Warner Bros. has confirmed, or more specifically, the company’s new CEO, David Zaslav, has scrapped The Wonder Twins movie. The film was due to start filming this summer and was earmarked for HBO Max. News of this cancellation first surfaced on May 1. At that time, Warner Bros. did not comment.
Zaslav assumed control of Warner Bros., the parent company of DC Comics, when Discovery bought out the enormous entertainment company last year. One of Zaslav’s first priorities was streamlining and maximizing its adaptations of DC properties. Last week, another WB subsidiary, The CW, announced the cancellation of the DC programs Batwoman, Legends of Tomorrow, and Naomi, along with seven other shows.
The Wonder Twins was among a few DC movies that were in the pipeline for HBO Max, but according to an insider, Zaslav wants all DC movies targeted for the big screen first. (HBO Max genuinely botched last year by releasing all of its major films day and date on the streaming service and in theaters, including Godzilla Vs. Kong and Dune.) It was already announced that Blue Beetle will now go to theaters, and it is expected that Batgirl will too.
However, this insider stated that The Wonder Twins was considered “too niche” for a broad theatrical release. It also had too large of a budget, which would have been needed to properly capture Zan and Jayna’s shapeshifting abilities. (Just look at Beast Boy on the low-budget TV version of Titans, who might transform twice a season.) Its budget was a reported $75 million, while Zaslav wants all HBO Max original movies’ budgets to be $35 million and under.
It’s hard to argue with Zaslav’s assertion that big-budget original movies don’t attract subscribers, but big-budget, big-screen movies, like The Batman do, and that lower-budget original projects do a decent job of retaining them. Look at the trouble Netflix is in right now, after spending like a drunken sailor for years on expensive projects that just don’t attract new subscribers.
Another insider cautioned, “A lot of things that were developed are going to go away.”
Adam Sztykiel, who wrote the screenplay for Black Adam, was attached to write The Wonder Twins and would have made this his directorial debut. KJ Apa and Isabel May were cast as Zan and Jayna.
What would you like to see from Warner Bros. DC properties moving forward?
