Tom King, the Eisner Award-winning comic writer whose work includes Mister Miracle and Batman comics, will co-write the screenplay for Warner Bros.' New Gods movie with director Ava DuVernay. The movie is based on the comics created by Jack Kirby in the 1970s, depicting the conflict between the twin planets of New Genesis and Apokolips.
The New Gods movie was first announced, with DuVernay set to direct, in March 2018. DuVernay's 2014 film Selma was nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars, and this week will see the release of her Netflix drama miniseries When They See Us, which is based on the true story of the Central Park Five. When the movie was first announced, Kario Salem (Chasing Mavericks) was said to be writing the movie, but it's unclear if Salem is still involved or if King and DuVernay will be reworking Salem's script.
The Wrap broke the news that King will be joining DuVernay in writing the script for New Gods, after ending his current run on Batman with Issue #85. Though this is his first feature screenwriting project, King seems like a natural fit for New Gods, since he recently won the Eisner Award for Best Writer in part because of his work on Mister Miracle (which is part of the New Gods corner of the DC Universe). King this week teased on Twitter that he was "headed overseas for a secret thing. That’s all they say I can say. Should be interesting." DuVernay confirmed the news they are working together on New Gods by sharing a photo of herself and King:
Late last year, DuVernay dropped another tease for New Gods on Twitter, with a comic panel showing the New Genesis team of Highfather, Mister Miracle, Big Barda, Lightray, Orion, and Metreon. There's no indication yet that the movie will be part of the DC Extended Universe, though it's worth noting that Apokolips played a peripheral role in the plot of Justice League, with New Gods villain and Apokolips native Steppenwolf serving as the main antagonist of that movie. Steppenwolf may not appear in New Gods at all, as rumors have suggested that Granny Goodness and the Female Furies could be the main villains.
New Gods doesn't have a release date yet and there hasn't been any casting news, so filming is likely still some way off - especially if the script is still in development. However, with King joining the creative team it's fairly safe to assume that Mister Miracle and Big Barda will be the movie's main characters. We hope to bring you more news about New Gods soon.
Source: The Wrap