Patty Jenkins‘ ‘Wonder Woman 3’ Not Moving Forward as DC Movies Hit Turning Point (Exclusive) - Hollywood Reporter

Call it DC Rebirth oregon DC: Genesis. Maybe telephone it Identity Crisis oregon Flashpoint. These titles of past DC comics lawsuit bid aptly picture the authorities of Warner Bros.’ DC movies, which are connected the cusp of a caller epoch but not earlier a perchance messy modulation period.

A cleaning of the slate is communal erstwhile a caller enforcement squad is enactment successful spot to tally a workplace oregon part but determination is apt small precedent for the magnitude of Clorox James Gunn and Peter Safran could spray arsenic they hole to motorboat DC Studios and usher superhero movies for the adjacent fractional decennary and beyond.

The duo successful caller days flew backmost to Los Angeles from the snowy metropolis of Aspen, Colorado, wherever they were huddled successful heavy planning, and present similar beatified figures coming down from the mountaintop, person sets of commandments oregon a DC Bible successful hand. Or astatine slightest a moving blueprint.

Gunn and Safran are expected to conscionable adjacent week with David Zaslav, the Warner Bros. Discovery CEO who is radically reshaping the media institution and who hired the duo successful October to pb a recently launched movie and TV division. The brace volition unveil to Zaslav a program that is expected to laic retired their vision. Although overmuch of their plan, which insiders overgarment arsenic inactive a work-in-progress and 1 that has yet to beryllium approved, is being kept heavy successful the Batcave, details of respective imaginable paths guardant are trickling out. And astatine slightest 1 way not being taken has besides been revealed.

Multiple sources archer The Hollywood Reporter that Patty Jenkins’ Wonder Woman 3 is not moving guardant and is considered dormant successful its existent incarnation.

Sources accidental that Jenkins precocious submitted her treatment, co-written with Geoff Johns, and that Gunn and Safran, arsenic good arsenic Warner Bros. Pictures co-chairs and co-CEOs Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy, broke the quality to the filmmaker, telling her the task — arsenic it stood — did not acceptable successful with the caller (but inactive unfolding) plans. Jenkins directed and co-wrote the erstwhile 2 movies, starring Gal Gadot and released successful 2017 and 2020. No determination has been made astir adjacent steps.

And portion costs are not a origin — insiders accidental that DC Studios volition not person immoderate overburdensome fiscal restrictions — the workplace could extremity up redeeming tens of millions of dollars by not making the 3rd installment. Gadot, according to sources, was connected way for a $20 cardinal payday for Wonder Woman 3 portion Jenkins would person received $12 million. Those figures don’t see immoderate imaginable backend bonuses.

Warners had nary comment.

It is unclear however immoderate aboriginal Wonder Woman movie, and Gadot’s portrayal of the hero, would acceptable into the caller DC plan. In a spot of head-scratching timing, Gadot tweeted retired of the bluish a convey you to fans connected Tuesday, saying she was grateful to beryllium allowed to play the heroine and relation model, adding, “Can’t hold to stock her adjacent section with you.” It was unclear whether oregon not the histrion knew the task was being toe-tagged.

The remainder of the DC slate remains successful flux, oregon astatine slightest being kept heavy successful a pouch of Gunn’s ain inferior belt but determination are respective rumors and imaginable scenarios to see up of adjacent week’s meeting.

The first, which builds connected the shuttering of Jenkins’ Wonder Woman 3, is the closing curtain of the Snyderverse, and the heroes formed by filmmaker Zack Snyder for his Justice League. This 1 sees the shutting down of Man of Steel 2, with a returning Henry Cavill, and having nary much Aquaman, fronted by Jason Momoa.

These characters are to cameo successful Flash, the highly-anticipated clip question escapade movie that is owed to merchandise June 16. Cavill changeable his portion of the cameo successful September. But sources accidental determination is simply a statement wrong the workplace arsenic whether oregon not to support the cameo and if its inclusion promises thing that workplace would person nary plans connected delivering.

A Warners insider cautions that nary plans person been finalized and that Flash remains an unlocked picture.

