The writer of the upcoming film, Zatanna, Emerald Fennell, is not sure if she will direct the upcoming film. Fennell signed on to write the upcoming Zatanna solo film produced by J.J Abrams production company Bad Robot. She was also previously the showrunner for the second season of the critically acclaimed hit series, Killing Eve, and her directorial debut feature film, Promising Young Woman, which she also wrote, has earned her three Academy Award nominations, including Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Picture.
Zatanna is a popular DC Comics character who first appeared in the pages of DC Comics in 1964 and has been a mainstay of the DC Universe as their most popular magic-user who has connections to the Justice League, the Justice League Dark, and the Seven Soldiers of Victory. Zatanna has been rumored to be a part of many Justice League Dark feature film plans, and when Bad Robot announced they were developing an HBO Max series around the team, it appeared that was where Zatanna would make her debut. Warner Bros. then announced a Zatanna movie would be released theatrically and signed Fennell to write the film one week after her Academy Award nominations.
Fennell currently is unsure if she will direct the Zatanna film. In an interview with Variety, the actress/writer/director said currently the priority is on getting the script ready before they look at directors. She is open to the idea of directing Zatanna, expressing her love for magic and comic books, further cementing her qualifications for the project. Fennell said:
It’s so exciting. That’s not a conversation that’s happened at all, so I have no insight, and also, we’re still in the early days. It’s something that we’ve been working on for a while. I’ve been speaking to Bad Robot [Productions], who are amazing. You want to get the first bit right, which is the script, before you think of anything else. It’s a very specific thing – the world of superhero movies is incredibly exciting, but it’s also a new different challenge. The main thing for me is making sure that it’s really, really good. I’m such a genre fan. I’m a fan of witchcraft, magic, and comic books, and this is scary and intense.
Fennell being signed on just as the screenwriter at this point doesn't entirely rule out the idea of her directing the film. James Gunn, when he first signed with Warner Bros., was originally signed on just to write The Suicide Squad and was confirmed as the director later on. Many filmmakers have made the leap from small awards darling to big-budget feature film, including Marc Webb, Taikia Waititi, and Fennell's fellow Academy Award nominee, Chloé Zhao, who will direct Marvel's Eternals.
Warner Bros. has had an interesting couple of weeks with their various DC projects since the release of Zack Snyder's Justice League. While Warner Bros. had made it clear they are moving in a new direction from Zack Snyder, they have announced a new release date for Black Adam, along with the news of Pierce Brosnan joining the cast as Doctor Fate. Helen Mirren was cast as the villain in Shazam: Fury of the Gods and Ron Livingston is replacing Billy Crudup as Henry Allen in The Flash. They also recently canceled long-in-development projects like Ava DuVernay and Tom King's New Gods film and James Wan Aquaman spin-off, The Trench. Zatanna and the various characters in the Justice League Dark Universe appear to be a corner of the DC Universe that Warner Bros. wants to invest in with the best talent.
Source: Variety
