Ava DuVernay Responds to DC Universe Series 'New Gods' Cancellation

Ava DuVernay and James Wan's films are no longer in development at Warner Bros.

On Thursday, multiple outlets reported that New Gods and The Trench, respectively created by Ava DuVernay and James Wan, were no longer in production at Warner Bros. Studios. The Oscar and Golden Globe award-winning filmmaker spoke glowingly about working with Tom King on the project.

"I loved writing New Gods with you," she wrote. "I'm upset that the saga of Barda, Scott, Granny, Highfather and the Furies ends this way. Diving into Kirby's Fourth World was the adventure of a lifetime. That can't be taken away. Thank you for your friendship."

In a statement to the press, Warner Bros. said it looked forward to a continued partnership with the writers, and assure viewers that the two series "will remain in their skillful hands if they were to move forward in the future." DuVernay had been developing the project since 2018. Currently, she's working on the DC series Naomi for the CW.

"As part of our DC slate," the statement said, "some legacy titles will not be moving forward. We thank our partners Ava DuVernay, Tom King, James Wan and Peter Safran for their time and collaboration during this process."

New Gods would have been the DC Universe's introduction to the villain Darkseid, who rival the New Gods of the planet New Genesis. The Trench was an Aquaman spinoff focused on the kingdom the titular character joined in the 2018 film.

Stay tuned for further updates on Ava DuVernay and the DC Cinematic Universe.