Warner Brothers Has Canceled James Wan’s ‘The Trench’ and Ava DuVernay’s ‘New Gods’
Warner Brothers has recently announced their decision to cancel the productions of two DC films, New Gods, and The Trench. After a long period of development, Warner Brothers has decided to move in a new direction with their DC Cinematic Universe.
The Trench, directed by James Wan, was set to be a spin-off of his previous Aquaman movie. Delving into the vast depths of the ocean, Wan’s film was meant to explore a kingdom filled with horrific, beast-like creatures. Meanwhile, Ava DuVernay’s New Gods was centered around an all-new set of heroes adapted from the DC comics. On Thursday, April 1st, Hollywood Reporter released a statement from Warner Brothers in regards to its upcoming projects.
“As part of our DC slate, some legacy development titles including ‘New Gods’ and ‘The Trench’ will not be moving forward. We thank our partners Ava DuVernay, Tom King, James Wan and Peter Safran for their time and collaboration during this process and look forward to our continued partnership with them on other DC stories. The projects will remain in their skillful hands if they were to move forward in the future.”
Despite the lost potential, these two directors are still closely tied to the DC stories; Wan is currently directing Aquaman 2, while DuVernay is in the process of developing a new superhero show Naomi.
Fans and viewers of superhero movies are curious about this decision, as the announcement comes shortly after the release of Zack Snyder’s four-hour Justice League cut. There are many possible culprits as to why these titles were dropped from the DC lineup; the fact that these movies involved lesser-known settings and characters, to name one reason. Though it is definitely worth noting that both The Trench and New Gods carried some association with the events in Justice League’s Snyder-cut. Warner Brothers also has an onslaught of future superhero movies in store, some of which may require more focus from the studios.
RiP #TheTrench movie that could have been beautiful Lovecraftian horror 💔💔💔😭💔💔💔 pic.twitter.com/jYmkMSxgtj
— Two Blue Monsters (@twobluemonsters) April 1, 2021
Following the news, DuVernay took to Twitter and expressed gratitude for being able to work on New Gods. Although she was disappointed to see her project end in this way, the director conveyed a sense of optimism for the experience of writing with Tom King.
Tom, I loved writing NEW GODS with you. I’m upset that the saga of Barda, Scott, Granny, Highfather and The Furies ends this way. Diving into Kirby’s Fourth World was the adventure of a lifetime. That can’t be taken away. Thank you for your friendship. And remember… #DarkseidIs pic.twitter.com/XyyIjcB8Wv
— Ava DuVernay (@ava) April 1, 2021
Warner Brothers has made it certain that if The Trench or New Gods were to ever be picked up again, both Wan and DuVernay would maintain their place as directors.
Writer│Tweet me @StromanAkilah
