The future of the DC movie universe is changing. Following the release of Zack Snyder’s Justice League and with James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad on the way, two movies in the works have been canceled As revealed by , Ava Duvernay’s adaptation of New Gods, as well as James Wan’s Aquaman spin-off The Trench, will not move past the development stage.
A statement from Warner Bros. and DC reads, “As part of our DC slate, some legacy development titles including New Gods and The Trench will not be moving forward. We thank our partners Ava DuVernay, Tom King, James Wan, and Peter Safran for their time and collaboration during this process and look forward to our continued partnership with them on other DC stories. The projects will remain in their skillful hands if they were to move forward in the future.”
Tom, I loved writing NEW GODS with you. I’m upset that the saga of Barda, Scott, Granny, Highfather and The Furies ends this way. Diving into Kirby’s Fourth World was the adventure of a lifetime. That can’t be taken away. Thank you for your friendship. And remember… #DarkseidIs pic.twitter.com/XyyIjcB8Wv
— Ava DuVernay (@ava) April 1, 2021
With the projects not moving forward, DuVernay took to Twitter to offer her thoughts, thanking writer King. “Tom, I loved writing NEW GODS with you,” she tweeted. “I’m upset that the saga of Barda, Scott, Granny, Highfather, and The Furies ends this way. Diving into Kirby’s Fourth World was the adventure of a lifetime. That can’t be taken away. Thank you for your friendship. And remember… #DarkseidIs”
Thank you, Ray. You’ve been nothing but gracious towards me. Appreciate you. And fans who supported. I’m told the studio will be speaking about their recent decision about NEW GODS characters soon. I hope our paths cross one day, sir. If not in the Fourth World, then in another. https://t.co/3Ncrqk1cXf
— Ava DuVernay (@ava) April 1, 2021
That hashtag refers to Darkseid, a villainous character that appeared in Zack Snyder’s Justice League, as portrayed by Ray Porter, that was also going to play a role in New Gods. DuVernay even tweeted Porter about the news, writing, “I’m told the studio will be speaking about their recent decision about NEW GODS characters soon. I hope our paths cross one day, sir. If not in the Fourth World, then in another.”
At this point, we know of five other planned movies in the DC Extended Universe that are still happening. The Suicide Squad, as previously mentioned, releases in theaters and on HBO Max on August 6. After that, Black Adam starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson arrives in 2022. There are also a Flash film, and sequels to both Aquaman and Shazam! in the works.
Image credit: Getty Images/Rich Fury/VF20
