Three months after it was announced in February, the Wonder Twins DCEU movie for HBO Max has been canceled by Warner Bros. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the leadership of Warner Bros. Discovery felt the film was “too niche.” Moreover, the leadership is imposing a mandate that all DC projects be done with a theatrical-first goal in mind. This is part of the recent DC overhaul reported in April. It’s also been reported that the movie was looking at a $75 million budget, which goes far beyond CEO David Zaslav’s rule of not exceeding $35 million for HBO Max originals. The Wonder Twins movie was set to begin production in January, and KJ Apa and Isabel May were to portray Zan and Jayna, respectively.
The Wonder Twins Movie Won’t Be the Last Cancelation
Another insider told The Hollywood Reporter, “A lot of things that were developed are going to go away,” meaning we can expect to hear about more projects being canceled soon. This does not come as a surprise, as a DC overhaul and change in strategy have been rumored for about a month. Zaslav reportedly feels like overbudget projects as HBO Max originals don’t add enough value or generate enough subscribers. On the other hand, theatrical projects like The Batman have done an excellent job generating subscribers for the service. Zaslav’s mindset would explain why Blue Beetle is now getting a theatrical release and why Batgirl may soon follow the same route. Both were intended as HBO Max originals.
Zaslav has been making significant changes since the Warner Bros. Discovery takeover, including canceling the streaming service CNN Plus one month after its release. The canceling of the Wonder Twins movie is Zaslav’s latest cut, and it looks like more are on the way.
Are you disappointed that Warner Bros. has canceled the Wonder Twins movie? What else do you expect from Warner Bros. Discovery’s DC overhaul? Share your thoughts on The Nerd Stash Facebook page and @TheNerdStash on Twitter.
