We continue to see conflicting reports and rumors relating to James Gunn and Peter Safran's plans for Warner Bros.' DCU relaunch, with Gunn himself appearing to confirm that it's not going to be a full reboot, since the likes of Viola Davis (Amanda Waller) and John Cena (Peacemaker) will return as their respective characters.
Recently, Gal Gadot indicated that she may also be set to reprise the role of Wonder Woman for a third movie under the DCU banner, but Variety now seems to have debunked this story once and for all.
In the trade's report on the Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom drama (more here), they note that "none of the stars cast by Zack Snyder for 2016’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and 2017’s Justice League — including Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Gal Gadot, Ezra Miller and Jason Momoa — will reprise their roles in the new DC universe in character."
You'll notice there's no mention of Ray Fisher! Cyborg solo movie confirmed!
Joking aside, none of this is particularly surprising - especially after the underperformance of The Flash - but what is interesting is that Variety also confirms that Momoa has officially entered talks to play Lobo. The Game of Thrones alum is expected to make his debut as Da Main Man either in Superman: Legacy, or a standalone project at a later date.
It's also mentioned that, contrary to what we had been led to believe, Gunn and Safran don’t enjoy the same autonomy as Marvel’s Kevin Feige when it comes to DC's small screen output, although a Max source says that "the collaboration between the DC team and Max executives Sarah Aubrey and Casey Bloys has been seamless."
Gunn might well weigh in on social media to dispute or clarify some of this, but if accurate, it seems the new DCU will be a full reboot when it comes to the major Justice League characters, with a couple of ties to the previous era thrown in to the mix.
Whatever happens with the relaunch, it's worth noting that Variety also says that many sources are "convinced that another company, most likely Universal, will buy Warner Bros. within two years, making recent DC subplots and upheavals feel quaint."
If this does come to pass, we could be looking at another big shake-up before too long.
What do you guys make of this report? Be sure to drop us a comment down below.