Warner Bros. Is Reportedly Working On A 'Smash' Clone Where Gandalf Can Punch Shaggy

Warner Brothers is reportedly working on a platform fighter that will feature characters from their diverse roster of IPs going at it in combat. In other words, this means soon there could be a Smash clone where Gandalf from Lord of the Rings can punch Batman.

The news first came from a Reddit post on /r/gamingleaksandrumours from a burner account. According to the Reddit post, the idea for a Warner Brothers Smash clone developed by Netherrealm was based on the Ultra Instinct Shaggy meme, as Warner Brothers wanted to take advantage of the suddenly popular fan-iteration of their character but couldn't go so far as to put him in a Mortal Kombat game. According to the poster, Warner Brothers has been pushing the idea of throwing all their IPs together in huge crossovers as they did with Space Jam: A New Legacy. While the idea is remarkably similar to Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl, the poster claims the Warner Brothers project was in development before the game was even announced.

The post looks like a near-impossible bit of hearsay, but it was later confirmed by other gaming journalists such as Jeff Grubb as a real thing (though Grubb did say it's not a Netherrealm project).

This WB platform fighter is real, but it is not a Netherrealm game. Come on. https://t.co/WkMiKf4dTH

— Jeff Grubb (@JeffGrubb) October 24, 2021

Other characters supposedly in the project include Tom & Jerry, Fred Flintstone, Mad Max and Johnny Bravo.

As the news spread, Twitter users expressed their… "excitement" over the project.

I can't tell you how long fans have been waiting to see Johnny Bravo kick the shit out of Gandalf. The wait is over, guys. https://t.co/sqs0qrmVMo

— Ryan Broderick (@broderick) October 25, 2021

Can’t wait for Super Look How Many Unrelated IPs Our Multinational Mass Media and Entertainment Conglomerate Has Purchased Fighter https://t.co/GhubucqCOC

— Rob SCARE-idan💀 (@rob_sheridan) October 25, 2021

"Warner Bros. making a Smash game"

oh cool; I mean they've got a whole roster in Tiny Toons alone, or Animaniacs, or-

"Batman and Gandalf" https://t.co/gdGvlb7os8

— Dan (qazimod) (@qazimod) October 25, 2021

I asked for Smashbabbies who never shut up about roster additions to fuck off and instead got every big media company chasing the very same audience for money. God help us all. https://t.co/XmbQlNop14

— MTLX LNCR (@DeadlyRave) October 25, 2021