As part of the major DC Universe (DCU) overhaul at Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD), a unique Justice League project led by J.J. Abrams is reportedly on the chopping block.
After his work with Star Wars on Episode VII: The Force Awakens and Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker, Abrams signed on with WBD for his first true superhero project in the DCU.
The title was initially set to focus on the obscure DC character Madame Xanadu as Abrams looked to give the Justice League Dark their true introduction to this era of on-screen superheroes.
But as new DC Studios co-CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran took over the franchise, a number of shows and movies that were previously in development under the old regime were axed. This included a few highly-anticipated projects like Man of Steel 2 and Wonder Woman 3.
Justice League Dark Spin-Off Taken Off Schedule
The Hollywood Reporter revealed that Warner Bros. Discovery and HBO Max have axed a Justice League Dark project that was originally set to release on the streamer.
The entry was in development under Star Wars director J.J. Abrams and Bad Robot over the past couple of years, meant to be an "Avengers-style show" within the DC Universe before James Gunn and Peter Safran's takeover.
Reportedly, there were concerns over the show's potential budget, although there have been no concrete details regarding why it was canceled.
Will Justice League Dark Ever Be Developed?
While J.J. Abrams' Justice League Dark is most likely a simple casualty of the change in management for WBD, it's certainly a disappointment to see that Abrams won't have the chance to bring the super-powered team to life.
This would have been yet another new property that fans haven't seen before on-screen and one more frustrating development after seeing other already-established programming meet an end as well.
Even though some projects in this overhaul were already set to end, seeing this series canned this early in development won't sit well with many fans, especially with no set path for the Justice League Dark to join the new DCU.
For now, all one can do is wait to see if the team joins the fray at a later date, which would most likely be in the Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters DC slate that will kick off on HBO Max and in theaters in 2025.
But with darker entries like Swamp Thing and even Creature Commandos already confirmed for development, Gunn and Safran may take a chance to look at what this team could do with the right
