Ava DuVernay’s New Gods isn’t happening and it’s a shame
New Gods was supposed to usher in a new era for the DC Extended Universe, but now Warner Bros. has put an end to the project for the strangest reason. Ava DuVernay and writer Tom King have been developing the movie for over a year and now fans will never see their vision for Apokolips come to life.
According to THR, Warner Bros. is shelving New Gods but “the projects will remain in their skillful hands if they were to move forward in the future.”
DuVernay is still actively developing DC’s Naomi for The CW while King remains one of DC Comics’ top writers.
Was New Gods canned because of Zack Snyder’s Justice League
Most of the current DC movies spun out of Zack Snyder’s vision for the DCEU, beginning with Man of Steel and leading up through Justice League. The recent release of Zack Snyder’s Justice League, also known as the Snyder Cut, introduced Darkseid, DeSaad and Granny Goodness, teeing up DuVernay’s New Gods perfectly.
However, now that New Gods isn’t movie forward it makes you wonder if the success of the Snyder Cut, and WB’s desire to separate itself from Snyder’s universe, could be behind the move. THR notes that the move was made to put space between the Snyder Cut’s Darkseid and the one being developed for New Gods and that makes little sense given that Jack Kirby’s beloved villains are largely unknown outside of the comic book community.
Zack Snyder’s Justice League could have paved the way for an exciting tale in New Gods, with Darkseid pursuing the anti-life equation that he has been seeking for so long. It could have been set long before the events of the Snyder Cut. It could have been set well in the future. They’re gods. They’ve got the time.
Canning New Gods seems like a play to put space between their new vision for DC’s future and the one many fans want to see, namely, the one Snyder was building originally.
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Only time will tell how this all plays out, but it’s yet another strange move from Warner Bros. in a string of strange moves coming after the positive reception for Zack Snyder’s Justice League, and this time it’s DuVernay and King who are paying the price.