What Happened to Warrior Nun Being Saved from Cancellation? Will the Promised Movies Still Happen?

Warrior Nun was cancelled by Netflix after two seasons, then seemingly revived, but now it appears that the show’s future is very much in doubt.

What Is It?

This series follows a young woman who discovers that she is part of an ancient order tasked with fighting demons and other supernatural beings on Earth. She also learns that both heaven and hell have an interest in her fate. It is based on the comic book Warrior Nun Areala by Ben Dunn.

Aired: Netflix, 2020-22, 2 Seasons Totaling 18 Episodes

Starring: Alba Baptista, Toya Turner, Lorena Andrea, Kristina Tonteri-Young, Tristán Ulloa

Created By: Simon Barry

Why Was It Cancelled?

This fantasy series arrived on Netflix in the Summer of 2020, and it was one of several originals that the streamer added to its lineup with little in the way of promotion. But it struck a Buffy the Vampire Slayer nerve, and it managed to develop a very loyal following while also posting decent viewership numbers for Netflix. It was given the greenlight for a second season and that arrived two years later, stalled by COVID-related production delays. The show spent three weeks in the streamer’s Top 10 (two in the Top 5) and seemed to be on track for a third-season renewal. At that point, Netflix would typically let its originals run three to four seasons, with the final announced in advance as the last. If the streamer had done that, the show might have been allowed a satisfying conclusion, and fans might have been happy with its brief-but-complete run. However, things did not quite work out that way.

Netflix was going through some changes in strategy, and the streamer that once supported its originals started giving up on them all too quickly. We had seen hints of this going back as far as 2016’s The OA–cancelled after two seasons–but by 2022, things had gotten much worse. The executives at that company started focusing on the completion rate of its shows, which tracks how many people watched the season all the way through within a set amount of time. Allegedly, that correlated to how many would also tune in for a new season, and shows with low completion rates started getting the ax even if they were drawing in high initial viewership. Other genre entries from around that time like The Midnight Club, The Imperfects, and Fate: The Winx Saga had similar runs in the charts, but found themselves cancelled just like Warrior Nun.

In addition, Netflix had a “cost plus” model in place at that time (and I believe still today) in which they would pay more money for each season. That gives an incentive to the production company for new seasons, but in turn creates a disincentive for the streamer because it will pay more even though the audience typically decreases from one season to another. It all sounds topsy-turvy and makes you wonder why these executives get the salaries they do, but it has also resulted in the cancellation of many fan-favorite shows.

How Did The Fans React?

Despite the fact that Netflix execs did not believe the show had a sufficient completion rate in its second season, a lot of people were watching Warrior Nun, and as mentioned above, it had a very devoted fanbase.  They immediately took to the social networks and got the show trending, while an online petition pulled in over 125K signatures.  It was Number 2 in our Spring 2023 poll and it ended up winning the Summer 2024 poll.  And after a raucous campaign in 2023, fans were rewarded with the news that a revival was in the works which would comprise three movies and would be made apart from Netflix.  This was welcome news, and fans rejoiced that the show would at least get a proper conclusion after the streamer cut it short.  News was sparse on the revival plans, but that was because the actors’ strike was going on at that time and the details were in the process of being worked out.  Still, things were moving forward, and more adventures from Warrior Nun were on the way.  Or so we thought…

What Happened to the Promised Revival?

There was plenty of excitement around the revival, and fans had high hopes that the movies would cap off the series or possibly even lead into a new direction.  However, in Fall 2023, the WarriorNunSaved.com website put up a mysterious announcement (which turned out to just be a competition for a halo design), and when fans checked in with Simon Barry, he said he knew nothing about it and that he had not been asked to participate in the movies.  Barry later indicated that the movies would not follow the story of the television series and that he would not be involved with them.

It came to be clear that series producer Dean English had secured the rights to Warrior Nun, but that was the comic book version, and not Netflix’s adaptation. There were talks that the movies would take place in the same universe as the series, but they could not infringe on the Netflix license, and it seemed unlikely that what English was working on would be connected to the series. In fact, it appears that the movies would have been a whole new adaptation of the property, and to my knowledge, none of the cast of the series was ever contacted about being involved. But all of that became a moot point because the company that was set to put up the money for the films–Productivity Media Inc. (PMI)–ran into financial difficulties and allegations of fraud, and all production was halted with the future of PMI uncertain.

Dean English does still hold the rights to do a Warrior Nun adaptation, and he could take those to another production company, but that would almost certainly involve a ground-up reboot unless somebody is interested in putting up the funds to buy up Netflix’s rights to the two seasons it produced or creating some sort of new partnership. It’s not impossible that could happen, but it will take a fair amount of money.

What Can the Fans Do at This Point?

Warrior Nun fans have certainly done their part up to this point, rivaling the Daredevil campaign that got that show revived on Disney+. But it is going to take more than social media campaigns and online petitions and winning internet polls to get any sort of continuation of the Netflix series. As mentioned above, it is going to take money, and it is also going to take people who have influence in the entertainment industry.

The fact is that Warrior Nun should be seen as a desirable property because it had a moderate budget compared to many other streaming originals, and it has a notable global following that is very dedicated to the show. Other streamers should be interested in the show because it brings a built-in audience, but somebody needs to convince one of those venues that it is worth their while to shell out the money to pick up the show. Fans have tried lobbying other venues in the past, but they also need somebody within the industry to champion their cause. If someone with influence could bring all the data together to show that Warrior Nun has a ton of potential, perhaps they could find an interested party.

Dean English is certainly someone who could get things started, but to my knowledge, he is not pushing on Warrior Nun at the moment, nor is he talking to Simon Barry who should certainly be involved. And if English proceeds with the movies that are not connected to the series, that could turn into a major misstep. He needs to acknowledge the asset he has in the show’s global fanbase, and leverage that to convince Amazon, Apple TV, Disney, or another major force in the industry to pick up the Netflix show and carry it on.

Fans should start directing their efforts toward English, or perhaps other influencers in the industry who can convince him and the people with the big bucks that Warrior Nun is not done yet and could continue to draw viewers and profits for several more years. But time is a factor here because the cast is getting older, and many have moved on to other projects. The chances of a third season or more are definitely slim, but not impossible, and if the right people make the right moves, something could certainly happen. And that could start with the fans identifying those people and making the case to them that this property is still worth the effort.

Where Can You Watch It?

The two seasons of Warrior Nun that Netflix produced are still streaming on that service, and will apparently be there for the foreseeable future. Watch parties could help the show if fans could get it to appear in the Netflix Top 10 on a regular basis, but as covered above, it will take more than that.

Did you watch Warrior Nun and would you support continued fan efforts to bring it back? Chime in below in the comments.

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