We knew James Gunn and Peter Safran’s reimagining of the DC Extended Universe was going to be a shake-up, but now we’re really starting to see how it’s going to take shape. None of the Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice or Justice League stars — yes, that means Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Gal Gadot, Ezra Miller, or Jason Momoa — will reprise their roles in the new DC Universe as Gunn and Safran reboot the studio, according to a report from Variety.
As of now, we’ve already got our replacement for Henry Cavill’s Superman, but the most of the other characters are up in the air. David Corenswet, who is best-known for his work in Ti West’s Pearl and Ryan Murphy’s Hollywood series for Netflix, will be taking over as Superman alongside Rachel Brosnihan as Lois Lane for Gunn’s 2025 film Superman: Legacy back in June.
That said, we might know a little bit about Aquaman star Momoa's future in Gunn's overall vision. Though the actor has thus far only played Aquaman within the comic landscape, he is reportedly in talks to play Lobo as the DCU changes hands.
The actor has been rumored to be playing the somewhat villianous character for some time now, but what's new in today's reporting is that he's being eyed to play the character either in Superman: Legacy, which will kick off Gunn's DCU on the big screen in 2025, or in a standalone film. Lobo is a fan-favorite, an alien from the planet Czarnia and a fierce bounty hunter who, despite killing all the other inhabitants of his world, actually has a bit of a good heart.
Today's news is also a little discouraging, however, for fans of Gadot's Wonder Woman, whose future has been unclear. In August, Gadot claimed that Wonder Woman 3, which was previously in the works but fell apart, would be coming under Gunn and Safran's revamp after all. Later that month, Variety reported that Wonder Woman 3 wasn't actually in development, although that didn't count out Gadot appearing as the character in other movies and TV shows.
In the meantime, a couple of other actors will also keep their parts in Gunn’s new turn. Viola Davis, who was featured as squad boss Amanda Waller in both recent Suicide Squad attempts, will continue in her role in next year’s Max series Waller, which was previously confirmed. According to Variety, she may even reprise her role yet again in the upcoming Superman project. Actor-wrestler John Cena will also return to lead Peacemaker, the Max series whose second season is currently being written by Gunn. Gunn also recently clarified that Xolo Maridueña will continue to playing Blue Beetle in some capacity.
All in all, it seems like Gunn and Safran mean business when it comes to turning over a new page in the comic for DC’s film legacy. Let’s see if these upcoming castings prove to be in support of a brighter future.
Lex Briscuso is a film and television critic and a freelance entertainment writer for IGN. You can follow her on Twitter at @nikonamerica.
