Batman can’t eat babies” or whatever objectionable or otherwise undesirable things they want to ensure never happen), WBD can safely license this narrow pathway forward for some remaining Snyderverse projects.

Now, what about the question of whether Netflix would even want to do something this crazy. Well, for starters and without discussing finances for a moment, the answer to the more general question “would Netflix want to license the chance to make their own exclusive DC superhero movies?” has to be a big “YES, of course they would.”

Netflix already has a great working relationship with Zack Snyder, and even if Snyder merely wanted to produce Snyderverse DCEU movies for Netflix rather than direct it himself, I think the streamer could probably convince him to do so and he would probably get a kick out of it. He might in fact want very much to direct the JL movies, at least. But regardless, I think Netflix would be keen to get their hands on the rights to develop a set of shared-world DCEU movies, even if it was only within certain boundaries and limited to a specific number of projects (perhaps with a right to request license extension if the first set are popular enough).

The biggest obstacle from Netflix’s standpoint would be the cost to produce these films. And that’s where the real major potential stumbling point comes in, as far as I am concerned. Up to this point, I think there’s every reason for WBD, DC Studios, Netflix, and Snyder himself to like this idea. But crucially, I think for WBD a key component of any such agreement would probably be that the Snyderverse continuation films must be animated.

If there’s one thing that could instantly make this whole thing seem much more palatable and even desirable to WBD and Netflix, it’s keeping the Snyderverse in animation format so there’s even less concern about “competing” with live-action DC Studios projects, and so the budgets remain much more affordable.

A $40-50 million animated Justice League film would still cost a fraction of the price of a live-action movie, yet would be enough to ensure even higher quality animation and other production values than the usual DC animated movies.

Consider, $35 million was the budget of Guillermo del Toro’s Pinochio, which looked spectacular. So for example, boost the Snyderverse film budgets to $40-50 million and get two hours worth of animation similar to Berserk: The Golden Age Arc Trilogy or Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence with CGI animation. Or, go for something like Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade or perhaps Millennium Actress or the original 1998 Spriggan.

The point is, for $40-50 million, any of those anime approaches would result in some exceptional-looking animated Snyderverse films, and at that price Netflix might be far more tempted to accept such an offer from WBD since they could essentially make Snyder’s two JL sequels, The Batman, and Wonder Woman 3 for the combined price of just one live-action JL sequel. Throw in Man of Steel 2, and that’s five big IP superhero movies with a large and loyal fanbase for about $200-250 million spread across several years. I call that a bargain.

Putting aside the issue of fans who knee-jerk reject the suggestion of animated continuation of the Snyderverse for a moment, the idea has lots of potential and would fit nicely with Netflix’s approach to content, it would be a wonderful opportunity to continue the Snyderverse, Snyder is a fan of anime and might dig the approach as a way to get it done when no other options are realistically likely to materialize.

Netflix is probably unlikely to spend the money necessary to bring back the original Snyderverse cast for live-action big-budget movies, and WBD is unlikely to agree to let another studio make big-budget live-action DC films regardless of my arguments for why it wouldn’t really hurt DC Studio’s own plans — especially the issue of the Snyderverse potentially involving characters or plot points that DC Studios might plan to incorporate into their own live-action theatrical releases.

It is also much more likely that all of the original cast could return to voice their characters, and for more affordable costs, than trying to wrangle them all again for multiple long productions in live-action. To really see this all done in the next few/several years, and to fit within everyone’s schedules at this point, I strongly suspect animation fits far better and has greater odds of success in these regards.

The fandom, as noted, will divide over whether anime is an acceptable approach to the Snyderverse, but if this is the only hope for seeing it continue and if the results are as high-quality as the animated examples mentioned above, and if Snyder is directly involved, I don’t see how any fans could seriously complain about getting what they’ve long wanted from the filmmaker they’ve championed, if he himself approved of it and made it happen. Animation is a fabulous medium for storytelling, and it’s insulting to the artists and filmmakers who work in animation to see it maligned by fans who act as if it’s unacceptable as an option.

If WBD were on board, then this all depends on Netflix and Snyder liking the idea and agreeing to those conditions — most importantly, probably, the animation approach instead of live-action. But I think if WBD made the offer and at least some of the original cast were up to return for voicing their characters (or if there were other actors Snyder was happy to work with as replacements for those roles), then I can see this appealing to the studio and to Snyder. But nobody really knows unless/until the offer is made, of course.

I think a proposal for anime continuation of the Snyderverse at Netflix, under the production of Snyder’s Stone Quarry and within the specific parameters of the original DCEU plans for JL sequels and a few specific solo superhero movies, seems to be the best option available if WBD wants to move on while being able to say they made the attempt to let the Snyderverse continue if others wanted to do so, if fans want to finally see the Snyderverse completed, if Netflix wants some valuable property to adapt at a reasonable price, and if Snyder himself is still interested in finishing his story.

Whatever concerns and problems others feel exist, I think I’ve addressed the main ones here and demonstrated why it can work, at least in theory, if those involved could come to an agreement on the conditions. Obviously it’s not for me to decide what conditions exist or who should/will agree, I merely say I think this idea I’ve laid out here seems to fit the bill as a reasonable and acceptable approach, and frankly I don’t see any serious chance of the Snyderverse continuing any other way. And if it’s not done soon, then too much time will pass and it will fade as even a hypothetical options.

Check back soon for updates and reports on the development of the new DC Studios projects, and on Zack Snyder’s original projects at Netflix — next up is Rebel Moon, and we should start hearing news about the spinoffs and sequels to Army of the Dead soon as well. I cannot wait to see it and review it for you, dear readers, so stay tuned!