Ava DuVernay Unveils Her Secret Weapon For ‘New Gods,’ Comic Book Writer Tom King

Ava DuVernay didn’t choose an easy superhero project when she took the reins of “New Gods” for Warner Bros. Batman is a rich guy that puts on a bat costume and beats up bad guys. Superman is an alien raised as a country boy that saves the world. Wonder Woman is an Amazonian warrior that protects the innocent. “New Gods?” That story requires more than a sentence to describe and definitely an expert to help tell the story. Thankfully, DuVernay has found her expert.

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According to a social media post from DuVernay (originally reported by The Wrap), writer Tom King has been brought on to help script the upcoming WB/DC film “New Gods.” King is best known as an Eisner-winning (the comic book equivalent of an Oscar) writer of comic books such as “Vision,” “Batman,” and “Mister Miracle.” He’s often regarded as one of the best in the industry. And it’s his latter title, “Mister Miracle” that makes him not only qualified to bring “New Gods” to the big screen, but actually might be DuVernay’s secret weapon in creating something special.

For those not obsessed with third-tier superhero comics created by the legendary Jack Kirby (no offense to Kirby, but outside of diehard fans, no one can pick out Big Barda in a lineup), “New Gods” tells the story of warring planets, Apokolips and New Genesis, ruled by Darkseid and the Highfather, respectively. The story features various god-like characters, with plenty of “Game of Thrones”-style political drama and manipulation. King famously tackled a lot of this in his series “Mister Miracle,” which followed the titular character as he comes to terms with his history as the son of the Highfather that was given to the villain Darkseid as a pawn in a truce agreement when he was only a baby. He was then raised by the evil leader, but eventually found his heroic side and rebelled.

That sounds like an incredible POV character for a film, no?

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Hopefully, King is able to break the mold of what happens with comic book writers making the leap to films. Geoff Johns is the most recent example, and even with an encyclopedic knowledge of the characters, Johns was never able to thrive in the film industry. By most accounts, King is a smart man (former CIA, no less), and he has the benefit of working with DuVernay, who is most definitely one of the best filmmakers on the planet.

All this to say, if you weren’t psyched about Warner Bros’ “New Gods” film, then this should do it. WB might have burned you with the DCEU and is only now starting to earn back some trust, but the Tom King news is undeniably great and points to a bright future for this film.

Hey ⁦@TomKingTK⁩. Ready to write NEW GODS, buddy? A. ✨✨✨ pic.twitter.com/FFpLDt75mm

— Ava DuVernay (@ava) May 29, 2019