Netflix May Become the Home of the Greatest Superhero Movie Franchises

Netflix might get some of Hollywood’s most famous superhero movie franchises.

Movie classics like Casablanca, Bonnie and Clyde, Goodfellas, Unforgiven, and The Shining, as well as Superman, Batman, Harry Potter, and Barbie, are said to be in talks to be carried only by the streamer.

Sources say that the company, which is run by co-CEO Ted Sarandos, is “actively exploring” a bid to buy Warner Bros. Discovery.

It was said that Netflix hired the financial bank Moelis and Co. to help them figure out how to make an offer for the franchises. 

Moelis was a financial advisor to David Ellison’s Skydance Media when it bought Paramount Global from the two companies that used to work together. 

Warner Bros. Discovery just recently said that its board had received merger and acquisition bids from “multiple parties” and had started to look over them.

Netflix is said to have been given access to the company’s financial records while the streaming giant thinks about a possible deal. It is still not clear if any Netflix offer would include Warner Bros. Discovery’s streaming service HBO Max. Netflix, Warner Bros. Discovery, and Moelis Co. have all declined to respond so far.

Ted said in Netflix’s third-quarter earnings call, “We have no interest in owning legacy media networks.” This meant that the company would not be buying Warner Bros. Discovery in its entirety, which would include channels like CNN, TBS, HGTV, and Food Network. 

In addition, he said, “Nothing is a must-have for us to reach our business goals.”

Netflix is said to be interested because there is a lot of competition from other media companies. 

David Ellison has made three bids through Skydance Media that get more expensive to buy Warner Bros. Discovery outright. The most recent offer made the company worth $23.50 per share. 

The lowest offer was turned down.

A possible deal has also been linked to Comcast. 

Mike Cavanagh, co-CEO of Comcast, said during the company’s third-quarter earnings call that “the bar is high” for big mergers or acquisitions. However, he did say that chances might get better after later this year, when its cable networks (except Bravo) are set to be split off into a new company called Versant. 

“I think more things are possible than maybe some of the public commentary that’s out there,” he said about what they were looking for and how they would look after Venust.

The movie branch of Warner Bros. has recently had a comeback at the box office. 

It has A Minecraft Movie, Ryan Coogler and Michael B. Jordan’s Sinners, Final Destination: Bloodlines, Brad Pitt’s F1: The Movie, and Weapons on its 2025 schedule. 

Dune: Part Two, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, and Godzilla vs. Kong: The New Empire were all in the 2024 lineup.

Netflix still gets big shows from Warner Bros. Television, like Running Point, You, and Maid. Other shows from Warner Bros. Television, like Abbott Elementary, Shrinking, and The Voice, have been big hits for other networks.