This summer, Dwayne Johnson finally makes his long-awaited debut as Black Adam, with the character’s solo movie seeing him face off against the Justice Society of America. Undateable’s Adam Sztykiel was the first writer to take a pass at Black Adam, and the big news today is that he’ll be sticking around the DC movies space to tackle a live-action Wonder Twins movie. Of all the DC properties to get the feature film treatment, I didn’t see this one coming.
Plot details for the Wonder Twins movie that Adam Sztykiel is writing are being kept under wraps for now, but like the forthcoming Batgirl movie starring In the Heights’ Leslie Grace, it will be an HBO Max exclusive rather than play in theaters, per THR. Marty Bowen and Wyck Godfrey from Temple Hill, the production company behind the Twilight and Maze Runner film series, are attached to produce.
The Wonder Twins, a.k.a. Zan and Jayna, were introduced to DC Comics lore in the animated TV series The All-New Super Friends Hour, serving as sidekicks to heroes like Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and Aquaman. When these two touch hands and say the phrase “Wonder Twin powers, activate,” Jayna can transform into any kind of animal and Zan can transform into any state of water. The Twins are also frequently accompanied by their pet monkey Gleek when they’re out battling the bad guys.
While the Wonder Twins were largely seen as a joke in the Super Friends era and for many years afterwards, they’ve had other opportunities to shine. Zan and Jayna debuted in the main DC Comics continuity in the Extreme Justice series in 1996, and from 2019 to 2020, they led a 12-issue maxi-series. Outside of the comics and Super Friends, the Wonder Twins have appeared in Smallville and Teen Titans Go!, and two Justice League Unlimited characters named Downpour and Shift were modeled after them.
Although a live-action Wonder Twins movie was rumored back in 2013, considering that they are primarily cult favorites, I never expected this would actually happen; an animated series targeting kids seemed like the better bet. Clearly I was off base, so for those of you who’ve wanted Zan and Jayna to lead their own cinematic adventure, your wish has been granted. It’s unclear if the Wonder Twins movie will be set in the DCEU or not, but I imagine given its protagonists, it will have more of a YA bent to it, similar to 2019’s Shazam!.
We’ll keep you apprised on Wonder Twins’ development as part of our ongoing coverage on upcoming DC movies. In the meantime, Black Adam will hit theaters on July 29, but those of you looking for a cinematic DC fix before then will want to check out The Batman starting on March 4.
