DC Comics and the Challenges of Animated Film Adaptations

The idea of converting side-story DC Comics into animated films has always revolved around various franchises such as Batman vs Predator, Superman vs Terminator, RoboCop vs. Terminator, and Batman and Spawn teaming up. While these concepts can be intriguing, they face significant challenges that make their realization highly unlikely.

Licensing Issues and Ownership Concerns

First and foremost, many of the characters involved are owned by other companies, such as Predator, Terminator, RoboCop, Spawn, and many characters from the Amalgam Universe. Even if DC Comics wanted to develop these characters into animated films, they would need to negotiate for the rights to use them. These negotiations would likely include demanding a significant percentage of the gross profits, making the financial model for these projects less favorable.

Financial Considerations and Streaming Services

These characters belong to studios or rights holders that require substantial financial compensation. Therefore, the animated films would cost as much to produce as a pure DC film, but only DC would get a portion of the profits. For these projects to be financially viable, they would need to generate significantly more revenue than regular DC films.

Currently, many people prefer watching DC animated films on streaming services such as Max, which isn't doing well. A new show would need to attract more subscribers, but it's difficult to predict if enough new subscribers could be acquired.

Character Recasting and Nostalgia Factor

Some of the characters from movies like Terminator or Robocop would require recasting, which could be another hurdle. Additionally, some of these franchises, like Spawn, have been dormant for years, making it difficult to revive and maintain audience interest.

One exception would be Batman vs Predator, which could work effectively. However, even this concept still requires careful negotiation and consideration.

From a production standpoint, the animated films would have to deliver significant value to justify the high costs involved. It is more likely that DC will continue to release animated films with characters that are wholly owned or where the rights are more straightforward to negotiate.

Conclusion

Given the licensing issues, financial considerations, and ownership concerns, it is very unlikely that we will see these specific crossover projects turned into animated films. Instead, DC will likely continue to focus on producing content with characters where they have full creative control and where the necessary rights are easier to negotiate.