Last night, seemingly out of nowhere, came the news that Selma director Ava DuVernay had signed on to direct The New Gods for Warner Bros. and DC. This is exciting news, as it both confirms that we're getting a New Gods movie and that Warner Bros. is again tapping a talented female director to helm one of their tentpole films. As for Ava DuVernay, she celebrated her new gig with a tribute to the history of the characters and the man who first brought them to life, Jack Kirby. Take a look.
You can't go wrong with paying tribute to Jack Kirby. So many of the amazing comic book worlds and characters we now get to experience on screen wouldn't exist without the legendary comic book artist and writer. Jack Kirby collaborated with Stan Lee to create many of Marvel's most iconic characters, including the Fantastic Four, Thor, Iron Man, the X-Men and Black Panther before eventually heading to DC to create the New Gods.
Ava DuVernay herself has said that Big Barda, a New God and Kirby creation, as her favorite superhero, and now she gets to bring this fierce character to life on the big screen. Jack Kirby had his fair share of great quotes, but the one Ava DuVernay cites here on Twitter is one of the best-- reflecting the director herself and the mythic, cosmic story and characters she will be bringing to life in this film.
Ava DuVernay is just coming off of A Wrinkle in Time, which debuted last weekend. While that film failed to ignite the box office or blow away critics, it did show DuVernay's ability to dream big with a fantastical world while handling a $100+ million production. The New Gods is a compelling choice for Ava DuVernay, who was once up for Black Panther and comes from a background with films like Selma. She is clearly interested in continuing in the blockbuster world, and it just took the right comic book project for her to sign on.
The director recently spoke about not being interested in directing a Star Wars film, so it is interesting to see her signing up for a different type of space opera. The New Gods bears some strong parallels to George Lucas' saga, and possibly influenced him when he was making the original trilogy.
The initial reports of Ava DuVernay coming aboard The New Gods mention that this film may or may not be a part of the DCEU. So it sounds like this mythic tale might give Ava DuVernay the freedom that she might not have enjoyed on Star Wars. At the same time it could still wind up being connected, and basically act as a gateway to DC's cosmic characters. Much like Thanos loomed in the background of Guardians of the Galaxy, so too can Darkseid play a role in The New Gods, and be built up before a connection is finally made and he becomes the true big bad in the DCEU.
Stay tuned to CinemaBlend to see all the latest on Ava DuVernay's big screen adaptation of The New Gods and check out our guide to see all of the upcoming DC Movies.
