RUMOR: DC Could Restore the Snyderverse if James Gunn Fails?
Cosmic Book News has been reporting since November 2025 that Saudi money in the Paramount-WBD merger could bring Zack Snyder back to DC Studios with Henry Cavill, Gal Gadot, and possibly Ben Affleck
The SnyderVerse return rumor is in heavy circulation again. Let us run through it.
The rumor traces to Cosmic Book News editor Matt McGloin, who has cited unnamed insiders since November 2025 claiming that Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund wants Zack Snyder back at DC Studios as part of the Paramount-WBD acquisition.
According to that reporting, the new ownership would replace James Gunn with Snyder, bring back Henry Cavill as Superman, Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman, Jason Momoa as Aquaman, Ray Fisher as Cyborg, and “possibly” Ben Affleck as Batman.
The framing: Saudi backers want a Snyder-led DC franchise to rival Marvel.
McGloin has been right before. He reported the Daredevil: Born Again retooling months before The Hollywood Reporter confirmed it. His track record is mixed but not dismissible. The question is whether this specific rumor holds up against the verified parts of the Paramount-WBD merger picture.
Let us walk through the components.
The Saudi money is real
Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, the Qatar Investment Authority, and Abu Dhabi’s L’Imad Holding are providing a combined $24 billion in equity financing for Paramount’s $110 billion WBD acquisition, per the Paramount Skydance SEC filings from February 27, 2026. Larry Ellison personally guaranteed an additional $43.3 billion.
The European Commission’s Foreign Subsidies Regulation has flagged the Gulf sovereign wealth involvement as an area of concern ahead of the July 7 EU antitrust decision. The Saudis are not just passive financiers. They are a major equity bloc with potential governance influence in the combined company.
This piece of the rumor checks out completely.
The Snyder-Saudi business connection is real
Snyder is currently directing Brawlers (originally titled Brawler), a UFC-themed feature film co-produced with Dana White and Turki Alalshikh, who chairs Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority. The film is filming as of May 2026. Alalshikh is attached as an executive producer.
On May 1, 2026, Snyder posted an Instagram photo from the Paramount Studios lot captioned “Poking around the back lot in Hollywood as we start work on our new project.” Brawlers does not have an official distributor announced, but Paramount has a seven-year UFC distribution deal that makes it the obvious home.
Snyder has documented, ongoing business relationships with the same Saudi entertainment apparatus that is helping fund Paramount’s WBD bid. This piece also checks out.
James Gunn’s footing is genuinely uncertain
Multiple verified data points suggest Gunn’s position at DC Studios is less secure than the official Paramount messaging suggests.
Gunn did not attend the first internal David Ellison meeting after the Paramount-WBD agreement, with the official excuse being he was filming Man of Tomorrow in Atlanta. He also skipped CinemaCon 2026 and sent a video message instead. Paramount co-chair Josh Greenstein reportedly discussed a DC project with director Zach Cregger (Weapons) without going through Gunn or Peter Safran, per Puck and Collider. Under the current Gunn-Safran model, that conversation should not have happened.
On the BobaTalks podcast in October 2025, Gunn was asked about long-term DCU plans past Man of Tomorrow. He said: “If I s-- Yes, they definitely go significantly further than ‘Man of Tomorrow.’ So, now, whether or not that’ll be me that’s able to fulfill that promise depends on a lot of things in life, but yeah.“ The hesitation and the laugh were notable.
Gunn’s contract was extended only to Spring 2027, the same window as the Man of Tomorrow release. After that, his status is genuinely open.
Whether his position erodes specifically because Saudi backers want Snyder, or because the broader Paramount leadership wants their own people, is the unverified part. The thin ice itself is real.
The actor return claims are NOT verified
Henry Cavill has not publicly confirmed a Superman return. Ben Affleck has not publicly confirmed a Batman return. Gal Gadot has not publicly confirmed a Wonder Woman return. Jason Momoa has not publicly confirmed an Aquaman return.
Zack Snyder himself has not publicly claimed he is returning to live-action DC. On the Happy Sad Confused podcast in March 2026, Snyder said animation and comics had been discussed as ways to continue his story “at least in some capacity.” He also said of Gunn’s DCU: “Other people will take them and other people will take them after that, and that’s how it should be.“
The actor casting framework Cosmic Book News reported is currently sourced to one outlet’s insiders. No actor representation has confirmed it. No studio announcement exists.
