Warner Bros Discover in talks to merge with Paramount Global

[TigerClaw]

Take this with a grain of salt, But there's a report saying that Warner Bros Discovery is in talks to merge with Paramount Global.
https://variety.com/2023/biz/news/wa...ks-1235847958/

You know what that means, Warner Bros would gain access to the TMNT rights, So maybe a live action Batman vs TMNT movie?

[Andrew NDB]

Originally Posted by TigerClaw

So maybe a live action Batman vs TMNT movie?

There would be 0 chance of that, even if this happens.

[CyberCubed]

That means Star Trek would be owned by DC/Warner Brothers, which is also weird. Everything from Nick too including TMNT.

[Andrew NDB]

Originally Posted by CyberCubed

That means Star Trek would be owned by DC/Warner Brothers, which is also weird.

If that increases in any way the odds that Kurtzman and his cronies will get fired, I'm good with it.

[CyberCubed]

Hm, I also just realized this would mean DC would be able to make their own TMNT comics? I mean, who knows if the IDW run will go on that much longer even if this doesn't happen, but I just thought of that.

We already had the Batman crossovers and the DVD movie so it's possible.

[Drose18]

[neatoman]

I might as well quote myself here in regards to addressing this scenario previously:

Originally Posted by neatoman

I really don't like the idea of either Marvel or DC owning it. Not only would most of TMNT's existing lore be pushed aside in favor of doing things like replacing the Utroms with the High Evolutionary or Project Cadmus as the origin of the Turtles, there is a very high risk that the book simply won't sell enough to justify a real ongoing, instead just relegating the characters to get a five issue mini every fifth year just to maintain the trademark. Any other company would be more likely to make an honest attempt to keep the franchise it's own thing and try to release more than the occasional mini, though we still need to keep in mind that just about any company is just a husk who would only treat the TMNT as well as any actual human who is put in charge of it.

Originally Posted by neatoman

I... Really don't think TMNT under Marvel (or DC for that matter) would be that great. Maybe in the sense that you'd get a few stronger TMNT stories and really good omnibus collections, but the drawbacks would be obvious. First off, the odds are that there would not be much of a push to keep the series going after a while, I'm not really seeing a scenario in which TMNT keeps being published for 100+ issues in favor of another X-Men spin-off. The worst case scenario in terms of TMNT's continued publishing is that Marvel would just publish a five issue mini every tenth year to keep the trademark. Secondly, it is very likely Marvel would attempt to "streamline" TMNT's lore to the point where it becomes little more than background noise to Marvel's general lore. So for example, The Foot becomes a splinter faction of the Hand and is just absorbed back into it, the Triceratons become the creations of the High Evolutionary, D'Hoonib becomes a Kree world, the ooze was created from the Super-Soldier formula, etc, etc, etc. And finally, they could just join the ranks of a long line of Marvel characters who are treated like disposable jokes if the concept is even slightly silly.

In regards to how this would impact TMNT, I am not thrilled about the idea.

These types of mergers are always something to be dreaded otherwise. Disney merging with FOX resulted in most of FOX's planned projects getting canned and the studio becoming little more than a holding company for their old IPs and filler content for Hulu. WB itself merging with Discover resulted in Zaslav making a bunch of tax write-offs and the idea that a significant portion of Paramount productions getting the same fate is scary.

Like five years ago there were six large movie studios in charge of Hollywood, now there are only five and this implies a near future where there are only four. You'd figure the smaller ones would take some market share grow to replace FOX (and possibly now Paramount) but that just doesn't seem to be the case. At this point it looks more and more likely that Sony will merge with Universal, at which point there would be only three. Be afraid, be very afraid.

[LeotheLateBloomer]

I don't know if this is really going to happen or not but it would be a strange world where Bugs and Spongebob are under the same roof.

If this does go through then all I can say is hopefully WB gives us a better TMNT movies than Paramount.

