Ava DuVernay Directing ‘New Gods’ Creates the Best Opportunity For A DC Comics Cinematic Win

Ava DuVernay's Big Barda shout out told us so

Ava DuVernay will be directing Jack Kirby’s New Gods as a movie and… I don’t know what else to say but “Come and have a good time with G-O-D!” Ava DuVernay let it be known that Big Barda is her #1 draft pick for favorite superhero so this move makes sense. I mean, there’s also the fact that A Wrinkle In Time made DuVernay the first Black Woman/WOC director with a 100 Million Dollar budget (New Gods makes another one). Plus, A Wrinkle In Time and Black Panther got the top two spots in theaters, a first time ever for Black directors.

Ava DuVernay (ATCQ rules, gotta say the whole name) out here getting it and now she gets to bring Jack Kirby’s vision of the New Gods to film. If you didn’t know, Jack Kirby created Black Panther along with Stan Lee. Look at Highfather/God coming full circle. Ava not only has a chance to build an entirely new universe for the DC Extended Universe, but provide it with a fresh start (more on this in a bit).

“New God Flow, fuck everything else”

Ava DuVernay New Gods

If you don’t now about the New Gods then I’ll give you a quick rundown. In a universe not too far away, there’s a war going on outside that no god is safe from. The Gods of planet New Genesis led by Highfather (get that reference from earlier now?) is at war with the Gods of Apokolips led by Darkseid. I think you can tell by the names which planet is the evil one. A truce is made to end centuries of fighting and beef by the exchanging of sons. Darkseid’s son Orion is given to Highfather and High Father’s son “Scott Free” (real name still pending) to Darkseid.

The war continues down the line as Orion fights for Highfather and Scott Free escapes Apokolips with his love, Big Barda, and becomes Mister Miracle. The current iteration of this story is being told brilliantly by Tom King and Mitch Gerads in Mister Miracle. This shit is Game of Thrones in space without the lack of regard for women. Mister Miracle is a fucking hit by the way. The writing, art, and storytelling place it as one of DC Comics’ strongest mini-series. Don’t be surprised if you see traces of this series make their way into the film.

“Awwww man, made something from nothing”


You know Ava DuVernay fucks with depth. King and Gerads current telling of the war between New Genesis and Apokolips is riddled with depth and dialogue. Of course, there’s going to be screenwriters coming in and translating this story for moviegoers. That’s a given. I’m just saying, Ava DuVernay, is going to be in her wheelhouse here. You already know how she gives it up on Queen Sugar. No dry eyes in the audience allowed.

The best thing about this announcement is that New Gods will provide a much needed new playground for the DC Extended Universe. This can be a movie away from Justice League (to tie in later) with a different tone and set of rules. New Gods may not be a household name for most, but that only helps the project. There are fewer rules, and Ava DuVernay can have extensive free reign for world-building in this film. You already know she’s good for it, so what we even talking about? Let that woman get to work!

“Ask any moviegoers you know, they admire A(va)”

Ava DuVernay New Gods
Kirby laid the foundation for the New Gods. King and Gerads built upon that foundation. Ava DuVernay can change the whole game up movie-wise with how she flips the house (dunno how this became a home makeover analogy) on film. New Gods can be a much-needed reset button for the DCEU. Perhaps we get to see some more people of color playing these New Gods as well, nah mean? That’d be fantastic.

There’s a lot we can look forward to with Ava DuVernay on New Gods, man. I’m excited to see the Mother Boxes and other technology, which storylines will be used, and how many people Big Barda hospitalizes.

Ava DuVernay New Gods

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  • Omar Holmon is a content editor that is here to make .gifs, obscure references, and find the correlation between everything Black and Nerdy.

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