New Gods Director Ava DuVernay Thanks Justice League Darkseid Actor for Support

Just ahead of the DCEU’s New Gods film being cancelled, director Ava DuVernay thanked Justice League‘s Darkseid actor for his support. In 2018, Emmy winner DuVernay boarded New Gods as a director and co-writer, with Tom King joining her on the script sometime later. Despite interest among fans in seeing members of the New Gods like Big Barda and Mister Miracle hit the big screen, the project was slow to make progress. DuVernay and King continued to work on the script, with DuVernay providing updates occasionally about potential characters.

In recent weeks, New Gods received some new attention due to Zack Snyder’s Justice League. The famed Snyder Cut, unlike the theatrical version, features a handful of notable New Gods, including big bad Darkseid. Fans were eager to know if Justice League‘s iteration of the Apokolips leader, voiced by Ray Porter, could appear in DuVernay’s New Gods. Sadly, New Gods was officially cancelled just last week, alongside the Aquaman spin-off centered on the Trench. Reports indicated Darkseid’s Justice League involvement was a factor in the shelving of the project.

Mere hours before New Gods was cancelled, DuVernay took to social media to thank Porter for his support. Porter previously asked fans to stop bothering DuVernay for updates about Darkseid’s New Gods involvement. The director then replied to Porter’s post and wrote, “You’ve been nothing but gracious towards me. Appreciate you.” She added, “I hope our paths cross one day, sir. If not in the Fourth World, then in another.” Her tweet hinted a New Gods update was imminent, but it later proved to be the film’s cancellation.

In their fervent attempts to “Restore the SnyderVerse,” select fans had been questioning DuVernay about whether she would utilize Justice League‘s Darkseid, which was what prompted Porter’s initial tweet. Currently, Warner Bros. has no plans to enlist Snyder for another DC film. New Gods‘ cancellation could give an indication the studio is looking to take the characters in a new direction, potentially even by tying them into Snyder’s broader DCEU plans. However, that is currently just speculation, and Snyder has repeatedly shared his doubt that Warner Bros. will greenlight more of his DCEU.

New Gods getting cancelled is a disappointment for those interested in seeing the members of New Genesis and Apokolips hit the big screen. DuVernay and King have shared their regret over the way things have gone, with both stating they had thrilling things planned. The New Gods could be brought into the DCEU sometime in the future, but Warner Bros. is evidently interested in taking things in a different direction for the time being. Whether or not Porter will be involved is another matter, but his support for DuVernay is a sweet, positive thing in all this uncertainty.