A few months ago, we learned that HBO Max and DC were developing a Wonder Twins film which surprised a lot of fans as they didn't expect them to get a feature treatment. Things were seemingly moving forward as they cast the actors who will play the titular roles. However, earlier this month, we eventually learned that the project has been canceled and now we finally know why.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the cancellation of the Wonder Twins film for HBO Max was a result of the new leadership at Warner Bros. Discovery. CEO David Zaslav is imposing a mandate that DC movies should now be made with a theatrical-first goal. The project was seen as "too niche" during its conception which is why it didn't move to the theatrical slate.
In addition, there were also budgetary reasons. The project, which had a $75 million budget, was considered too high. Zaslav wants all HBO Max original films to be budgeted around $35 million and under as he concluded that higher-budgeted offerings do not add enough value to the service while theatrical-first films have done a gangbusters job of attracting subscribers.
It is not surprising to hear the reason behind the film's cancellation. After all, unlike most DC characters that are being adapted to the big screen, the announcement of the Wonder Twins project was met with very mixed reactions from fans who are confused about why they are getting a feature film treatment as they are considered "too weird" even to those who are big DC Comics fans.
The report did say that DC feature projects will now have a theatrical-first goal which might explain why Blue Beetle is now a theatrical release instead of an HBO Max release as originally intended. This might also be a good sign that Batgirl, which is still set for HBO Max release as of the moment, could move to the Warner Bros. theatrical slate soon. Let's just wait and see if that will happen.
Also Read: DC's Legends of Tomorrow and Batwoman: Real Reason Revealed for Arrowverse Shows Cancellation
In case you're not familiar, the Wonder Twins are a pair of alien siblings named Zan and Jayna. They became known for their appearances in the Hanna-Barbera animated series The All-New Super Friends Hour before they were incorporated into the larger DC Universe in the comics.
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