WHAT'S GOING ON AT DCEU? Fans shaken as Wonder Woman in limbo, Henry Cavill booted, and Snyderverse DEAD
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: DC Studios and WarnerBros. are scrambling to revive the crumbling DC Extended Universe. To ensure their success, they have roped in one of Marvel Studios' most successful directors James Gunn to pick up the pieces and make something out of it. However, chaos reigns at the studio as they are not able to ensure one thing - fans' satisfaction. Recently, Gunn and Henry Cavill revealed that the actor will not be returning for his role as Superman which sent fans into a frenzy. On the other hand, 'Wonder Woman' franchise director Patty Jenkins was rumored to have quit.
To compare DCEU with MCU would be unfair as the latter began its cultivation of an interconnected universe way before the former. However, when Zack Snyder came in with a vision of the same which fans dubbed as the 'SnyderVerse', the idea was rejected, and DCEU became a home of solo hits. The story was not leading anywhere and the mismanagement was visible. Soon enough, WarnerBros. became a hub of controversies with the 'Justice League' actor Ray Fischer's beef with director Joss Whedon. At the time, DC Studios' reply to Marvel's 'The Avengers' was 'Justice League' which still remains the most underwhelming movie under the DCEU umbrella.
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James Gunn to rebuild DCEU
Gunn has a reputation for delivering hits, and he did the same back at Marvel Studios. For DC Studios, he directed 'The Suicide Squad' which received an average response. He's a fairly responsive celebrity on Twitter, which was where he announced that he was teaming up with Peter Safran. He wrote, "Peter & I have a DC slate ready to go, which we couldn’t be more over-the-moon about; we’ll be able to share some exciting information about our first projects at the beginning of the new year."
Peter & I have a DC slate ready to go, which we couldn’t be more over-the-moon about; we’ll be able to share some exciting information about our first projects at the beginning of the new year.
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) December 15, 2022
This was where he announced Cavill's imminent exit from DCEU despite announcing his return in November. Gunn wrote, "Among those on the slate is Superman. In the initial stages, our story will be focusing on an earlier part of Superman's life, so the character will not be played by Henry Cavill." He continued, "But we just had a great meeting with Henry and we’re big fans and we talked about a number of exciting possibilities to work together in the future."
But we just had a great meeting with Henry and we’re big fans and we talked about a number of exciting possibilities to work together in the future.
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) December 15, 2022
Patty Jenkins exit rumors
The 'Wonder Woman' film series has been a safe haven for all the fans. 'Wonder Woman' did spectacularly well at the box office and 'Wonder Woman 1984' did fair enough to keep the series alive. Director Patty Jenkins and Gal Gadot, who plays Princess Diana of an all-female Amazonian race, became a staple of the superhit DC character. However, their future was also threatened when there were rumors about Jenkin's exit despite announcing 'Wonder Woman 3'. The Hollywood Reporter even claimed that the project was scrapped. Co-CEOs Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy, broke the news to the filmmaker, stating that the project did not fit in with the new plans under Gunn's regime.
Luckily, Jenkins shot down these rumors with ease. Taking to her Twitter, she clarified her stance on December 14 saying, "I never walked away (from 'Wonder Woman 3'). I was open to considering anything asked of me. It was my understanding there was nothing I could do to move anything forward at this time. DC is obviously buried in changes they are having to make, so I understand these decisions are difficult right now." Once again, one too many changes at DC Studios is compromising the potential future.
Where will DCEU go from here?
DCEU's overall integrity has been put under scrutiny by managerial decisions and the dooming dissatisfaction of its fans. From relieving fan-favorite actors to underwhelming movies, its recent move to rope in Gunn may prove beneficial. On the other hand, WarnerBros. and DC Studios were trying to put out fires left and right when one their star actors, Ezra Miller, who plays 'Flash', was accused of grooming teenagers, choking a woman and vandalism among others. Many disgruntled fans pushed for the production house to cancel the upcoming 'The Flash' but there was no response. Rather, the troubled actor came out with an apology that DC fans quickly discarded.
DCEU finds itself in a puddle with hit filmmakers Gunn and Safran as their ray of hope. The Holly Reporter also said that 'Aquaman 2' could be Jason Momoa's last project as Arthur Curry, as he could be pivotal in the new plans. Sources claimed that he could instead play Lobo, a foul-mouthed cigar-chomping intergalactic bounty hunter. Gunn might bring out other fan-favorite DC characters and bring them into live-action movies to create an entirely new interconnected universe. This means, many of the important characters might take a backseat or be reformed in a way where some other actor plays the role.