Wonder Woman 3 and Man of Steel 2 reportedly in trouble as DC prepares for another shake-up

As DC’s new head honchos James Gunn and Peter Safran finalise their strategy for the future of the franchise, the planned sequels to Wonder Woman 1984 and Man of Steel are reportedly in jeopardy.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the duo are set to meet with Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav next week, when they’ll lay out their plans for the next half-decade of DC movies and TV shows. Those plans are apparently still a work-in-progress, but THR’s sources suggest there are a few potential paths they’re considering – and there’s one certainty among all of them.

That is seemingly the demise of Wonder Woman 3, the planned sequel to 2020’s Wonder Woman 1984, which would have seen the return of director Patty Jenkins and star Gal Gadot. Multiple sources have allegedly told THR that the movie isn’t moving forward ‘in its current incarnation’, which was based on a script co-written by Jenkins and Geoff Johns, because it ‘did not fit in with the new (but still unfolding) plans’.

Image: Warner Bros.

One potential course Gunn and Safran are apparently considering for the rest of the DCEU is to continue closing down Snyderverse projects – that is, those featuring stars and characters introduced for or in the build-up to 2017’s Justice League – such as Man of Steel 2 and any future Aquaman films. Both Henry Cavill and Jason Momoa were set to cameo in next year’s The Flash as Superman and Aquaman respectively, but could apparently still be removed if the studio decides not to move forward with their characters after all.

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As recently as October, Cavill announced on Instagram that he was ‘back as Superman’, following his cameo in DC’s most recent silver screen outing, Black Adam. Warner Bros. then began developing a direct sequel to 2013’s Man of Steel, meeting with writers and tilting the entire slate towards one more run through the Snyderverse actors, potentially culminating in another Justice League movie. All those plans are seemingly now off the table, though, under the guiding hands of Gunn and Safran.

A potential sequel to Black Adam is ‘also unlikely’, reports THR. Despite the efforts of leading man Dwayne Johnson to gee up excitement around the movie, it’s floundering at the box office, and will apparently struggle to break even on its full production and marketing costs. (Sources disagree: Variety reports it’s losing $50 million theatrically, while Johnson claims it’s actually $50 million in the black.)

Image: Warner Bros.

While Momoa’s portrayal of Arthur Curry may not extend past 2023’s Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, his involvement with DC could stretch beyond that character, as the actor is reportedly being considered for the role of Lobo. But another path forward could be leaving behind any and all baggage from the current slate of DCEU films, says THR – though what that means for Shazam! Fury of the Gods (debuting March 2023) and Blue Beetle (August 2023) isn’t clear at this stage.

There’s also the question of whether DC will aim for a universe of interconnected stories, like Marvel, or continue to operate with multiple parallel storylines. According to THR, Matt Reeves’ The Batman series – led by Robert Pattinson as Bruce Wayne – will at least continue as planned, untouched by Gunn and Safran’s plans. (Whatever those might be.)

While this all sounds like potentially grave news for the equally-floundering LEGO DC theme, if Gunn and Safran’s shake-up does chart a course for a better-established and more successful DC Extended Universe on the silver screen, we could eventually see a proper resurgence of Batman, Superman, Aquaman, Wonder Woman and more. Or we could just get another LEGO Lobo…

Featured image: Warner Bros.

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Author Profile

Chris Wharfe
I like to think of myself as a journalist first, LEGO fan second, but we all know that’s not really the case. Journalism does run through my veins, though, like some kind of weird literary blood – the sort that will no doubt one day lead to a stress-induced heart malfunction. It’s like smoking, only worse. Thankfully, I get to write about LEGO until then.

Chris Wharfe

I like to think of myself as a journalist first, LEGO fan second, but we all know that’s not really the case. Journalism does run through my veins, though, like some kind of weird literary blood – the sort that will no doubt one day lead to a stress-induced heart malfunction. It’s like smoking, only worse. Thankfully, I get to write about LEGO until then.

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