Just as everyone thought the ship had been corrected, thanks to the appointment of James Gunn and Peter Safran as co-heads, the DC cinematic universe is once again in turmoil. According to an article by The Hollywood Reporter, both Gunn and Safran are nearing the completion of a multi-year plan they will present to Warner Bros. Discover CEO David Zaslav regarding the future of the franchise and the projects under it.
As it stands, THR’s report on the matter said that Wonder Woman 3 won’t be given the go signal, among other things. Also mentioned were Black Adam 2 is unlikely at the moment, Man of Steel 2 is in limbo, and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom might be Jason Momoa’s last film as the titular character. While there hasn’t been any reaction yet from the camp of Gunn, Safran, or Warner Bros.’ Discovery, the implication of this rumored shakeup on the DC cinematic universe is colossal.
Of course, with rumors about the franchise’s future running wild, those involved in these projects and the fans supporting them have been expressing their thoughts online. First among them, is no other than Wonder Woman herself, Gal Gadot, who posted this message on her social media accounts a few days ago.
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🙅🏻♀️🙌🏼💃🏻♥️ pic.twitter.com/XlzhrMx4xe
— Gal Gadot (@GalGadot) December 6, 2022
While this could mean many things, there has been a strong indication that Wonder Woman’s third film with Gal Gadot in it is no longer a guarantee from James Gunn, Peter Safran, and Warner Bros. Discovery. This started an avalanche of reactions from DC fans all over the world after news came out that the Gadot-starrer won’t proceed anymore.
It really sucks that Ben Affleck, Gal Gadot, Henry Cavill and the characters they played suffered from poor studio management.
They were perfect. pic.twitter.com/854MxVJqFl
— Matt Ramos (@therealsupes) December 8, 2022
@GalGadot #WonderWoman @BenAffleck #Batman & #HenryCavill #Superman are the Best and only #DCTrinity,they deserve a full close to their stories, no need to recast nor reboot. @wbd pic.twitter.com/PmfglDNHLq
— Ferxrb (@RovelBallFx) December 8, 2022
James Gunn rebooting DC: pic.twitter.com/0PXGOftBQB
— BLURAYANGEL 🦇 (@blurayangel) December 8, 2022
James Gunn said: pic.twitter.com/yfbSsytkji
— Jimmy Folino #WhoDey 🐅- BLM, StopAsianHate 🏳️🌈 (@MrNiceGuy513) December 8, 2022
‘Fire James Gunn’ is trending & it’s funny cuz if DC couldn’t get its act together after a whole decade, then yeah let’s start over.
DCEU died when Snyder was kicked, not even because he made perfect movies or anything, but because they had no clue what to do after that. pic.twitter.com/ghDk0wM8UB
— Mauricio | Browntable (@Browntable_Ent) December 8, 2022
Along with all of the fans’ reactions to The Hollywood Reporter’s article on Gunn’s rumored shakeup of DC projects is a post from Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson about the recent performance of Black Adam. While the topic is certainly far away from the aforementioned rumor, the timing itself can be seen as a reaction to all of the news about DC circulating lately.
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
It remains to be seen how Gunn and Safran’s plan will pan out in the coming months. Plus, fans will have to wait in agony on whether their favorite characters will be recast with new actors in their respective roles. At this point, it’s certain that the DC universe we know is going to change.