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Credit: Warner Bros. / DCGal Gadot may have pitched an idea or revealed a bit of news that was premature. A new expose about the state of DC and Aquaman 2 has indicated that James Gunn and Peter Safran are doing what they should have done a long time ago by killing the entire DCEU.
Related: 9 Perfect Fan Castings for James Gunn’s DCU
Gunn has been facing an uphill battle with the recent releases under the DCEU timeline. Shazam 2, The Flash, and Blue Beetle were all box office failures, with the former two being the worst ones. Instead of allowing more of this storyline to go on, it appears that Gunn is finally breaking everything off. This might upset fans who wanted to see Gadot and Ben Affleck return, but that will no longer happen.
A new expose from Variety indicated plenty of trouble behind the scenes for Aquaman 2, which most fans already knew about. The fact that the petition to get Amber Heard kicked off the movie reached a staggering 4.6 million signatures indicates that this movie might join the last DCEU titles and be a box office bomb.
Heard also openly stated that her role as Mera was parsed down to next to nothing while in court with her ex-husband, Johnny Depp. This fact was left unaddressed for nearly two years until Aquaman 2 director James Wan stated it wasn’t true just a short month ago. To add to even more drama, this new report indicated that the production for the film had been a mess from the start, with rumors that Jason Momoa showed up on set dressed as Johnny Depp and did everything to get Heard kicked off the movie.
Naturally, we imagine that this put a severe stranglehold on James Gunn warming up to the idea of keeping around anyone from the torrid DCEU. It appears that the final straw has been made, as Variety confirmed that none of the DCEU stars will return.
The DCEU Officially Over, Gal Gadot Will Not Return
In fact, none of the stars cast by Zack Snyder for 2016’s “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” and 2017’s “Justice League” — including Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Gal Gadot, Ezra Miller and Momoa — will reprise their roles in the new DC universe in character. Momoa may return, just not as Aquaman. Sources say the actor has engaged in talks to play Lobo, either in the 2025 reboot “Superman: Legacy,” written and directed by Gunn, or in a standalone film.”
We reported many times that Jason Momoa was attached to the role of Lobo, which most fans hoped would happen. It makes sense that he would be asked back, especially for a part he was born to play.
The sad news is that Gal Gadot appears to be collateral damage. Strangely, she had openly reported in early August that James Gunn, Peter Safran, and herself were developing Wonder Woman 3 together. In an exclusive interview with Comicbook.com, she stated, “I love portraying Wonder Woman. It’s so close to and dear to my heart. From what I heard from James and from Peter is that we’re gonna develop a Wonder Woman 3 together.”
Variety, Deadline, and many other publications almost immediately shot down that news. Still, industry insiders were convinced that Gadot would be the only surviving DCEU actor to return. That is no longer the case, as confirmed by Variety.
James Gunn has been dealing with nothing but drama since it was announced that he would be taking over the DC Films division. Though fans wanted Gal Gadot, Henry Cavill, and Ben Affleck to return to their respective roles, we understand why a completely clean slate is needed.
Related: James Gunn Confirms Fate of Ezra Miller in the DCU
Gunn must distance himself from the DCEU, and his DCU must stand independently without relying on past stars. We loved Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman, but it’s time to usher in a new era of DC. One that will not result in tons of negative press and box office bombs.
What do you think of Gal Gadot being removed from the DCU? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!