“Peter and I chose to helm DC Studios knowing we were coming into a fractious environment, both in the stories being told and in the audience itself and there would be an unavoidable transitional period as we moved into telling a cohesive story across film, TV, animation, and gaming,” Gunn wrote in a Twitter thread published on Thursday. “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 and in the service of the DC CHARACTERS we know you cherish and we have cherished our whole lives.”
Although he did not acknowledge “Wonder Woman” or Jenkins by name, Gunn mentioned “the story yesterday in the Hollywood Reporter,” referring to the first outlet to break the news that Jenkins’ version of the third “Wonder Woman” film wasn’t moving forward. Following the news break, sources told IndieWire that Jenkins, who helmed the first two “Wonder Woman,” submitted a draft of the film she co-wrote with Geoff Johns, but the film’s story didn’t work with the current direction of films at DC Studios, and Jenkins had no desire to make alterations to the project. While Jenkins is likely out from the project, star Gal Gadot’s future involvement with the franchise remains an open question. Related Zachary Levi Defends James Gunn, Peter Safran: They Need ‘Time to Make Something Special’ Dwayne Johnson’s Black Adam Will Not Be Part of the New DC’s ‘First Chapter’ of Films – but Could Return Later Related The Best True Crime Streaming Now, from ‘Unsolved Mysteries’ to ‘McMillions’ to ‘The Staircase’ Oscars 2023: Best Original Song Predictions
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) December 8, 2022 Gunn and Safran joined DC Studios as its heads this October, after Warner Bros. Discovery head David Zaslav made an agressive search to find a Kevin Feige-esque figure to guide the somewhat directionless franchise. Reportedly, Gunn and Safran will meet with Zaslav within the next week to present their plans for the future of DC; in his thread, Gunn wrote that fans looking for answers about the future of films at DC will have to wait: “We are giving these characters and the stories the time and attention they deserve, and we ourselves still have a lot more questions to ask and answer.” Currently, Warner Bros. is still set to release the last films made under the old DC regime of Walter Hamada next year, with “Shazam! Fury of the Gods,” “Blue Beetle,” “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom,” and “The Flash” film with Ezra Miller, which has been plagued by controversy over its star’s criminal activities and alleged abuse incidents. Henry Cavill announced he’s returning as Superman, but it’s unclear if that will actually happen now. The last film released by DC, Dwayne Johnson’s “Black Adam,” initially opened to solid box office before performing below $400 million globally. The Warner Bros. Discovery merger is behind many of the year’s most shocking production developments, including the notorious shelving of Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah’s nearly complete “Batgirl.”
Read a transcription of Gunn’s Twitter thread below: 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. Although this first month at DC has been fruitful, building the next ten years of story takes time & we’re still just beginning. Peter & 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. 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. As for more answers about the future of the DCU, I will sadly have to ask you to wait. We are giving these characters & the stories the time & attention they deserve & we ourselves still have a lot more questions to ask & answer. Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here.
