Movies

Wonder Woman 3 Doesn’t Move Forward As DC Movies At Crossroads – The Hollywood Reporter

December 8, 2022

Call it DC Rebirth or DC: Genesis. Maybe call it Identity Crisis or Flashpoint. These titles from past DC Comics event series aptly describe the state of Warner Bros. DC movies, which are at the dawn of a new era but not before a potentially messy period of transition.

A slate cleaning is common when a new management team is put in place to run a studio or division, but there’s probably little precedent for the amount of Clorox James Gunn and Peter Safran could spray as ‘they’re getting ready to launch DC Studios and guide the superhero. films for the next half-decade and beyond.

In recent days, the duo have returned to Los Angeles from the snowy town of Aspen, Colorado, where they were huddled in extensive planning, and now, like holy figures descending from the mountaintop, have sets of commandments or a DC Bible in hand. Or at least a work plan.

Gunn and Safran are scheduled to meet David Zaslav, CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery which is radically reshaping the media company and which hired the duo in October to lead a newly launched film and television division. The couple will unveil to Zaslav a plan that should lay out their vision. Although much of their plan, which insiders describe as a work in progress and yet to be approved, is kept deep within the Batcave, details of several possible paths are leaking out. And at least one path not taken has also been revealed.

Several sources tell The Hollywood Reporter than Patty Jenkins wonder woman 3 does not advance and is considered dead in its current incarnation.

Sources say Jenkins recently submitted his treatment, co-written with Geoff Johns, and that Gunn and Safran, as well as co-presidents and co-CEOs of Warner Bros. Pictures, Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy, broke the news to the filmmaker, telling him that the project – as it stood – did not match the new (but still ongoing) plans. Jenkins directed and co-wrote the previous two films, starring Gal Gadot and released in 2017 and 2020. No decision has been made on next steps.

And while cost isn’t a factor — insiders say DC Studios won’t have excessive financial restraints — the studio could end up saving tens of millions of dollars by not making the third installment. Gadot, sources say, was on track for a $20 million salary for wonder woman 3 while Jenkins reportedly received $12 million. These figures do not include any possible backend bonuses.

Warners had no comment.

We don’t know how a future wonder woman the film and Gadot’s portrayal of the hero would fit into the new DC plan. In a somewhat puzzled timing, Gadot tweeted out of the blue a thank you to fans on Tuesday, saying she was grateful to be allowed to play the heroine and role model, adding, “I can’t wait to share her next chapter with you.” It was unclear whether or not the actress knew the project was foot-scarred.

The rest of the DC slate stays in flux, or at least is kept deep in a pocket of Gunn’s own utility belt but there are several rumors and possible scenarios to consider ahead of next week’s meeting.

The first, which relies on the formwork of Jenkins wonder woman 3is the closing curtain of the Snyderverse, and the heroes chosen by filmmaker Zack Snyder for his Justice League. This one sees the closing of man of steel 2with a returning Henry Cavill, and no longer having Aquamanled by Jason Momoa.

These characters must appear in Glow, the highly-anticipated time-travel adventure film due out June 16. Cavill shot his part of the cameo in September. But sources say there’s a debate inside the studio over whether or not to keep the cameo, and whether its inclusion promises anything the studio wouldn’t intend to deliver.

A Warners insider warns that no plans have been finalized and that Glow remains an unlocked image.

Cavill’s situation is more than a little tricky since the actor made an appearance in black adam, the DC-centric film released in October. The Monday after the film opened, Cavill posted a video to Instagram where he announced, “I wanted to make it official – I’m back as Superman.”

And at that time, he was not wrong. Warner Bros. was indeed developing a sequel for 2013 Steel man and actively meet writers. Andy Muschietti, who directed Glow, even expressed interest in sitting behind the camera for something that would have brought a similar tone to the hopeful and heroic colors of the 1978 film directed by Richard Donner, considered a benchmark in comic book films. In fact, the current management team at Warner Bros. Pictures – Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy – wanted another Snyderverse heroes go-around, maybe even having another Justice League movie with these actors.

But that was before Gunn and Safran began formulating their new (and still evolving) plan.

It’s also unlikely there will be a sequel. black adam. Despite the hype surrounding the launch film from a new corner of DC, much of which is helmed by star Dwayne Johnson, the film has only grossed $385 million worldwide and studio insiders say the film, which cost more than $190 million to produce (two sources peg the actual cost at $230 million, not including marketing), will have a chance of breaking even, even taking revenue into account accessories. Even if the film makes a minimal profit, the rising costs inherent in any follow-up cloud the prospect of a sequel.

Johnson was hoping to carve out his own piece of the DC pie, but multiple sources say he’s playing a returning Cavill and his own involvement with DC may not make him endearing to the new direction. Both Johnson and Cavill are managed by Dany Garcia, who is also Johnson’s producing partner. The perception of Adam to make a profit or not is a conflagration now unfolding in public, with Johnson tweeting that the film would pay off over $50 million after a Variety the story said the film would lose over $50 million in theaters.

Momoa, meanwhile, could become a central figure in the new plans, according to multiple sources. In one storyline, the actor would end his days as the undersea hero Arthur Curry with lost city, scheduled for December 25, 2023, which would be the last released film directed by the previous regime. But that wouldn’t mean the end of the actor’s involvement with DC, with sources saying the actor would helm another movie or another franchise. The character of Lobo, a foul-mouthed, cigar-biting intergalactic bounty hunter, was mentioned about Momoa.

Whether Momoa is playing everyone’s favorite bastich or not, Lobo emerging as a rising character early in the conversation may indicate the types of characters the Gunn-Safran team can focus on. The character is an underdog, an anti-hero, and stays true to Gunn’s specialty of taking the offbeat and the eccentric and turning it into crowd-pleasing fare.

Part of the plan could involve a real fresh start and having no baggage from previous regimes as they set out to reset the way DC movies and shows are made. This, however, does not take into account the possible success of films such as Shazam! Fury of the gods (March 17, 2023), of which Safran is a producer, and blue beetle (August 18, 2023). Would that plan include moving forward without the actors who inhabit these characters and recasting them even if those movies turn out to be box office hits?

Observers are convinced that the plan calls for an interconnected narrative universe and there are rumors of a creative brain trust being set up. Masterminds confidence may already be on the way to some extent, as sources say Safran has been meeting with writers at his Los Angeles home in recent weeks in an effort to fine-tune the presentation, gather feedback and feedback. ideas for the plan.

One part that Gunn-Safran’s agenda doesn’t seem to touch, at least for now, is the Matt Reeves Batman universe in which Robert Pattinson dons the cowl of the Caped Crusader. Reeves writes the sequel to The Batmanwhich opened on March 4. The filmmaker is also overseeing the launch of two Batman series spun off from his film, including The Penguin.