Warner Bros Discovery Has Canceled DC’s ‘Wonder Twins’ Movie At HBO Max As Company Focuses On Theatrical Releases

Does the world of DC Films seem a little schizophrenic at times? Well, that happens when you change leadership seemingly dozens of times over a few years and or when a company is acquired by a larger parent company, as in the case of Discovery and their recent acquisition of Warner Bros. That might be the long way of saying that it sounds like another DC Comics film adaptation may have been axed.

A new report from the Wall Street Street Journal alleges that Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav and his team have decided to scrap the live-action “Wonder Twins” movie. The reasons? For one, it seems like Zaslav has a completely different strategy for the DCEU going forward than the previous regime. Another reason, Zalav reportedly determined that the HBO Max film’s hefty budget of $75 million-plus was “too big, and its return too limited for a made-for-streaming movie.” [Update: Variety has confirmed the WSJ report].

The old DCEU plan under former WB/HBO Max exec Jason Kilar was trying to build up HBO Max and make several movies not intended for theatrical release, and instead premiere on streaming only. Zaslav seems to have scrapped that idea entirely. According to the report, the CEO wants Warner Bros to increase its theatrical release to 20-25 films a year which means that making expensive HBO Max original films would become a conflict (last year WB released 17 theatrical movies)

The report also says that theatrical movies tend to perform better on HBO Max than movies made exclusively for the streaming service. All of it is a sign that the new leadership understands traditional theaters are still moneymakers. This new report of a canceled “Wonder Twins” backs up a previous rumor from That Hashtag Show from earlier this month.

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Timing is everything. Obviously, in this case, it’s good and or bad, depending on your perspective. The Playlist very recently spoke with “Wonder Twins” actress Isabel May (1883) for The Bingeworthy Podcast (before any rumors surfaced) and she shared her excitement about a DC film that now no longer sounds like it’s happening.

“I’m so excited to work with [writer/director Adam] Sztykiel and Marty Bowen, who’s a producer on it – this is his project just as much as Adam’s, and it’s just really cool to be a part of that world,” she said. “I love learning about certain characters, so I’ve read all [of the comics]. I know they’re kind of the butt of the joke, sort of thing, but that’s what’s so fun about it is you can kind of go anywhere with it. And so I’ve read all of the comic books that they’re in and even watched the show [‘Super Friends’], and it’s not that, OK? It’s a different era, and we’re kind of doing a different thing.”

May was also unfamiliar with the quirky, obscure DC heroes, “I’d never heard of them, to be honest. And I’m someone who is more of a Japanese Anime/Manga lover myself. I could talk all day about that, but not necessarily Marvel or DC Comics. I don’t want to lie – it’s just the truth, but I have learned everything there is to know about the Wonder Twins now. What I’m thrilled about – I guess I can’t really say anything, but I think [the approach] is really unique and fun.”  

Warner Bros. Discovery also wants to make more movies like Todd Phillips‘ R-rated billion-dollar hit “Joker” and wants to prioritize a new “Superman” film. It’s unclear if more DC Comics projects in development will also get shelved under Zaslav’s team, but this could be just the beginning, especially for projects not fully developed that new leadership could decide don’t align with their new creative strategy.