Development was in the early stages for a film based around the Wonder Twins, but a new report says the production is no longer moving forward.
Super-powered siblings Zan and Jayna first appeared in the animated series The All-New Super Friends Hour back in 1977. They were joined by their pet monkey Gleek, and soon after made the jump to DC comics throughout the ensuing decades. The Wonder Twins weren’t among the most prominently known DC characters, which is why it was a bit surprising when a film centered around the pair was announced to be on the way.
Even though a director was attached and the leads for The Wonder Twins were recently revealed, it sounds like the entire project is being shut down.
THE WONDER TWINS NOT MOVING FORWARD
According to a report from That Hashtag Show, The Wonder Twins film has been canceled by Warner Bros. Discovery. Production was reportedly set to get underway this July, but the crew was told this week that the movie was not moving forward.
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This is a surprising development, especially since the actors set to play Zan and Jayna were announced just a few weeks ago. KJ Apa of Riverdale fame was to take on the role of Zan, who can transform into any state of water. Zan’s sister Jayna, who can turn herself into any animal, was going to be portrayed by Isabel May, who recently rose to prominence by being part of the Yellowstone prequel series 1883.
Adam Sztykiel was tapped by Warner Bros. to sit in the director’s chair, and The Wonder Twins would have marked the first time the longtime writer had helmed a feature film. Sztykiel previously wrote the screenplay for Due Date and Rampage, and he teamed up with Dwayne Johnson once again to write the upcoming Black Adam film. Working on Black Adam was enough to get Sztykiel a larger role in another DC project, but it seems like he’ll have to wait a little longer before his directorial debut.
With the apparent sudden cancelation of The Wonder Twins, one has to wonder if the film is a casualty of WarnerMedia’s merger with Discovery. A report from a few weeks ago claimed that the new CEO of the joint company David Zaslav wanted to overhaul the DC projects that were in development in order to fully capitalize on the potential of characters like Superman, Batman, and others. With the Wonder Twins being pretty obscure characters, and the film only set for an HBO Max release in the first place, Zaslav may have decided Zan and Jayna weren’t worth the time and effort to build a film around.
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In addition, Warner Bros. Discovery already has a strong slate of DC films and streaming series coming out over the next few years. Black Adam, Shazam! Fury of the Gods, and the animated romp DC League of Super-Pets are all set to hit theaters this year, while Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom and The Flash will be premiering in 2023. That’s not to mention additional projects that are in development like a sequel to The Batman, and a third Wonder Woman film with both Patty Jenkins and Gal Gadot returning to the franchise.
Add in a new season of Peacemaker and the Constantine series for HBO Max, and there’s already quite a lot of DC content on the way from Warner Bros. Discovery. Still, it’s unfortunate to see a project like this come and go so quickly. Hopefully the cast and crew are able to get back on their feet and move on to bigger and better things.
Are you surprised to hear that The Wonder Twins is seemingly canceled? Do you think those characters have any sort of future in the DCEU? Let us know in the comments, and make sure to follow us on social media for more!
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