Recent reports and rumors from Hollywood sources say Wonder Woman 3 has been cancelled and that Man of Steel 2 might be next on the chopping block. In response to this, DC Co-CEO James Gunn answers-- but not in definite terms.
In the last quarter of 2022, massive changes have taken place in the DC Universe. After James Gunn and Peter Safran were appointed co-CEOs of DC Studios, a lot of buzz has centered on Warner Bros. Discovery’s biggest IPs, from Steven Spielberg being interested in a potential Superman project to Black Adam standing to lose $100 million.
Could the rumors of Wonder Woman and Superman projects being shelved be true? Check out James Gunn’s answers below.
In a surprising news item, The Hollywood Reporter stated that the third Wonder Woman film that would see Patty Jenkins and Gal Gadot returning, is not moving forward.
Multiple sources tell The Hollywood Reporter that Patty Jenkins’ Wonder Woman 3 is not moving forward and is considered dead in its current incarnation.
The article further elaborates that the treatment Jenkins submitted which was co-written by DC Comics veteran Geoff Johns, was not in line with the new plans of the current upper management. The panel that made the decision includes James Gunn and Peter Safran, as well as Warner Bros. Pictures CEOs Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy.
Patty Jenkins‘ ‘Wonder Woman 3’ Not Moving Forward as DC Movies Hit Turning Point (Exclusive) https://t.co/hWaYtPiicn
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) December 8, 2022
This further sparked rumors that Man of Steel 2, which would see Henry Cavill fully returning to the role of Superman, is also in danger of not seeing the light of day. Another piece of speculation that has arisen is that Jason Momoa will make his final appearance as Aquaman in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, and will instead be taking on the role of Lobo, the Last Czarnian, in a revised DC Cinematic Universe.
@xfire.com Wonder Woman canned? Man of Steel 2 next? James Gunn addresses rumors #wonderwoman #manofsteel #jamesgunn #fyp #foryou
♬ Epic Cinematic Trailer (Marvel Hybrid Teaser Soundtrack) - EdRecords
While speculation and supposed leaks are popping up left and right, one of the central figures in the entire matter has come out with some answers: DC Studios Co-CEO James Gunn himself.
Gunn is very active on social media, particularly on Twitter. Even during his tenure as director of Guardians of the Galaxy projects at Marvel Studios and before his first forays with DC (that being The Suicide Squad and the surprise hit Peacemaker on HBO Max), the filmmaker and high-ranking executive at Warner Bros. Discovery has been known to answer concerns, both from fans and industry news on his official social media channels.
When asked about whether this means the rumors of getting rid of everything and starting fresh, James Gunn gives a very cryptic answer:
… some of it is true, some of it half-true, some of it is not true, and some of it we haven’t decided yet whether it’s true or not.
However, it seems the situation for Wonder Woman 3 is not that it will not happen. Instead, it boils down to creative differences in the direction Patty Jenkins wanted to take for the third film.
So. As for the story yesterday in the Hollywood Reporter, some of it is true, some of it is half-true, some of it is not true, & some of it we haven’t decided yet whether it’s true or not.
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) December 8, 2022
Gunn continued, expounding that they will not be starting completely fresh. Rather, they are building on what worked:
Peter and I chose to helm DC Studios knowing we were coming into a fractious environment, both in the stories being told & in the audience itself & there would be an unavoidable transitional period as we moved into telling a cohesive story across film, TV, animation, and gaming. But, in the end, the drawbacks of that transitional period were dwarfed by the creative possibilities & the opportunity to build upon what has worked in DC so far & to help rectify what has not.
With regard to pleasing the fans, Gunn had this to say:
We know we are not going to make every single person happy every step of the way, but we can promise everything we do is done in the service of the STORY & in the service of the DC CHARACTERS we know you cherish and we have cherished our whole lives.
It should be noted that James Gunn did not state that either the third Wonder Woman film or the second Man of Steel film are completely off the table. But the DC Studios Co-CEO does make it clear they are making some big changes for the DC Universe and are willing to delay or even cancel projects that are not in line with the bigger direction they are taking the properties.
Fans of the DC Universe should also take any news with a grain of salt, unless it comes directly from the production or DC Studios itself. For instance, the rumors that Black Adam was not going to make money has been proven false, as Dwayne Johnson confirms it made a profit.
Waited to confirm with financiers before I shared this excellent #BlackAdam news - our film will PROFIT between $52M-$72M.
Fact.
At almost $400M worldwide we are building our new franchise step by step (first Captain America did $370M) for the DC future.https://t.co/GBIgsbtnkq— Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) December 7, 2022
Insider sources state that Gunn and Safran will be making their grand presentation to Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav for the entire line and development map of DC Studios projects before the long December 2022 holidays begin.
