What Does Warner Bros. Discovery’s Investment in Anime Mean?

Warner Bros. Discovery has announced they will be increasing their number of anime productions per year, and that means we’re about to see a lot more anime in the future! Variety recently reported that with the upcoming premiere of Suicide Squad Isekai being such a success for Warner Bros. Discovery, that the company is looking to expand their investment in new anime productions through Warner Bros. Japan. The studio has produced some major hits like JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, Mob Psycho 100 and more since its incarnation in 2011, and they want to tap into the global growth of the anime medium for the future. 

James Gibbons, Warner Bros. Discovery president of Asia-Pacific, explained that while Warner Bros. Japan was already producing “five or ten” new series a year, the company has “approved expansion to take that to more than ten series per year.” So what does that mean for anime fans? It means we’re likely going to see a lot more money pushed into these productions for already existing franchises and new takes on popular franchises and IP that Warner Bros. owns. So expect a lot of experimentation. 

What WB’s New Anime Means for the Future? 

Explaining that the original anime IP that they have already produced have made major business with third parties, Gibbons noted how Warner Bros. Discovery is also looking to work with studios to adapt more of their projects like the DC Universe as seen with Suicide Squad Isekai. “There is Japanese anime that comes from original IP. But there’s also anime that comes from elsewhere,” Gibbons stated. “And we’ve looked at our DC universe and said, ‘Can we take these characters and reinvent them in world of world of anime,’ which is not straightforward because you have to do it the right way. You have to work with the right studios to make it happen and to build your fan base.”

This approach might seem like it could be a bit troubling because more anime does not always mean quality, but Gibbons is noting that Warner Bros. Discovery is seeking to approach proper studios to reinvent each of these characters. While there is an increased amount of production, it also seems like the company is taking a precise and measured effort towards making these new series. We’ve already seen the results of this new take with the likes of Suicide Squad Isekai, Rick and Morty: The Anime, and the now in the works The Lord of the Rings movie, and we’ll likely get to see much more. 

At the end of the day, this means more anime is going to get made and that means more experiments are going to be done. We’ll be seeing much different takes on WB’s different kinds of franchises, and likely will see even more of the anime that they have already produced in the past. 

What are you hoping to see from Warner Bros. Discovery’s increased production of new anime? Let us know all of your thoughts about it in the comments! You can even reach out to me directly about all things animation and other cool stuff @Valdezology on X (formerly known as Twitter)!