Warner Brothers has changed their plans for a couple of their more ambitious DC properties. Ava DuVernay’s The New Gods, and James Wan’s Aquaman spinoff, The Trench, both have been pulled out of development, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
DC and WB released a statement regarding the change in plans:
“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.”
DuVernay has been helming New Gods, part of Jack Kirby’s Fourth World, since 2018. She and comic scribe Tom King (Mister Miracle, Batman) had been developing the characters together. She took to her Twitter to thank King, and lament the projects apparent demise:
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
The Trench was part of 2018’s Aquaman film. A primitive deadly lost tribe of Atlanteans, they live in the dark depths of the Pacific Ocean. They appeared for the first time in Aquaman #1 (2011) as part of Geoff Johns’ New 52 series.
While both projects have been put on hold, DuVernay and Wan are both still playing in DC’s sandbox. DuVernay continues to develop Naomi for The CW, based on the comic from Brian Michael Bendis, and Wan is prepping to shoot Aquaman 2 this year.
New Gods feature characters like Mr. Miracle, Orion, Big Barda and the others from New Genesis fighting the forces of Darkseid. The fact that he turned up in Zack Snyder’s Justice League as the big bad may have complicated the property. DC may feel that some water needs to flow under a few bridges before returning to Apokolips.
The Trench?… Well, it would have been interesting to see a superhero horror film set in the DCU. The changing landscape of feature films may have led the studio to hold off.
It could be that New Gods and The Trench were put on hold because DC’s film plate is pretty full for the next few years. The Suicide Squad coming this August. It already has an HBO Max spin-off series in the works starring John Cena as the Peacemaker. Also on the way is Robert Patterson The Batman, directed by Matt Reeves. Many of these DC projects exist in a connected universe (except The Batman). The upcoming Flash film (Nov. 4, 2022), which has faced its own development issues, will help clarify the growing cinematic multiverse.
Also on the horizon for 2022-2023 are Black Adam (July 29, 2022) and Shazam! Fury of the Gods (June 2, 2023). Other projects include Blue Beetle, Batgirl, Supergirl, Zatanna, Hourman, Green Lantern Corps and Static Shock as well as the upcoming Superman from producer J.J. Abrams and screenwriter Ta-Nehisi Coates.
Are you sad that New Gods and The Trench are not moving forward? Let us know in the comments what you think!
