Update
Earlier this month, reports that DC canceled its Paradise Lost TV series began circulating. Word about the project’s cancellation came from industry insider John Rocha, who is often a reliable source for under-the-radar news in Hollywood. However, according to James Gunn, Rocha was mistaken when he said DC’s long-gestating series revolving around the Amazons of Themyscira was no longer happening.
Emerging from his relentless work schedule to doom scroll on social media, Gunn was surprised (though probably not, given the habits of people online) to find that DC fans were reacting to a report about Paradise Lost no longer being in development. “Definitely not. Jesus I go on Threads for the first time in weeks and it’s just one insanely wrong thing after the other. What is going on?”
What’s going on is that Paradise Lost has been floating in the wind for quite a while, and when left to their own devices, people will accept a report that DC canceled the show with next to no due diligence. Plus, DC has already shifted, dropped, and replaced projects for its Gods and Monsters slate. Why not add Paradise Lost to the pile? Then again, if anyone knows how this nonsense goes, it’s James Gunn. He’s a seasoned pro in the art of hearsay, having worked in the industry for many years. The takeaway here should be that, according to Gunn, Paradise Lost is still happening. Huzzah!
Original Article
One thing about James Gunn and Peter Safran’s DC Studios is that the group is willing to take risks concerning its upcoming slate. When the duo announced its Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters lineup, the plan included projects like Clayface, Swamp Thing, The Authority, and Waller. Those are some bold swings. Granted, several of those projects are either off the table or stuck in production limbo, but at least the intent was there. Another project associated with Gods and Monsters was Paradise Lost, a TV series focusing on the Amazons of Themyscira before Diana Prince (Wonder Woman) was born. Unfortunately, according to industry insider John Rocha, Paradise Lost is reportedly “dead.”
What insiders are saying about Paradise Lost
“Sources are telling me that DC was meeting with writers for Paradise Lost, was taking pitches for Paradise Lost, but they’ve been informed that the project is dead. Paradise Lost is dead. [It] will not be happening as a TV show. And not dead in the sense of like, well, they’re just going to wait for a script,” Rocha says.
“They’re being told, these writers and these people who’ve pitched storylines for Paradise Lost to be the showrunners or the writers on Paradise Lost, they’ve been told that this project is now dead, no longer an active development. Dead. And that is a massive bit of news because I think a lot of people felt that it was a little weird that you were going to do a Themyscira show but not have Wonder Woman in it,” Rocha continues.
Is Supergirl scribe Ana Nogueira working on a new Wonder Woman movie?
DC’s Gods and Monsters lineup is looking different these days, with film and television projects like Clayface, Lanterns, Man of Tomorrow, Blue Beetle, DC Crime (please, find another title), and Mister Miracle in the works. There’s also talk of Supergirl writer Ana Nogueira writing a Wonder Woman movie.
While we wait to get the official word from DC about Paradise Lost, some think it’s interesting (and a shame) that Gunn and Safran are willing to ditch Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman after the massive success of her 2017 film. Regardless of the film’s quality (I think Wonder Woman is 2/3 of the way good), it earned $822.9M+ worldwide. That’s nothing to sneeze at. You could point the finger at Wonder Woman 1984’s failure, but it’s important to remember that the sequel was up against a global pandemic, which kneecapped its box-office potential. We may never know what 1984 was capable of earning in stabler times.
Where is Patty Jenkins?
Additionally, whatever happened to Patty Jenkins? After directing one of DC’s most successful films (and one of the most successful female-led superhero movies ever), she’s dropped off the map. She’s likely not in contention for whatever DC plans to do with Wonder Woman, and her Star Wars: Rogue Squadron film is far, far away from becoming a reality.
Personally, I think the Gadot and Jenkins factors are a matter of Gunn and company looking to move on from what came before. Obviously, money matters to DC Studios, but so does seeding plans for the future. Gunn would sooner cast Melissa Barrera as Wonder Woman (endorsed here on JoBlo by Simu Liu) than have Gadot return to the role. As for Jenkins, she’s moved on to a new project with Universal and the Lego Group. Would she return to DC for another Wonder Woman movie, or has that ship sailed? Your guess is as good as mine. Strangely, DC has no concrete plans to reintroduce Wonder Woman, especially since she’s a part of DC’s Trinity (Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman). Maybe shelving Paradise Lost and setting Nogueira on a new Wonder Woman script is DC’s way of getting the ball rolling? If that’s indeed the plan.
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