DC's New Gods and The Trench Movies Not Moving Forward at Warner Bros.

The landscape of DC Comics-inspired films has evolved in some significant ways over the years, [...]

The landscape of DC Comics-inspired films has evolved in some significant ways over the years, with an ever-evolving roster of projects inspired by the iconic publisher's heroes and villains. According to a new report from The Hollywood Reporter, two DC projects that have been in development at Warner Bros. for quite some time are currently not moving forward. In a statement from Warner Bros. and DC on Thursday, it was confirmed that both Ava DuVernay's New Gods movie and the Aquaman spinoff The Trench are dead for the time being. The report does clarify that the door is open for both films to be brought to fruition at a later date.

"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 in a statement. "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."

According to sources cited in the report, the decision was made as Warner Bros. is trying to build an upcoming slate of DC movies and HBO Max shows, and the studio determined there was not "a natural spot" for either film in the coming future. With New Gods, one determining factor was apparently the recent appearance of Darkseid and other characters from that corner of the universe in Zack Snyder's Justice League, with the report indicating that "there was a desire to have space between" the recently-released HBO Max film and any future appearances. For The Trench, it seems like Warner Bros. is choosing to instead focus on the upcoming Aquaman 2, but would potentially revisit the project if there is a desire to expand on that world later on. The project was reportedly also considered for an HBO Max exclusive debut at one point or another.

New Gods, which DuVernay has officially been attached to since 2018, would follow the residents of New Genesis and Apokolips, two twin planets that are engaged in an epic cosmic war. DuVernay had been working on the script with Batman and Mister Miracle writer Tom King.

"I feel like I have this genius, Jack Kirby, who created this [series] and this genius Ava DuVernay," King explained in an interview previously. "I see them as parallel figures, both taking their uniquely American backgrounds and using them to push American art forward into places it's never been before. I feel like it's job to bring those two geniuses to together and to make it work."

The Trench, meanwhile, was announced in early 2019, and would have been produced by Aquaman director James Wan alongside his collaborator Peter Safran. The film would have taken a monster horror movie-driven approach to the deep sea monsters, who were first introduced in a standout sequence in Aquaman.

What do you think of New Gods and The Trench not moving forward (for now) at Warner Bros.? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

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