[CyberCubed]

Cartoon Network and Nickleodeon would be owned by the same company. That means all the shows would be under one roof.

TMNT would, for all intents and purposes, become a DC property. I doubt they'd integrate TMNT into the DC universe but they would own it. Same for Avatar: The Last Airbender.

[TigerClaw]

Some people fear that Zaslav would destroy Paramount if the merger happens.

[Drose18]

how many DC characters are individually more popular than TMNT? Surely not more than 20-30 and that’s being very generous

[LeotheLateBloomer]

Originally Posted by CyberCubed

Cartoon Network and Nickleodeon would be owned by the same company. That means all the shows would be under one roof.

I'd imagine WB would see Spongebob and Avatar as cashcows. They'd do multiple different TV spin-offs and direct-to-dvd movies, the same way they do Scooby-Doo and Tom and Jerry.

I doubt they'd integrate TMNT into the DC universe but they would own it.

I don't know if I'd want them be a part of DC but I wouldn't mind them taking a crack at TMNT comics or movies if they can keep them separate.

[Sumac]

At this point I lost track of who WB has merged / divided with.
But the whole thing is a shitshow.

Originally Posted by neatoman

In reagards to how this would impact TMNT, I am not thrilled about the idea.

Giving how much TMNT was massacred by Paramount / Viacom, I'd say, who cares. They can't do worse.
Well, I mean, they can, but would it make a difference at this point?

[CyberCubed]

Yeah I was going to say, TMNT can't get much lower than it is right now. This will be after the Mutant Mayhem sequel anyway, so if this happens we wouldn't see anything from it for years.

IDW TMNT might be over on its own terms by then too rather than being canceled away from them.

[neatoman]

Originally Posted by Sumac

Giving how much TMNT was massacred by Paramount / Viacom, I'd say, who cares. They can't do worse.
Well, I mean, they can, but would it make a difference at this point?

The problem, as I pointed out previously, is that this sort of merger can easily result in several IPs getting the shaft. I'm not really seeing the TMNT being anything other DC Comics C-listers if this happens, if DC even bothers to keep publishing TMNT that is.

[Andrew NDB]

TMNT on the Teen Titans. The obvious Bat-family crossovers. TMNT appearing in the nascent Nu-DCEU. You never know.

[sdp]

TMNT would never be a part of the DC Universe, we might see more crossovers but that's it. It's far more valuable to keep the IPs separate than join them which is also good creatively.

The merger could definitely happen legality wise, it wouldn't be seen as a monopoly because we have other bigger entities it's competing against. I don't think it's going to happen because it doesn't make much sense. There's never a "merger", there's always one company that is in control. WB Discovery has the largest market cap and worth far more but it also has far more debt than Paramount. I don't see how acquiring more debt could help WB Discovery at all. That merger would not be able to handle it's debt WB Discovery is doomed to get bought out by a larger company that can afford it. Any of the FAANG companies are going to own it in the next 10 years. Quote me on this.

[ZariusTwo]

Originally Posted by Andrew NDB

TMNT on the Teen Titans

I could see maybe the Fred Wolf cast reprising their roles for a cameo in Teen Titans Go.

[Sumac]

Originally Posted by neatoman

The problem, as I pointed out previously, is that this sort of merger can easily result in several IPs getting the shaft. I'm not really seeing the TMNT being anything other DC Comics C-listers if this happens, if DC even bothers to keep publishing TMNT that is.

While I don't think TMNT are equal to Batman or Superman in terms of influence and mindshare, I feel like they are very known in their own right.

They definitely won't be abandoned, just constantly milked with reboot after reboot.

[CyberCubed]

I keep forgetting Paramount owns all of Nickelodeon. That's why I didn't even realize TMNT would be owned by DC, or their other shows like Sponebob or Avatar, etc. Kinda crazy to think about all these different cartoon franchises all owned under the same roof, since Time Warner also has all of Bugs Bunny, Scooby Doo, Flintstones and everything on Cartoon Network as well.