Four years ago, HBO Max announced plans for a live-action “Wonder Twins” movie based on the DC Comics property. “Black Adam” writer Adam Sztykiel was attached to write and direct.
The title was planned as a direct-to-streaming launch along with the “Batgirl” movie. “Riverdale” leading man KJ Apa and “Scream 7” actress Isabel May were set to star in the lead roles.
The pair would’ve played alien siblings Zan and Jayna – she can transform into any animal, while he can change into water in any state. The pair also had a pet crime-fighting monkey named Gleek in a film that was said to have a comedic tone.
The film’s development was short-lived, though, as David Zaslav took charge at Warner Bros. Discovery and the film became one of several features scrapped in development.
Out promoting “Scream 7,” May spoke with EW about how things went down with the project’s cancellation:
“Most things fall apart, and you have to be okay with that. You have to be capable of just taking the punch on the chin, standing back up, walking forward, stepping into the next one.
I was not familiar with that whole world of DC and all that stuff. People told me it was a big gig, and I went with it. I thought it was actually really funny, and I really liked the creative team behind it. I’ve worked with KJ since then. He was just a gem of a human, and I adore him.
You get flown out, you try on costumes, and suddenly, like a week after the announcement, you get a call from the director saying, ‘Well, David Zaslav is in power now, and all of these things have shifted, and he doesn’t wanna do this film.
And, like, I get it. I’m not upset about it or anything. I get it. It’s just the way that the business functions and it’s all OK, but you suddenly [realise] this thing you that was gonna be a part of your future for a certain amount of time is suddenly just not there. So now you have to reassess.”
The characters, best known for their fist-bumping and “Wonder Twin Powers, Activate” catchphrase, have appeared in live-action before on The CW’s “Smallville” and “The Flash”.
