Wonder Twins Movie Reportedly Scrapped Due to Budgetary Restraints

By Timothy Adams

The Wonder Twins movie being developed for HBO Max has reportedly been scrapped due to its massive budget. Just as fans were learning casting details regarding Wonder Twins, a report from That Hashtag Show came out stating the newly formed Warner Bros. Discovery was cancelling the DC original movie on HBO Max. At the time a reason was given, though there was speculation it had to do with the merger between WarnerMedia and Discovery. However, new details suggest it all came down to budget. David Zaslav, the CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery, confirmed Wonder Twins is not moving forward because its costs didn't warrant the return on investment.

The Wall Street Journal ran a feature on David Zaslav, where the topic of Wonder Twins was discussed. The WSJ states Zaslav's team is undoing some of the projects in development under the old Warner Bros. regime, specifically targeting original movies on HBO Max. With its estimated $75 million-plus budget, Zaslav reportedly determined Wonder Twins was too costly to make compared to a limited return for a made-for-streaming movie. The Hollywood Reporter also reports Warner Bros. Discovery is imposing a mandate that DC movies should be developed for "theatrical-first" releases, and that Wonder Twins was "too niche," according to a source. 

"A lot of things that were developed are going to do away," an insider said. 

This leaves the status of a number of DC original movies on HBO Max up in the air. Leslie Grace, Michael Keaton, J.K. Simmons, and Brendan Fraser star in Batgirl, with rumors swirling that the film could be released in theaters due to the Warner Bros./Discovery merger. Jurnee Smollett is reprising her role as Dinah Lance in a Black Canary movie from her frequent Lovecraft Country and Underground collaborator Misha Green penning the script. For now, there isn't any news on what could happen with Black Canary.

Wonder Twins was set to star Riverdale's K.J. Apa and 1883's Isabel May as the alien siblings Zan and Jayna, twins from the planet Exxor. Zan has the ability to transform into any form of water while Jayna has the ability to transform into any animal — powers that come to life after the pair touch hands and say the iconic catchphrase "Wonder Twin powers, activate!" The pair fight evil both by themselves and with heroes such as the Justice League alongside their monkey sidekick, Gleek. Black Adam and Scoob! alum Adam Sztykiel was lined up to write and direct the project, and the film was to be produced by Marty Bowen and Wyck Godfrey of Temple Hill Productions, which has produced the Twilight films and The Fault in Our Stars.

What do you think of the reasons behind Warner Bros. Discovery scrapping Wonder Twins? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!

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