The DCEU has shifted directions a number of times since films such as Justice League and Batman vs. Superman received mixed to poor reception. The problem was exasperated by the COVID-19 pandemic, forcing Warner Bros. to shuffle its film schedule around. Now, some highly anticipated projects being cut or postponed for the time being, and one of those projects was Ava DuVernay’s New Gods. The film being shelved led to Darkseid himself Pay Porter sharing a sweet exchange with the director.
There had been questions forming around Ava DuVernay’s DC film even before Warner Bros. slimmed down its slate. DC fans should’ve expected the news given Warner Bros.'s shift in priorities for the DCEU within the last year. Apparently, fans were pestering DuVernay about the film’s cancellation, leading Ray Porter to step up. And after, DuVernay responded with a kind message of her own. Check out Porter and DuVernay’s sweet Twitter exchange below:
As seen in Ava DuVernay’s tweet, Ray Porter has been supportive throughout the development process. It was nice to see a sweeter side to DC’s most notorious villain. Initially, DC fans were excited for New Gods, as it would have allowed the universe to branch out and focus on a comic book property that has yet to get a film adaptation. A major plus was that the director was a huge fan of the source material, and I'm sure DuVernay would’ve put her all into the film.
Before her exchange with Ray Porter, Ava DuVernay had already spoken on New Gods’ removal from the slate. Upon learning the news, DuVernay took the time to thank comic writer and screenplay co-writer Tom King. This led to another sweet exchange between her and King. But as the director pointed out, the film has been postponed rather than being completely cut. So hopefully, that’s a good sign that New Gods isn’t completely dead in the water.
New Gods being shelved is also just another symptom of Hollywood’s shifting landscape. With theaters and Hollywood trying to recover, many studios have been re-examining their slates. Studios are now looking for safe bets rather than testing the market. This mentality has put mostly unknown properties such as New Gods interesting spots. Hollywood wants to start making money and fast, which is understandable given that the industry did lose an entire year due to the pandemic. So as disappointing as it may be, one can see Warner Bros.' logic.
Though fans can be happy that The Flash movie and Aquaman sequel are finally starting to move forward in production, meaning that DC fans will still have options at the theater in the next few years. DC ahas a full slate set prepared to arrive between 2021 and 2023, with James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad arriving Aug. 6. But hopefully, Warner Bros. and DC will allow DuVernay to revisit New Gods at some point in the future.
