Warner Bros. is facing a legal halt to its hostile takeover of Paramount, while its animation and film divisions continue to announce new projects, including a Siren Head movie, an anime series from DC Studios, and a feature from Vivienne Medrano.
Warner Bros. is in a period of legal and creative flux. A federal judge issued a 14-day temporary restraining order on Paramount's hostile takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery, blocking the merger from closing on July 22. A 12-state coalition led by California Attorney General Rob Bonta argues the deal violates antitrust law by combining two of the top three cable programmers and two of the top five film distributors. A hearing for a preliminary injunction is set for August 3. Separately, Midjourney is demanding Warner Bros. Discovery, along with Disney and Universal, reveal details of their own AI development and use, arguing that if the studios are training models internally, it would support Midjourney's fair-use defense in a copyright fight. A hearing is set for August 17, 2026.
On the production side, Warner Bros. is developing a film adaptation of Siren Head, the internet-born monster created by Canadian artist Trevor Henderson. Zach Cregger and Brian Duffield will co-write the script, with Duffield directing. Warner Bros. Pictures Animation announced that Vivienne Medrano, creator of 'Hazbin Hotel' and 'Helluva Boss', will direct and write the new theatrical animated film 'Prehistoria', described as a fossil fantasy musical. DC Studios and Warner Bros. Animation announced three new animated projects during their first joint presentation at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival: Joker: Laugh Riot, the studio's first anime series directed by Yasuhiro Aoki at Sola Entertainment; Absolute Batman, an adult animated adaptation with Scott Snyder as showrunner; and Krypto, a family-oriented series from C.H. Greenblatt. Webtoon Entertainment and Warner Bros. Animation added four more titles to their development slate, bringing the total announced adaptations under the co-production deal to eight.
Warner Bros. Japan and Terakoya held the Tom and Jerry merchandise event 'TOM and JERRY Wakuwaku Street in Tokyo' at Seibu Shibuya Store from July 14 to August 2, featuring over 200 exclusive goods. The new Fist of the North Star anime, produced by TMS Entertainment and directed by Hiroshi Maeda, premiered on April 10 on Tokyo MX and BS11, with Amazon Prime Video handling worldwide streaming. The series commemorates the 40th anniversary of the original manga and is being more faithful to the source material than earlier anime adaptations.
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Warner Bros. Discovery filed a lawsuit against Amazon on July 21, accusing Amazon MGM Studios of illegally poaching executives, including HBO Max marketing VP Pia Barlow, who had a contract through October 2027. The suit alleges Amazon interfered with contracts and engaged in unfair competition.
A federal judge issued a 14-day temporary restraining order on Paramount's hostile takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery, blocking the merger from closing on July 22. A 12-state coalition led by California Attorney General Rob Bonta argues the deal violates antitrust law by combining two of the top three cable programmers and two of the top five film distributors. A hearing for a preliminary injunction is set for August 3.
Midjourney is demanding Disney, Universal, and Warner Bros. Discovery reveal details of their own AI development and use, arguing that if the studios are training models internally, it would support Midjourney's fair-use defense. The company has appealed a magistrate judge's ruling that limited discovery to consumer-facing images and videos. A hearing is set for August 17, 2026.
Warner Bros. is developing a film adaptation of Siren Head, the internet-born monster created by Canadian artist Trevor Henderson. Zach Cregger and Brian Duffield will co-write the script, with Duffield directing. The project follows recent Hollywood interest in online horror phenomena, after A24's The Backrooms became a box office hit.
Warner Bros. Japan and Terakoya will hold the Tom and Jerry merchandise event "TOM and JERRY Wakuwaku Street in Tokyo" at Seibu Shibuya Store from July 14 to August 2. The event features four themes blending Japanese food culture and pop culture, over 200 exclusive goods, photo spots, and a greeting event on the first day.
DC Studios and Warner Bros. Animation announced three new animated projects during their first joint presentation at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival on June 25. The slate is led by Joker: Laugh Riot, the studio's first anime series. Yasuhiro Aoki directs the series at Sola Entertainment. The story follows the Joker after Batman is killed, sending him on a violent search for the murderer. The series is set for a worldwide release. Also announced was Absolute Batman, an adult animated adaptation of Scott Snyder and Nick Dragotta's bestselling comic. Snyder will serve as showrunner and executive producer, with Dragotta as a producer. The comic has sold over six million copies since its launch. The third project is Krypto, a family-oriented animated series from Chowder and Jellystone! creator C.H. Greenblatt. The series follows Superman's dog as he befriends a group of aspiring neighborhood criminals. The announcements were made during DC Studios and Warner Bros. Animation's Annecy showcase.
Vivienne Medrano, creator of 'Hazbin Hotel' and 'Helluva Boss', will direct and write the new theatrical animated film 'Prehistoria' for Warner Bros. Pictures Animation. The project was announced at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival as part of WBPA's strategy to work with online creators. The film is described as a fossil fantasy musical, set in a new world separate from Medrano's previous works.
Webtoon Entertainment and Warner Bros. Animation announced four new animated projects in development: The Wolf & Red Riding Hood, Vampire Family, Sable Curse, and Snow and Briar. The titles were revealed during a panel at Web Summit Vancouver 2026, expanding a partnership first announced in November that plans to adapt 10 Webtoon titles for global distribution.
The new Fist of the North Star anime announced three additional cast members on Wednesday. Kaori Ishihara voices Taki, a boy from the village where Bat once lived. Sayuri Sadaoka voices Toyo, an old woman from the same village. Takashi Matsuyama voices Jackal, an antagonist who attacks the village. All three characters will appear in the upcoming eighth episode. The CG-based series premiered on April 10 on Tokyo MX and BS11, with Amazon Prime Video handling worldwide streaming. The production commemorates the 40th anniversary of the original manga, which ran in Weekly Shonen Jump from 1983 to 1988. The staff previously stated the adaptation will be more faithful to the source material than earlier anime. Hiroshi Maeda directs at TMS Entertainment, with Kazuma Ogasawara as assistant director. Kazuhiko Inukai handles series scripts, Naoki Hisatsune designs the characters, and Yuki Hayashi composes the music. Alexandros performs the opening theme "Hallelujah," and Toshl performs a remix of the original series' opening as the ending theme.