Wonder Twin powers... DEactivate!
Despite assigning Adam Sztykiel to write/direct and casting the lead roles, Warner Bros. has now confirmed that the plug has officially been pulled on the live-action Wonder Twins movie that was in the works for the HBO Max streaming service.
The DC Comics feature was actually scheduled to begin production in early July with Riverdale star KJ Apa and 1883 actress Isabel May on board to play Zan and Jayna, but THR reports that Warner Bros. Discovery (the new company combining Discovery and Warner Bros) CEO David Zaslav has implemented a mandate that all DC movies should now be made with a "theatrical-first" goal.
It's also been said that this take on the material was “too niche,” with the $75 million budget raising concerns.
In all honesty, it's a little baffling that anyone would think developing a $75 million movie about the Wonder Twins was a good idea in the first place, and based on what we can gather from the trade's report, this will not be the last DC-based streaming project to face the axe.
The Wonder Twins were a pair of shape-shifting alien siblings who debuted in animated form on Hanna-Barbera’s The All-New Super Friends Hour back in the late '70s before being introduced into the DC Comics Universe. The characters were never taken very seriously, but have developed a cult fan-base over the years, and have previously appeared on episodes of Teen Titans Go!, Smallville and The Flash.
About The Author:
Mark Cassidy is a writer, photographer, amateur filmmaker, and Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic from Dublin, Ireland.