It would be foolish to claim that Academy Award-nominated, Golden Globe-shortlisted, and Primetime Emmy-winning filmmaker Ava DuVernay isn’t a top-tier talent, but history has shown that her skills maybe aren’t best suited to the world of DC.
Even though she’s only been attached to a pair of the comic book company’s projects, the success rate is nonetheless zero. DuVernay spent years trying to hammer a New Gods movie into shape that would fit into the established DCEU, only for the villain-centric blockbuster to ultimately end up being canceled outright.
On the small screen, she served as the co-creator and executive producer of The CW’s Naomi, which made the bold move of ending its first season on a major cliffhanger before being axed after a solitary 13-episode run. The writer, director, and producer signed a mammoth $100 million development deal with Warner Bros. back in 2018, but with the contract set to expire in the near future, Deadline has brought word that it won’t be renewed or extended.
It’s noted that there were no behind the scenes disagreements and the split was amicable, but it just goes to show that even the best and brightest Hollywood has to offer can get bogged down in trying to tackle DC head-on. Not to name any J.J. Abrams or Bad Robot in particular, but history has already shown that handing a proven and acclaimed creative team carte blanche on multiple potential titles set in the vast superhero universe can often lead to disappointment, disaster, and more often than not nothing.