It’s no surprise that a reboot of the DC superhero film universe would result in some established actors losing their roles. We already got confirmation that Ben Affleck and Henry Cavill would be left out of James Gunn’s plans for the DCU. (Cavill’s replacement has already been named—David Corenswet.) But the folks at DC Studios and WB have been less forthcoming with news regarding what would happen to actors such as Gal Gadot, Jason Momoa, and Ezra Miller. Well, it appears the long-assumed reality is true—everyone is leaving.
According to a new report from Variety, Gal Gadot, Jason Momoa, and Ezra Miller are joining Ben Affleck and Henry Cavill as former DC superhero actors. In the case of Momoa, while he won’t be returning as Aquaman, there are still ongoing talks about him taking on the role of the character Lobo in the future. (The report claims he could even be part of the upcoming “Superman: Legacy,” which is the film that fully showcases the new rebooted universe.)
READ MORE: What The Failure Of ‘The Flash’ Means To James Gunn’s New DC Studios And Its Future
Again, this isn’t really all that shocking. When the reboot news was revealed, those big names were absent from the announcement. The only reason why Affleck and Cavill were revealed to be gone is because Gunn had new ‘Batman’ and ‘Superman’ films planned. And when people were asked about new ‘Wonder Woman,’ ‘Flash,’ and ‘Aquaman’ movies, the stock response always was, “We’ll just wait and see what happens.” Now, as 2023 is beginning to wrap up, and we’ve seen multiple DC films bomb at the box office, it’s clear DC Studios wants a fresh start. (Well, minus the fact that James Gunn still wants his “Peacemaker” and “The Suicide Squad” actors to stick around.)
This news seemingly contradicts recent interviews with Gal Gadot, where she (not so subtly) asserted that DC Studios was developing a new ‘Wonder Woman’ film with her attached. That doesn’t seem to be the case any longer. The Ezra Miller news isn’t very shocking at all, considering “The Flash” is the biggest of the bombs for DC this year, and Miller is a radioactive star at the moment. (The studio desperately didn’t want to discuss Miller during the promotional cycle for “The Flash,” which is understandable considering the actor’s legal issues.)
All that to say, none of this is the most shocking thing you’ll read all day, but it does seem to be finally true—the Snyderverse and its actors are no more. Now, we’ll see what James Gunn can do with a near-full reboot.