When it’s looking like a Wonder Twins movie might actually become a reality, it’s OK to question reality. But yes, you are alive, you are reading this, and Warner Bros. has hired someone to write and direct a movie based on DC’s Wonder Twins.
The Hollywood Reporter broke the news that Adam Sztykiel, a writer on Black Adam who also wrote Due Date, Rampage, and Scoob! has been hired to bring Zan and Jayna, not to the big screen, but HBO Max. It’s the place where many DC heroes will get their debuts, such as Batgirl and, for a time, Blue Beetle, though that film has since been bumped up to theatrical.
Zan and Jayna are alien siblings who famously touch hands and shout “Wonder Twin powers — activate!”, which turns Jayna into an animal and Zan into water. It’s weird and goofy and fit in with The All-New Super Friends Hour, where the characters debuted in the late 1970s. Recent decades saw the pair get a bit more credibility with runs on Teen Titans Go! and Smallville, but part of their popularity has always been that kitschy quality.
Which direction Sztykiel will take them is unknown, but looking at his body of work, it seems like a very likely bet there will be humour and lots of self-awareness. There has to be. But even so, how does that fit into what’s becoming this larger, more expanded DC Universe? Will the Wonder Twins live in the same timeline as Ezra Miller’s Flash? Or could they occupy their own little nook, like Matt Reeves’ upcoming The Batman?
Time will tell on that. But for now, we sit here stunned that such a seemingly weird and random pair of DC heroes are coming to a screen near you. Just, hopefully, not played by Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis.
Editor’s Note: Release dates within this article are based in the U.S., but will be updated with local Australian dates as soon as we know more.