Originally planned as an HBO Max exclusive, The Wonder Twins was to star Isabel May and be written by Black Adam scribe Adam Sztykiel.
The merger of Warner Bros. with Discovery resulted in an instant shift in the company’s production landscape. It looks like one of the casualties of the changes at the top is the Wonder Twins movie, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The film was slated to shoot this summer and head to HBO Max next year. Starring 1883’s Isabel May and Riverdale’s KJ Apa as the titular DC duo, the film was to be written and directed by Black Adam co-writer Adam Sztykiel and was to bring the characters to life in a very different from the 1970s. Hanna- Barbera cartoon that inspired the comic book characters.
Despite rumors that the Wonder Twins movie would be shelved, the allegations were denied until earlier this month, but the fate of the project has not been confirmed for “several weeks”. The main reason for the cancellation appears to be a change in direction for the Warner Bros. release. DC since merging with Discovery, with new CEO David Zaslav pushing for all DC movies to aim for theatrical release and not head straight to HBO Max in the future. Although this seemed to lead the likes of Blue Beetle to head to theaters, the Wonder Twins were considered “too niche” to have any chance of being a theatrical success. With other rumors suggesting the film’s budget was another big deal, it seems the Wonder Twins would have needed a miracle to stay in contention to get the cameras rolling in July as planned.
Isabel May was thrilled to be a part of The Wonderful Twins Film
The Wonderful Twins were originally part of the cartoon series The All New Super Friends Hour, but DC Comics later adapted the alien siblings into their world. Although the characters are pretty obscure compared to all the other superheroes brought to the big and small screen recently, Isabel May was eager to help bring the duo to a wider audience. Speaking on The Playlist’s The Bingeworthy podcast, May said:
“I am so excited to work with [Sztykiel] and Marty Bowen, who’s the producer – it’s his project as much as Adam’s, and it’s really cool to be a part of that world. I like to learn about certain characters, so I read everything [of the comics]. I know they’re kind of the butt of the joke, sort of, but that’s what’s so fun is that you can go anywhere with them. And so I read all the comics they’re in and even watched the show [‘Super Friends’], and that’s not it, okay? It’s a different time, and we’re doing something different. “I had never heard of them, to be honest. And I myself am someone who is more of a Japanese Anime/Manga lover. I could talk about this all day, but not necessarily Marvel or DC Comics. I don’t mean to lie – it’s just the truth, but I’ve learned everything there is to know about the Wonder Twins now. Which I’m delighted with – I guess I can’t really say anything, but I think [the approach] is really unique and fun.
Later in the podcast, May was asked if she had ever seen any costume designs for her character Jayna, to which she replied, “Not yet. I’m almost there. It’s a long process. It seems to be a long process that the actress was destined not to complete. With so many DC shows canceled on The CW in the past week, the cancellation of this project is just another blow to DC Comics fans.
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