Though we only recently got word that Academy Award-nominated Promising Young Woman director Emerald Fennell is set to write the Zatanna movie for Warner Bros.' DC Films and Bad Robot, it seems she's been working on the story for a while.
During an interview with Variety, Fennel was asked about her decision to sign on for a big studio superhero movie, and revealed that she's been busy developing the project with Bad Robot - though it doesn't sound like she's actually put pen to paper yet.
Fennell was also asked if she intends to direct, but says she has "no insight" into the studio's plans in that regard.
“It’s so exciting. That’s not a conversation that’s happened at all, so I have no insight, and also, we’re still in the early days. It’s something that we’ve been working on for a while. I’ve been speaking to Bad Robot [Productions], who are amazing. You want to get the first bit right, which is the script, before you think of anything else. It’s a very specific thing – the world of superhero movies is incredibly exciting, but it’s also a new different challenge. The main thing for me is making sure that it’s really, really good. I’m such a genre fan. I’m a fan of witchcraft, magic, and comic books, and this is scary and intense.”
It sounds like there's a chance she could take the helm, but it's probably going to be a while before we find out who'll sit in the director's chair.
We've been hearing that live-action take on the popular magic-wielding DC Comics heroine was in the works for quite some time, but it was assumed that plans had fallen by the wayside until it was recently revealed that the project was still on the WB's radar. Rumors pointed to a HBO Max series, but it's already been confirmed that this feature is being developed as a theatrical release.
This will mark the character's big-screen debut, although Serinda Swan previously played a live-action take on Zatanna in The CW's Smallville.
There are reportedly HBO Max shows based on the likes of Swamp Thing and Constantine in the works, so there's a good chance Zatanna will ultimately join her fellow Justice League Dark members for the planned team-up series at some point.
Who would you guys like to see play Zatanna? Woleb nwod tnemmoc a su pord.