Paramount recently revealed which nine franchises are the biggest under its new umbrella following the planned acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery. Paramount and Netflix have been in a hard-hitting bidding war for Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) for months now. After Netflix made an extremely lucrative offer, it seemed as though the streaming powerhouse was the winner. However, Paramount came in with a last-second proposal that WBD could not turn down, meaning that WBD will be acquired by Paramount if nothing falls through.
During a recent call with analysts (as shared by Deadline) regarding the deal to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery, Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison revealed the specific franchises from both brands that Paramount views as the biggest and having the most potential. Of course, a lot of fan-favorite IPs and franchises were listed by Ellison, and there were almost an equal number of WBD properties as names under the Paramount banner.
Fans of WBD's major franchises were rather worried about the merger, as many thought it could spell trouble for their future. For example, a lot of comic book movie lovers expressed concern that Paramount could either axe James Gunn and Peter Safran's new DCU, or at least make some major changes to it, but that does not seem to be the case.
In total, Ellison listed off nine franchises from Paramount and WBD that he and Paramount view as the best of the best. Additionally, these franchises will also likely be the ones Paramount pours the most time and resources into in the future to ensure each remains near the top of the entertainment food chain.
Paramount's 9 Biggest Franchises Following Warner Bros. Merger
Harry Potter
Harry Potter is one of the biggest franchises of all time, and just because it will be under a new umbrella does not change that fact. Since the original series of films starring Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint was released, Harry Potter has been a Warner Bros. property.
A few years ago, Warner announced that the entire franchise was being rebooted as a television series at HBO. A few details have been released about the series since that initial announcement, such as casting news, season structure, etc.
If the Paramount/WBD deal goes through, it seems as though Paramount fully intends to keep the development of that show moving forward, as Ellison listed it first when talking about the most iconic franchises under Paramount's rule.
Lord of the Rings
Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings are often mentioned in the same breath when it comes to fictional franchises because they were both insanely successful book series that were later adapted into wildly beloved movie sagas. Like Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings is a massive franchise under the WBD banner.
The last time a live-action Lord of the Rings film was released was in 2014 (The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies), but WBD and New Line Cinema are currently developing a feature film titled The Hunt for Gollum, directed by Andy Serkis.
Most likely, the WDB deal with Paramount will not affect this movie all that much, if at all, as it is expected to be a major box office hit since multiple cast members from the original Lord of the Rings trilogy will be returning.
It is worth noting that the Rings of Power Amazon Prime Video series is not affected by the merger since WBD does not have the rights to it. That show came about when Amazon acquired the television rights to the Lord of the Rings book trilogy, as well as The Hobbit.
DC Universe (DCU)
As mentioned, a lot of fans were worried that the DCU could be cancelled or heavily altered by Paramount following the merger. After all, the DCU is a relatively new franchise and would be an easy cut for Paramount that could also save the company a lot of money.
However, it seems as though Paramount sees a lot of value in DC as a property and in the DCU as a franchise, as Ellison specifically listed it as one of the biggest IPs now under the Paramount umbrella. Specifically, Ellison also recently stated that Paramount intends to keep the creative teams at WBD together after the deal is finalized, meaning that Gunn and Safran will most likely be able to continue building out the DCU.
The DCU has a ton of projects planned over the course of the next few years. For instance, 2026 will see the release of Supergirl and Clayface in theaters, and Lanterns on HBO Max. After that, Man of Tomorrow is planned to come out next, alongside other DC titles.
Game of Thrones
Despite House of the Dragon Season 2 and Game of Thrones Season 8 not seeing as much success as HBO hoped in terms of reception, it is no secret that the Game of Thrones franchise is still one of the biggest and most popular names out there. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms helped revive the love of Thrones from general audiences, and Paramount seems confident that it will remain at the top of the television food chain.
As of right now, HBO is planning on developing future seasons of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms and House of the Dragon. Additionally, there are other titles planned, such as a series or a movie trilogy based on Aegon the Conqueror.
Mission: Impossible
Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning was billed as the final installment of the Mission: Impossible franchise. Even if another project is never created, that franchise will remain a staple for Paramount for years to come, as Ellison specifically listed it as one of the major names at the company.
Most likely, the Mission: Impossible franchise will be rebooted in the future. One would assume Tom Cruise will not reprise his role as Ethan Hunt when that happens, but the actor continues to portray characters that require a lot of physicality and perform death-defying stunts, so anything is possible.
Top Gun
Top Gun was a fun '80s flick that a lot of people looked back on with nostalgia, but its sequel catapulted the franchise into a money-printing machine that seemingly has endless potential. Maverick is talked about in the same breath as The Dark Knight and The Empire Strikes Back when it comes to sequels passing the original and objectively becoming one of the most beloved movies of all time, so it is no surprise that Paramount views Top Gun as a major player at the company.
A third Top Gun movie was officially announced back in January 2024, but not much has been said about it since. According to Jerry Bruckheimer (a producer of both Top Gun films), the threequel is still in active development and is just moving at a slower pace than normal. Since Maverick was so successful, Top Gun 3 will undoubtedly be a box office juggernaut. If it rivals its predecessor in terms of quality, it could even surpass Maverick in terms of financial success.
Transformers
Transformers has been one of the most popular and lucrative action movie franchises in the world since the first movie in the series was released almost 20 years ago. The last entry fans received in the Transformers saga was Rise of the Beasts, which kicked off a new trilogy of Transformers movies and set up a crossover event with G.I. Joe.
Paramount hasn't revealed when Transformers 8 will be released, nor what the plans for Transformers 9 are, but Transformers One proved that projects outside of the live-action series can also exist for Paramount.
It is also worth noting that Michael Bay (the director who kicked off the franchise) will be returning to create a new film for Paramount, which has a lot of fans extremely excited.
SpongeBob SquarePants
SpongeBob is another Paramount IP that still has a lot of potential despite being an older franchise. A new movie was just released in 2025 starring Mark Hamill as the main antagonist, and both children and adults still find enjoyment in the slapstick humor the shows and movies offer.
The SpongeBob SquarePants TV series is still making new episodes and remains a staple of the animated television world. Paramount still sees a lot of value in the franchise, as Ellison named it as one of the company's biggest IPs.
Star Trek
Star Trek is one of the oldest properties that is still pumping out new content, and there is clearly still a market for it. Anytime a new Star Trek project is released, fans press play on whatever it is and find themselves off on a new sci-fi journey.
There are multiple Star Trek projects in the works at Paramount, and they likely will not be the last, as Paramount still has a lot of faith in the franchise.
