The Wonder Twins are getting activated. Yep, remember DC’s The Wonder Twins created for the 1970s Saturday morning cartoon “The Super Friends”? Well, they’re getting their own movie. According to THR, “Black Adam” writer Adam Sztykiel will direct the film for HBO Max, his directorial debut.
The Wonder Twins are Zan and Jayna, extraterrestrial twins with shapeshifting/transformative powers that could be “activated” when they touch hands. Looking slightly like Vulcans with pointy ears and neato costumes, Zan could become water in any state, and Jayna had the power to transform into any animal. The pair first debuted in Hanna-Barbera’s American animated television series “The All-New Super Friends Hour” in 1977. The two also had a pet ape named Gleek.
The Wonder Twins eventually made their way into the DC Comics Universe and have since appeared in other media, including the animated series “Teen Titans Go!” and the live-action TV series “Smallville.” While the heroes have been treated slightly more seriously in comic iterations, they were meant to appeal to kids in the original animated series, like when a sitcom decides to introduce a new child to help ratings.
However, as an HBO Max product, the risk is low, and the appeal of introducing a little bit more camp into the DCEU could play. Indeed, the hiring of a writer who hasn’t directed before perhaps shows the low-risk cost of mounting a “Wonder Twins” movie, but to be fair, he has written on “Due Date,” “Project X,” “Spy Guys,” “We’re the Millers” and the Dwayne Johnson monster movie, “Rampage,” so maybe it’s time for his shot.
The twins were known for their phrase, “Wonder Twin power, activate!” which, well, you know, activated their powers and presumably will be used in a series that’s likely a lot less serious than the rest of the DCEU.