Warner Bros. will not be moving forward with NewGods, the Ava DuVernay-directed film based on the comic created by the late legendary artist Jack Kirby, and James Wan’s Aquaman spinoff The Trench, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
“As part of our DC slate, some legacy development titles including New Gods and The Trench will not be moving forward,” Warner Bros. and DC said. “We thank our partners Ava DuVernay, Tom King, James Wan and Peter Safran for their time and collaboration during this process and look forward to our continued partnership with them on other DC stories. The projects will remain in their skillful hands if they were to move forward in the future.”
The last line appears to suggest that there’s a glimmer of hope that these projects could get a second life at some point down the road. For now, DuVernay took to Twitter to express optimism about one day working with Ray Porter, the actor behind DC villain Darkseid, and thank Tom King for helping her write the script for New Gods.
Anticipation for New Gods grew in July 2019 when DuVernay confirmed in a tweet that Darkseid would be appearing in her film. Even though New Gods didn’t work out, the When They See Us director is still working on the DC series Naomi for The CW, assumably as part of the $100 million multi-year deal she signed with Warner Bros. TV a few years back.
Wan was set to produce The Trench with frequent collaborator Peter Safran, but this latest development allows him to devote his attention on the sequel to Aquaman, which is expected to begin shooting later this year.
