While yesterday’s DC Studios “Chapter 1” film and TV slate announcement did give a surprising amount of information about what the studio is working on moving forward, it didn’t answer all of the questions fans have. In fact, it didn’t answer some of the biggest questions, namely what’s going to happen to the A-listers who previously played some of these massive characters in previous films? Well, James Gunn and Peter Safran, co-CEOs of DC Studios, did answer some questions about that (via io9), but their answers might not give the clarity folks might be searching for.
While we do know the fate of some actors from previous DC films (sorry, Henry Cavill), the lack of announcement regarding new “Aquaman” and “Wonder Woman” films was definitely noticeable. Sure, the “Wonder Woman” franchise is getting a prequel series, “Paradise Lost,” but what about Gal Gadot, who has captured the hearts of millions of fans as the true Wonder Woman?
“We’ve talked to Gal [Gadot]. She’s up for doing stuff. We’re not sure what we’re going to do with that,” explained Gunn. “All I can tell you really right now is Henry [Cavill] and Ben [Affleck] are not part of this universe.”
Interestingly, in another part of the interview, he was asked about the previous films in the DC universe and he had some harsh words about the state of the “Wonder Woman” franchise. He went through a lot of what was wrong with the previous films and said, “And we have ‘Wonder Woman’ and we have ‘Wonder Woman [1984]’, which doesn’t even match what happened in ‘Wonder Woman 1.’”
So, if you take that for what it’s worth, it appears Gunn is no fan of the current state of ‘WW’ after the release of ‘WW 1984.’
He would go on to confirm some returning cast members from previous DC projects, including Viola Davis as Amanda Waller and John Cena as Peacemaker. This makes sense considering “Waller,” the new show starring Davis is said to be a spinoff of “Peacemaker” and will feature cast members from the latter.
As for one of the biggest question marks, Jason Momoa, the star of the “Aquaman” franchise, it’s still unclear what his role might be in the DCU moving forward. One thing is for certain, the actor will only get one role and won’t do double-duty as Aquaman and Lobo, as some fans have been hoping for.
“Jason will not play two characters,” said Gunn.
Safran added, “Jason always thought ‘Aquaman’ was a trilogy, in his own mind. But he also loves Lobo. He’s been very clear about that, too. He’s never going to play two characters, but…”
“We’ll figure it out after ‘Aquaman 2,’” concluded Gunn.
So, if you’re keeping score at home, it sounds as if Gal Gadot is a question mark, as is Jason Momoa. We already saw Safran talk about Ezra Miller, providing very little information there, as well. The only definites we have, at this point, is some of the “Peacemaker”/“The Suicide Squad” folks are safe, but Cavill and Ben Affleck are definitely gone.
Obviously, we can glean from the announcement that the new DCU isn’t a total reboot of the previous continuity, but it’s clear, at least in terms of the major roles (Batman, Superman, etc…), Gunn and Safran are looking for fresh faces, which doesn’t leave much room for Gadot, Momoa, and Miller. But we’ll just have to wait and see, after 2023 specifically, to see what happens.
