Two previously announced DC Studios projects have been placed on indefinite hold by HBO, according to Wednesday report by Variety. An anonymous source confirmed that both the Wonder Woman prequel Paradise Lost and the Amanda Waller spin-off series Waller have ceased development, placing the future of the two series in jeopardy.
The news comes amidst mounting scrutiny towards James Gunn (Guardians of the Galaxy, Movie 43) and Peter Safran’s (The Belko Experiment, Flatliners) vision for the recently-rebooted DC Cinematic Universe, which was officially unveiled in early 2023. While the warm critical reception to last year’s Superman and the Batman spin-off The Penguin initially had fans (and shareholders) optimistic that the company’s decade-long intermittent losing streak was over, 2026 has proven to be yet another trying year for DC projects. Earlier this month, Supergirl ended its run as the worst-performing movie in the company’s history, while Matt Reeves’ sequel to 2022’s The Batman was delayed into 2028. Other projects have struggled to get off the ground; this spring, films based on the character of Sgt. Rock and renegade superhero team The Authority were scrapped due to scripting issues. Just weeks ago, David Jenkins (Our Flag Means Death, People of Earth) confirmed that his version of the Booster Gold series had been added to the studio’s list of cancellations.
Per Variety, Waller began development in May of 2022, about six months before Gunn and Safran were officially brought on as the architects of the new DC Universe. Viola Davis’ iteration of the character — the morally dubious leader of the super-villain black ops unit Task Force X — is one of the few remaining holdovers from the previous DCEU, first appearing in 2016’s Suicide Squad. As two of Gunn’s recent DC projects (Peacemaker and Creature Commandos) have seen Davis reprise her role, it’s possible that Gunn and Safran felt a spin-off series for the character would be redundant.
A cancellation of Paradise Lost would be comparatively more surprising, if only because Gunn and Safran announced the series themselves in January of 2023 (per Variety). Details were scant about the series, except that it would take place on the all-female island of Themyscira — most familiar to audiences as the birthplace of Wonder Woman.
Representatives of DC Studios did not respond to Variety’s request for comment. All extant projects by the studio, including Peacemaker and Creature Commandos, are streaming now on HBO Max.