Exclusive: Margot Robbie Only DC Actor Safe In James Gunn Universe
Margot Robbie will stay in James Gunn's DCU, but every other actor is leaving.
Update: While Margot Robbie may return, we also know that John Cena’s Peacemaker and Viola Davis’s Amanda Waller made it through the DC Universe purge under James Gunn.
The chaos continues and Margot Robbie is the only one who is guaranteed a place in James Gunn’s new vision for the DC Universe. According to our trusted and proven sources, the Harley Quinn actress is remaining in the DCU, but pretty much every major actor is likely to be gone. That means not only the remaining survivors from the Snyderverse, but more recent additions to the DCU like Dwayne Johnson’s Black Adam and the Justice Society he introduced.
That Margot Robbie would stick around in the James Gunn version of the DC Universe is not all that surprising. For starters, Robbie has been one of the few elements of Zack Snyder’s initial take on adapting DC Comics that was universally applauded, with her take on Dr. Harleen Quinzel quickly becoming the default representation of the character in pop culture. For another, Margot Robbie and James Gunn have a solid working relationship since working together on 2021’s The Suicide Squad, and it seems probable they may work on another film again in the future.
We previously reported that Margot Robbie is being given unprecedented creative control and influence at DC Studios since James Gunn was appointed co-CEO, which also lines up with her increasingly prolific role as a producer elsewhere. At this point, Harley Quinn is one of the most established and successful parts of the DCU, receiving a solo film (that, to be fair, did not do particularly well at the box office or with critics) before Batman did. Keeping Margot Robbie around is a pretty logical decision from James Gunn.
However, aside from Margot Robbie, it looks as though James Gunn is jettisoning a whole lot of other established actors. This means Gal Gadot is gone as Wonder Woman, Jason Momoa is out as Aquaman, Ezra Miller is done as the Flash, and even Dwayne Johson will no longer be Black Adam (let alone his plans for a Black Adam-Superman fight). Henry Cavill has already announced that he is done playing Clark Kent and Gunn has revealed plans for a Superman movie with a younger actor, reportedly focused on his early years as an investigative reporter at the Daily Planet.
It seems that (aside from Margot Robbie), James Gunn is cleaning house at DC Universe. In some regard, it is difficult to fault him for that; he and co-CEO Peter Safran inherited a confusing herd of continuities, delayed movies, and canceled projects that would be overwhelming for anyone to try to corral. Sometimes, it is easier just to sweep things away and start from (almost) the ground up.
And it is not like most of those stars don’t have a lot else going on. Gal Gadot is in the new Snow White film and the Netflix Red Notice series. Henry Cavill is going to be in Avatar 4 and the upcoming spy thriller Argylle. Jason Momoa is joining the Fast and Furious franchise. Ezra Miller seems to have a lot to work out on a personal level. Depending on how negotiations go, Ben Affleck may be pivoting from DCU star to DCU director. At this point, it looks like we have a lot more Margot Robbie/James Gunn projects to look forward to.
