‘New Gods’ and ‘Aquaman’ Spin-Off ‘The Trench’ Cancelled by DC Films

Just to be clear: Mr. Mxyzptlk is not on the board of directors at Warner Bros, nor is he responsible for the whimsical, unpredictable moves at DC Films, although you wouldn’t know it based on DC’s handling of their film properties.

As has become the norm at DC, change is always in the air, and Variety was the first to report that both New Gods and The Trench have been cancelled by the studio.

The director of New Gods, Ava DuVernay, took to twitter to thank fans for their support of the now cancelled project as well as some of her collaborators, such as Miracle Man and New Gods co-script writer Tom King.

Tom, I loved writing NEW GODS with you. I’m upset that the saga of Barda, Scott, Granny, Highfather and The Furies ends this way. Diving into Kirby’s Fourth World was the adventure of a lifetime. That can’t be taken away. Thank you for your friendship. And remember… #DarkseidIs pic.twitter.com/XyyIjcB8Wv

— Ava DuVernay (@ava) April 1, 2021

King also responded to a tweet by DuVernay and the man who portrayed a version of Darkseid in Zack Snyder’s Justice League, calling both of them “class acts”.

Two class acts. https://t.co/tVY6y6qiiE

— Tom King (@TomKingTK) April 1, 2021

Meanwhile, under the sea, James Wan’s Aquaman spin-off The Trench was thrown away like day-old tuna, putting an end to DC’s first horror-tinged superhero film.

The studio did suggest “…it may revive these projects at a later date, and DuVernay and Wan would effectively have right of first refusal to continue with them. Both filmmakers are also staying within the DC fold: DuVernay is developing the teen superhero show Naomi for the CW, and Wan is preparing to direct Aquaman 2 for Warner Bros.”

WarnerMedia Studios CEO Ann Sarnoff was quoted in a interview with Variety in March where she stated that “We want different voices in the mix. For certain fans that want singular voices, they may be disappointed, but we would ask them to be patient and see what we’ve got in store because perhaps the newer voices in the mix will have just as compelling stories to tell.”

It appeared that New Gods and The Trench would have followed Sarnoff’s new edict, and it will be interesting to see how the remaining slate of DC films fare with this direction, including the theater-ready The Suicide Squad 2 and The Batman and upcoming projects The Flash, Black Adam, Blue Beetle, and Static Shock.

Stay tuned to Conskipper for more DC movie news, and changes, as they are inevitably announced.