Warner Bros. and Legendary worked together on some of Warner Bros. Pictures’ biggest hits throughout the mid-2000s and early 2010s, including Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy, Zack Snyder’s Watchmen, and The Hangover trilogy. Afterward, Legendary brought its success with it to Universal Pictures with box office hits like Straight Outta Compton and Jurassic World. But, it didn’t last as Universal let go of Legendary after which it renewed its relationship with Warner Bros. This eventually led to the creation of two cinematic universes: the MonsterVerse and Dune. You’d think that Warner Bros. will want to retain its deal with Legendary Pictures. After all, Legendary is behind the only two films that premiered simultaneously on HBO Max and in theaters. But, it appears this isn’t the case. According to The Ankler and Deadline, the Warner-Legendary deal has already expired, and the production company wants to make a deal with Paramount Pictures or Sony Pictures. Just like Christopher Nolan, Legendary wasn’t in favor of Warner Bros.’s decision to release its movies day and date on HBO Max as well as theaters. It came to a point that Legendary wanted to sue Warner Bros. This never happened, but it likely led to Legendary wanting out of the financial fruitful relationship. For what it’s worth, Legendary should be able to find a buyer with ease. Even if Paramount passes on the studio, Sony will be more than happy to snatch it up. Either could do wonders with the MonsterVerse and Dune franchises. Sony, in particular, would like to take a stab at a Dune Cinematic Universe to pair it up with a single-player narrative-driven Dune game following the positive initial reception of Funcom’s Dune: Awakening. Of course, this is all assuming that Legendary is bringing the rights to the MonsterVerse and Dune along with them. The MonsterVerse is low-key one of the most exciting upcoming cinematic universes. After making nearly $2 billion collectively across four films, three more projects set in the same universe are in development. The main highlight is Godzilla vs. Kong 2, which comes out in 2024. The others include an animated TV show on Netflix and a live-action series on Apple TV+. On the other hand, Dune isn’t a cinematic universe yet but it’s on its way to becoming one. Dune: Part Two recently started production ahead of its delayed release on November 17, 2023, with a Dune prequel also in the works.