The “SnyderVerse restoration as official plan” claim is also not verified
This is the part where the rumor stops being supported by independently verifiable reporting.
Matt Belloni at Puck has consistently reported that the most likely scenario after the merger closes is Gunn and Safran remaining at DC Studios with tighter corporate oversight. Bloomberg reported in October 2025 that Ellison’s strategy is to “keep the creative teams of the two studios, while consolidating some of the marketing and distribution.” Neither outlet has reported a Saudi mandate to install Snyder.
The leap from “Saudi money is in Paramount” to “Saudis want SnyderVerse back” is a single-source claim. The leap from “Gunn’s footing is uncertain” to “Gunn is being replaced by Snyder” is also a single-source claim.
The pieces are real. The conclusion is not yet confirmed.
The Snyder Cut precedent
Here is the part that makes the rumor harder to fully dismiss.
The #ReleaseTheSnyderCut campaign ran for nearly four years before WarnerMedia officially announced in May 2020 that Zack Snyder’s Justice League would be released on HBO Max. Trade publications spent most of that period treating the campaign as fan wishful thinking. The Snyder Cut release was widely framed as impossible right up until the moment it was officially announced.
The DC fandom has a track record of getting outcomes that traditional industry reporting said would not happen. The combination of corporate change, motivated investor pressure, and an organized fanbase has produced surprises before.
Whether this specific rumor follows that pattern depends on what happens after July 7 when the EU antitrust decision lands.
If the merger closes and Saudi-aligned investors take board seats, the calculus shifts.
If Gunn’s contract is not renewed past 2027, the calculus shifts further.
Until then, the verdict on the SnyderVerse return rumor is: no confirmation outside of Cosmic Book News, the underlying circumstantial evidence is real, the actor returns and creative leadership changes have not been officially announced anywhere, and the precedent for fan-driven DC outcomes to actually happen exists.
Stranger things have happened. Worth watching what comes out of the July 7 EU decision and the Q3 merger close.
The DC fandom will be paying attention either way.
Article compiled and edited by Derek Gibbs (entertainment editor) and the Clownfish TV newsroom.
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Hat Tips:
Cosmic Book News / Matt McGloin (November 2025 - June 2026), primary insider reporting on the SnyderVerse return including the Henry Cavill, Gal Gadot, Jason Momoa, Ray Fisher casting framework and the “possibly” Ben Affleck note, plus McGloin’s verified track record on the Daredevil: Born Again retooling that THR later confirmed
SEC EDGAR / Paramount Skydance Corp Form 8-K (February 27, 2026), verified $110 billion WBD merger, $24 billion Gulf sovereign wealth financing including Saudi PIF, Qatar Investment Authority, and Abu Dhabi L’Imad Holding, and Larry Ellison’s $43.3 billion personal guarantee
Variety / AOL (March 2025), verified Snyder Brawler/Brawlers announcement with UFC, Dana White, and Saudi General Entertainment Authority chairman Turki Alalshikh as executive producer
Cosmic Book News (May 6, 2026), verified Snyder Paramount Studios Instagram post and the renamed Brawlers production context
Puck / Matt Belloni “What I’m Hearing”, verified position that Gunn and Safran most likely remain at DC Studios with tighter corporate oversight after the merger
Bloomberg (October 2025), verified David Ellison strategy quote: “Paramount wants to keep the creative teams of the two studios, while consolidating some of the marketing and distribution”
Collider / Puck (December 2025), verified Josh Greenstein discussion of Zach Cregger Henchman script bypassing the Gunn-Safran approval process
Bounding Into Comics / The Hollywood Reporter (March 2026), verified Gunn absence from initial Ellison meeting and contract extension through Spring 2027
The Direct (April 22, 2026), verified Gunn absence from CinemaCon 2026 DC Studios panel
Bleeding Cool / BobaTalks (October 2025), verified Gunn quote about DCU plans extending past Man of Tomorrow including the laugh and hesitation
Inside the Magic / Happy Sad Confused podcast / Josh Horowitz (March 2026), verified Snyder quote on animation and comic-book continuation and his “Other people will take them” remark about Gunn’s DCU
Dexerto (November 24, 2025), verified secondary coverage of the SnyderVerse return rumor
Wikipedia / WarnerMedia historical context, verified Zack Snyder’s Justice League May 2020 official announcement and 2021 HBO Max release following the four-year ReleaseTheSnyderCut fan campaign
Wikipedia / Brawler Zack Snyder Wiki, verified May 2026 production start