Sorry, Wonder Twins, a feature film is one form you can’t take. First reported by That Hashtag Show, and then Wall Street Journal, it seems that the Wonder Twins movie that was in development for HBO Max has been shelved. This comes just weeks after it was announced that KJ Apa (Riverdale) and Isabel May (1883) had signed on to star as Zan and Jayna, the titular Wonder Twins.
Why was the Wonder Twins movie shelved when production was slated to begin this summer? Well, it turns out that the project is a casualty of the merger between Warner Bros. and Discovery. The new CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery, David Zaslav, is changing the “programming strategy” for HBO Max and has pledged to cut $3 billion in costs. Zaslav decided that the estimated $75 million budget of Wonder Twins was too pricey to spend on a movie for the streaming service. Other sources have said that the Wonder Twins movie was “too niche” and that all DC movies should now be made with a theatrical release goal in mind.
The Wonder Twins movie was set to be written and directed by Adam Sztykiel, who has served as a writer on Rampage, Scoob!, as well as Dwayne Johnson’s upcoming Black Adam movie. Zan and Jayna, the Wonder Twins, first appeared in Hanna-Barbera’s animated series The All-New Super Friends Hour in 1977 and went on to join the larger DC Universe. The extraterrestrial twins are able to activate their superpowers by touching hands and saying, “Wonder Twin powers, activate!” Jayna can transform into any animal with Zan able to become water in any state. The twins also have a pet space monkey named Gleek who helps them out. I’m not sure how many people were eagerly awaiting a Wonder Twins movie, but is anyone sad to see the project shelved?