Rumours are rocking major DC comics titles at Warner Bros with reports that Henry Cavill may not return as Superman after all for Man of Steel 2, Jason Momoa could be recast as a new DCEU hero after Aquaman 2 and Wonder Woman 3 is ‘dead’.
These big bits of reported news come as new top studio executives James Gunn and Peter Safan map out their multi-year game plan for the new DC Studios.
There’s a potential major reboot afoot as the new studio chiefs are set to unveil their strategy for future releases to Warner Bros Discovery CEO David Zaslav next week.
The announcement of the launch of DC Studios came not long after Warner Bros shocked fans by shelving the almost-complete Batgirl – set for streaming on HBO Max – as its priorities shifted and Zaslav looked to take cost-saving measures.
Wonder Woman 3, which was to be directed by Patty Jenkins, is reportedly ‘considered dead in its current incarnation’, multiple sources have now told The Hollywood Reporter.
Jenkins is said to have recently submitted her treatment for the third motion picture, which she co-wrote with Geoff Johns, before Gunn, Safran and Warner Bros. Pictures co-chairs and co-CEOs Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy reportedly told her the project currently doesn’t fit in with the latest DC plans, as things stand.
Sources also admitted plans are still unfolding, and a decision is yet to be made about the next steps.
Gal Gadot was due to reprise her role as the superhero after starring in the first two films, also helmed by Jenkins, and in a case of curious timing took to Twitter this week to thank fans for their support after she landed the part.
She tweeted: ‘A few years ago it was announced that I was going to play Wonder Woman. I’ve been so grateful for the opportunity to play such an incredible, iconic character and more than anything I’m grateful for YOU. The fans.’
‘Can’t wait to share her next chapter with you,’ she added, making it unclear as to whether she was in the loop with ongoing developments.
The other major rumour is that filmmaker Zack Synder’s Snyderverse will be brought to a close, which includes the end of the road for his cast of Justice League characters.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, due for a December 2023 release, is currently set to be the final film release from under the previous regime at Warner Bros.
Cavill had delighted fans when he made a cameo appearance in Dwayne Johnson’s Black Adam in October, before sharing on Instagram that he was officially ‘back as Superman’, five years after last playing the role.
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He also told fans that their ‘patience would be rewarded’, but it’s been suggested that any possible Man of Steel sequel may no longer happen – and even the cameo that Cavill filmed for The Flash in September could be axed.
Finally, Momoa, another of the actors cast under Snyder’s watch, will play Arthur Curry once more, but potential future plans have him at the centre of a new franchise.
Sources told The Hollywood Reporter that the 43-year-old has been mentioned in connection with alien intergalactic bounty hunter Lobo, a cigar-smoking and more gritty hero.
Last month, Gunn recently told how he and Safran were mapping out a ‘10-year plan’ for DC.
Guardians of the Galaxy director Gunn explained at a town hall in November: ‘The opportunity to make DC as great as it can be and as it should be – that is the reason why I’m doing this job because I know that Peter and I can do that.
‘We spent the past couple days with a group of some of the best thinkers in the industry, the best writers in the industry starting to map out that eight to 10-year plan of what it’s going to look like in theatre, in TV, in animation, across the board for these characters.’
