Christopher Nolan raises 'very significant concerns' over Netflix–Warner Bros. deal: ‘The loss of a major studio is a huge blow’

Christopher Nolan reacts to Warner Bros and Netflix deal

• Nolan criticizes Netflix's deal to acquire Warner Bros.
• Nolan questions future of moviegoing and studio's theatrical distribution plans
• DGA has not taken an official stance on the Netflix-Warner Bros. acquisition yet

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Filmmaker Christopher Nolan has recently expressed "significant concerns" about the Warner Bros. and Netflix deal, which has frequently made headlines.

When Netflix announced an agreement to buy Warner Bros., including HBO Max, in December 2025, it sent a huge shockwave through Hollywood, indicating greater streaming centralisation and raising questions about the long-term viability of moviegoing.

The acquisition is anticipated to close in 2026–2027 after regulatory approval, despite Paramount's aggressive bid for the studio.

Now, Nolan voiced "very, very significant concerns" regarding Warner Bros.' acquisition by Netflix in his first interview with Variety following his election as president of the Directors Guild of America (DGA):

The filmmaker said, “We have very, very significant concerns about how this is all going to happen. I think it’s a very worrying time for the industry. The loss of a major studio is a huge blow.”

The DGA has held discussions with both the streaming service and Paramount as it makes a hostile offer for the studio, but it has not yet taken an official position on the proposed Netflix-Warner Bros. combination.

The filmmaker added, “We're interested to hear more about the specifics of how they're going to run these things.”

Although the DGA has advocated for a 60-day release window, Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos has pledged to maintain a 45-day window in response to worries about the future of movie theaters. The CEO of Paramount Skydance, David Ellison, has stated that he will maintain "healthy, traditional" windows and expand the combined studio's theatrical schedule to 30 films per year.

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Nolan did stress, though, that theatre release periods are not the main issue:

He elaborated, “There are encouraging noises, but that’s not the same as commitments. The theatrical window becomes a sort of easily graspable symbol of whether Warner Bros. will be run as a theatrical distributor or whether it be folded in as a streamer. But the reality is, the issues on the television side and the streaming side are far more important to our membership.”

Also Read: Christopher Nolan says he would never work with Netflix, calls its release policy 'mindless' and harmful to theatrical cinema

His latest statement came after he ended his almost two-decade deal with Warner Bros.

From 2002 until 2020, Nolan produced ten films with Warner Bros. Before switching to Universal Pictures for Oppenheimer and his next film, The Odyssey, in 2021, due to his disapproval of the studio's simultaneous theatrical and HBO Max distribution plan.