DC Studios is officially coming under the control of Paramount CEO David Ellison following a lengthy acquisition process, and the new brand announcement video omitted any reference to Zack Snyder's DCEU movies. Even five years after Zack Snyder's Justice League and after the first two years of the DCEU, many of the director's loyal fans remain convinced that a change in ownership could bring him back to DC Studios to complete his larger storyline, which was abandoned in 2017.
Paramount CEO David Ellison officially announced Skydance as the name for his newly merged studio with Warner Bros. Pictures in a special sizzle reel. Ahead of the acquisition's looming completion in a matter of days, the announcement video featured footage from both studios' history, including clips from three different DC franchises, none of which are tied to Zack Snyder's DCEU (aka the SnyderVerse).
Superman was notably the only DCU project spotlighted in Ellison's video, omitting anything from Supergirl, Peacemaker, Creature Commandos, or Lanterns. That may be because the sizzle reel focuses almost entirely on movies (aside from snippets of House of the Dragon and Euphoria) and the new Skydance's heavy-hitter IPs, which is why Batman and Superman are the only superheroes featured.
It wasn't just the DCU honored in the Skydance announcement, as there was also a quick glimpse of Robert Pattinson's Dark Knight from The Batman. Matt Reeves' upcoming sequel, The Batman: Part 2, will be the Dark Knight's first live-action outing under new management when it arrives on February 18, 2028.
While one could speculate that the SnyderVerse was omitted to focus on DC's future rather than the past, it's worth noting that shots from Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight trilogy made the cut. Then again, there is an abundance of Nolan's films in the reel, including Inception and Tenet, which is somewhat strange given that the Oscar winner pitched his last two tenpoles at Universal Pictures.
Despite featuring both Bale and Pattinson's Batmen, as well as Corenswet's Superman, there wasn't a glimmer of Henry Cavill, Ben Affleck, Gal Gadot, or anything from the DCEU, indicating that the SnyderVerse is far from Ellison's mind.
Ultimately, Ellison made it clear that DC Studios and the blue brand as a whole have a special place in his newly merged studio. The DC logo appeared third in the sizzle reel, behind only Paramount and Warner Bros. themselves, and was also later included alongside key brands like HBO Max, CBS, CNN, and Nickelodeon.
While some were hopeful that a change in ownership could bring a shift in leadership at DC, such as bringing back Snyder for Zack Snyder's Justice League 2, Ellison's video only furthers reports that Gunn and Safran are safe now.
Interestingly, Gunn himself also posted the video on Threads and Instagram with Ellison's tagline, "What once was the peak, is now just the beginning," solidifying his place in the brand new Skydance. The full sizzle reel can be seen below, including footage from four DC superhero movies:
Snyder ignited speculation that he may be returning to DC when he shared a photo from the Paramount studio lot and teased work on a "new project." That project is likely the filmmaker's upcoming UFC movie, Brawlers, but hearing that Snyder was working with Paramount ahead of the Warner Bros. acquisition was enough to get his loyal fans excited about a possible DCEU revival.
According to Bloomberg, Gunn and Safran will continue to lead DC Studios under Skydance, with their contracts still in place until April 2027. The DCU execs delivered a presentation to Paramount bigwigs on their DC strategy during a Man of Tomorrow set visit earlier this year, which Ellison "backed," as he sees the blue brand as a "pillar" of his commitment to release 30 movies theatrically per year.
In settling one of the legal hurdles to the merger, Ellison committed to releasing 30 movies per year in the first two years from Paramount and Warner Bros. combined, rising to 32 in subsequent years. While The Hollywood Reporter revealed that Ellison told Gunn and Safran to "keep doing what you’re doing," expectations could rise for more than the current two movies annually from DC Studios.
It's interesting that Gunn and Safran's contracts were only extended up until April, three months before Man of Tomorrow hits theaters on July 9, 2027. That could force Ellison to make a judgment call on the DCU's future before the Superman sequel's box-office numbers provide the strongest gauge yet of how audiences are responding to Gunn's connective universe and larger narrative.
For now, Ellison will be eager to keep things running smoothly as they are, but, as always, box-office flops or streaming disappointments could result in changes at DC Studios, such as Gunn having less autonomy or even a shift in leadership. However, even if there was a pivot in direction for the DCU, that would likely be under a completely new regime, not a return to Snyder or any other former head.
Still, as Ellison sets out to increase theatrical output across the board, one has to wonder if that could bring Snyder back to DC for an Elseworlds project. Snyder has been vocal about his desire to adapt The Dark Knight Returns in live-action, and his long-time friendship with Gunn could pave the way for that to happen, although the divisive director remains focused on his own projects for now.
The former DCEU figurehead is currently seeking out a distributor for his new indie war drama The Last Photograph, following its premiere at TIFF. Snyder's still-undated next movie drew mostly negative reactions after its Toronto premiere, receiving an unfortunate 17% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes.
