The DC Extended Universe has had plenty of peaks and valleys over the years, thanks to drama behind the scenes. The studio is currently in flux, as new co-CEO’s James Gunn and Peter Safran are carving out the future of the shared universe— which apparently won’t include Patty Jenkins’ Wonder Woman 3. With so much up in the air, it sounds like there’s a ton of uncertainty– even for powerful actors and filmmakers in the DC world. While The Rock and Henry Cavill are reportedly playing nice amid the rumors, an insider shared that it’s creating a “riot” behind closed doors.
The internet was set ablaze this week, when it was revealed that Warner Bros. was reportedly scraping Patty Jenkins’ Wonder Woman threequel. That same report also indicated that the studio was distancing itself from Zack Snyder’s cast of characters, seemingly putting the future of Aquaman and the newly returned Superman up in the air. An anonymous insider from DC recently spoke to Deadline about the temperature of the shared universe. As they put it,
This is creating a riot. And it’s a horrible optic. This business is based on relationships.
Some points were made. Although this person didn’t reveal their identity, it makes sense that tensions might be rising for those involved in the DCEU. While the movie going public is used to being in the dark, it’s another thing for the actual artists to be so confused about what’s coming next. We’ll just have to see if any other previously announced projects are going to be scrapped by Warner Bros. thanks to the new DC leadership.
These comments to Deadline ring especially true when it comes to the future of both Dwayne Johnson and Henry Cavill in the DCEU. After ten years Black Adam finally hit theaters, and its mid-credits scene revealed that Cavill was finally returning to Superman. But the report about Wonder Woman 3’s cancellation came with the news that other projects like Man of Steel 2 are far from a sure thing. We’ll just have to see if James Gunn and company are truly attempting to move on from the characters and stories that Zack Snyder put into motion with his first DC flicks.
All eyes are on the behind the scenes shake ups currently happening at Warner Bros., and if any other movies will join Wonder Woman 3 in being scrapped. A follow-up report indicated that the studio was specifically having issues with Patty Jenkins herself, so perhaps that means the future of franchises like Aquaman and Man of Steel are still hopeful. The same anonymous source is quoted again speaking about the state of the DCEU, responding to rumors about superheroes possibly being recast with new actors. As they said:
These franchises which already make a lot of money — why stop them? How can a studio that’s bearing so much debt afford to start from scratch? There are scripts and actors’ schedules to be figured out.
It certainly sounds like things are chaotic in the DCEU, as the new leadership maps out the future of the shared universe. Following the disappointing performance of Justice League, the franchise largely halted serialized storytelling and major crossover events. But it sounds like James Gunn and Peter Safran want more connectivity between projects, so we’ll just have to wait and see how this all shakes up. Hopefully your favorite DC franchises/actors survive this change.
The next installment in the DCEU is Shazam! Fury of the Gods on March 17t. In the meantime, check out the 2023 movie release dates to plan your trips to the theater in the New Year. Only time will tell if we’ll ever see certain members of the Justice League back on the big screen again.
