It’s official…Ava DuVernay will be stepping into the DC universe!
The filmmaker has jumped on board to direct New Gods at Warner Bros. as part of the studio’s DC Extended Universe. New Gods is based on the DC Comics series of the same name, and is aimed at creating a new universe of properties for the studio. The comic was designed and created by Jack Kirby and was first released in 1971.
“Our dreams make us large.”
Thank you, #JackKirby. pic.twitter.com/gv3SiccV6a
— Ava DuVernay (@ava) March 15, 2018
This film is the next major superhero tent pole to be directed by a woman, following another DC property: Patty Jenkins’ Wonder Woman.
DuVernay recently directed Disney’s A Wrinkle in Time, becoming the first woman of color in Hollywood to helm a live-action film with a production budget over $100 million.
The New Gods are natives of the twin planets of New Genesis and Apokolips. New Genesis is an idyllic planet ruled by the Highfather, while Apokolips is a dystopia filled with machinery and fire pits ruled by the tyrant Darkseid. Residents of New Genesis and Apokolips call themselves gods, living outside of normal time and space in a realm known as the Fourth World. We’ve already seen what may come from the Fourth World in Justice League as Steppenwolf, Parademons, and the Mother Boxes all originated from there.
Half a dozen “New Gods” series have been published following the original. The most recent came during DC’s New 52 relaunch back in 2011.
DuVernay also directed the Oscar-nominated documentary 13th and the civil-rights drama Selma. She is also the creator and executive producer of the OWN series, Queen Sugar.
New Gods would be a major addition to the DC Extended Universe, which Warner Bros. launched in 2013 to take advantage of the massive DC library and compete with Disney’s Marvel Cinematic Universe. The DCEU started off with Man of Steel, and was followed by Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Suicide Squad, Wonder Woman, and Justice League.
Aquaman, starring Jason Momoa, is the next title in the DC Extended Universe, set for release on Dec. 21. The studio is also moving ahead with a “Wonder Woman” sequel with Gal Gadot and director Jenkins returning, and a Shazam film directed by David F. Sandberg and starring Zachary Levi.