The Cavill concern is simply a much than a small thorny arsenic the histrion made a cameo successful Black Adam, the DC-centric movie released successful October. The Monday aft the movie opened, Cavill posted a video connected Instagram wherever helium announced, “I wanted to marque it authoritative — I americium backmost arsenic Superman.”

And astatine that time, helium was not incorrect. Warner Bros. was so processing a sequel for 2013’s Man of Steel and actively gathering with writers. Andy Muschietti, who directed Flash, adjacent expressed involvement successful sitting down the camera for thing that would person brought a code akin to the hopeful and heroic colors of the 1978 movie directed by Richard Donner, considered a benchmark successful comic publication movies. In fact, the existent enactment squad astatine Warner Bros Pictures — Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy — did tendency 1 much go-around of the Snyderverse heroes, perchance adjacent having different Justice League movie with those actors.

But that was earlier Gunn and Safran began formulating their caller (and inactive successful flux) plan.

Also improbable is simply a sequel to Black Adam. Despite the hype surrounding the movie of launching a caller country of DC, a batch of it led by prima Dwayne Johnson, the movie has lone grossed $385 cardinal worldwide and insiders astatine the workplace accidental the movie, which outgo much than $190 cardinal to nutrient (two sources peg the existent outgo astatine $230 million, not including marketing), volition beryllium fortunate to interruption even, adjacent considering ancillary revenue. Even if the movie does eke retired a minimal profit, immoderate follow-up’s inherent rising costs dim the imaginable of a sequel.

Johnson hoped to carve retired his ain portion of the DC pie, but aggregate sources accidental his playing up of a returning Cavill and his ain engagement with DC whitethorn not beryllium endearing him to the caller management. Johnson and Cavill are some managed by Dany Garcia, who is besides Johnson’s producing partner. The cognition of Adam turning a nett oregon not is simply a conflagration present being waged successful public, with Johnson tweeting the movie would nett over $50 million aft a Variety communicative said the movie would lose implicit $50 million theatrically.

Momoa, meanwhile, could look arsenic a pivotal fig into the caller plans, according to respective sources. In 1 scenario, the histrion would wrapper up his days arsenic underwater leader Arthur Curry with Lost City, owed retired Dec. 25, 2023, which would beryllium the last movie released that was made by the erstwhile regime. But it would not spell the extremity of the actor’s engagement with DC, with sources saying the histrion would pb different movie oregon franchise. The quality of Lobo, a foul-mouthed cigar-chomping intergalactic bounty hunter, has been mentioned successful transportation with Momoa.

Whether oregon not Momoa does play everybody’s favourite bastich, Lobo emerging arsenic a rising quality aboriginal connected successful the speech whitethorn constituent to the kinds of characters the Gunn-Safran squad whitethorn beryllium focusing on. The quality is an outsider, an anti-hero, and is keeping successful enactment with Gunn’s specialty of taking the off-beat and quirky and flipping it into crowd-pleasing fare.

Part of the program could entail a genuinely caller commencement and having nary baggage from immoderate erstwhile regimes arsenic they acceptable astir resetting however DC movies and shows are made. That, however, does not instrumentality into relationship the imaginable occurrence of movies specified arsenic Shazam! Fury of the Gods (March 17, 2023), connected which Safran is simply a producer, and Blue Beetle (Aug. 18, 2023). Would that program see forging up without the actors who inhabit those characters and recast them adjacent if those movies beryllium to beryllium container bureau hits?

Observers are convinced the program calls for an interconnected communicative beingness and determination is rumblings of the constitution of a originative encephalon trust. The encephalon spot whitethorn beryllium already rolling successful immoderate capableness arsenic sources accidental that Safran had successful caller weeks been gathering with writers astatine his Los Angeles location successful an effort to hone the presentation, gathering feedback and ideas for the plan.

One portion that the Gunn-Safran docket seems apt not to touch, astatine slightest for now, is the Matt Reeves Batman beingness successful which Robert Pattinson dons the cowl of the Caped Crusader. Reeves is penning the sequel to The Batman, which opened successful March 4. The filmmaker is besides overseeing the motorboat of 2 Batman bid that rotation retired of his movie, including The Penguin.