Writer and director Ava DuVernay strongly implies that Warner Bros. canceled her DCEU film, Marvel's Eternals. Although the New Gods and the Eternals exist in separate continuities owned by two rival companies, the books shared many thematic and aesthetic similarities, such as the titular characters of both franchises comprising an immortal race of god-like beings.
Unfortunately, Warner Bros. announced earlier this year that DuVernay's New Gods would not be moving forward at the studio. While no explicit reasons were given at the time, some speculated that the narrative overlap between New Gods and Zack Snyder's Justice League may have played a role in the former's abrupt cancellation. Before DuVernay and Tom King could finish penning the script, Snyder had already incorporated many key aspects of New Gods' lore into his new cut of Justice League including the Mother Boxes, the Anti-Life Equation, and – arguably the most famous New God – Darkseid.
DuVernay may have subtly confirmed this theory in a recent interview with the Radio Andy show (via SiriusXM). She says Warner Bros. "axed" New Gods "based on some things that were going on with another film in that world." At the time of writing, Zack Snyder's Justice League is the only film in the DCEU to have touched on New Gods lore to any substantial extent. As such, it's highly likely that the "another film" she references is Snyder's. Check out the clip below:
Despite New Gods' cancellation, Warner Bros. made it clear that the project would remain in DuVernay and Kings' hands if it were to move forward in the future. It seems that the studio is currently focused on fleshing out their most iconic heroes first (as evidenced by the slate of projects centered on Batman, the Flash, and Aquaman) before expanding into their more esoteric cosmic lore. Ideally, the duo would return if the studio chooses to pursue the New Gods in the future.
However, the studio may have dodged a bullet by scrapping New Gods. The review embargo for Marvel Studios' film Eternals recently lifted, resulting in what may become the MCU's first "rotten" rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Given the similar subject matter between the two franchises, it's possible that Jack Kirby's mythic sci-fi epics may just be too difficult to adapt for film. Warner Bros. has also shown no interest in continuing Zack Snyder's vision for the DC universe, so it makes sense that the Snyder Cut would have been a key reason behind New Gods getting canceled. In any case, considering the work that DuVernay and King have already invested into the project, hopefully, the movie will one day come to fruition.
Source: SiriusXM
