Ava DuVernay To Direct Big-Budget Superhero Epic ‘The New Gods’

Shortly after making history by becoming the first woman of color to direct a $100 million-budget film with A Wrinkle in Time, DuVernay is closing in on another big-budget deal, and this time, she’s breaking into the superhero universe. According to Deadline, the Award-winning filmmaker will direct DC Comics’ The New Gods for Warner Bros.

Created and designed by renowned comic book artist Jack Kirby, the film adaptation will be based on Kirby’s The New Gods comics, first released in 1971. The New Gods are from the twin planets of New Genesis and Apokolips, and the series follows an endless war between the twin planets – with New Genesis being the utopian planet ruled by the altruistic Highfather, while the tyrant Darkseid controls the dystopian Apokolips, a planet filled with machinery and fire pits.

Previously, DuVernay tweeted that Big Barda, a character from the New Gods series, is her personal favorite superhero. With The New Gods, Ava DuVernay is the first woman of color, and the second woman (following Patty Jenkins’ Wonder Woman) to helm a major superhero film.

After Justice League’s underperformance, Warner Bros announced a new strategy for DC Extended Universe (DCEU) films. With Wonder Woman’s critically acclaimed success, the studio is optimistic that DuVernay can lead DCEU’s future in the right direction.