HBO scraps Wonder Woman prequel and Peacemaker spinoff

The Game of Thrones-esque Wonder Woman prequel, Paradise Lost, and Viola Davis’ Amanda Waller series officially dropped by HBO

The Peacemaker spinoff, Waller starring Viola Davis , and the Wonder Woman Prequel, Paradise Lost, have both been dropped from the HBO development slate | ©Image Credit: Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. / Clay Enos
The Peacemaker spinoff, Waller starring Viola Davis , and the Wonder Woman Prequel, Paradise Lost, have both been dropped from the HBO development slate | ©Image Credit: Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. / Clay Enos

HBO is no longer moving forward with Waller and Paradise Lost, effectively removing two of the most prominent pillars from DC’s initial television roadmap. Neither project had reportedly moved into the filming stage.

Waller was slated to star Viola Davis, reprising her role as Amanda Waller, the government fixer from The Suicide Squad (2021) and the TV show Peacemaker (2022-2025). Paradise Lost, meanwhile, was pitched as a dark Game of Thrones-esque political drama set in Themyscira, focusing on the power struggles within the Amazon society long before Wonder Woman was born.

Both series originated from the initial slate announced in 2023 by filmmaker James Gunn and producer Peter Safran, when they first laid out their vision for the DCU. That original list also included Creature Commandos, a Booster Gold series, and Lanterns. While Booster Gold remains in development, reports indicate it is undergoing a creative “rebuild” as the studio searches for new writers to shape the project.

Although no official reason was given for the cancellations, reports suggest that Gunn and Safran don’t want to “force any development onto HBO” and would rather wait until HBO’s CEO of Content, Casey Bloys, is fully committed to a concept.

This selective approach stands in contrast to Lanterns, which turned out to be the only TV show that survived moving through development.

The detective drama, which premiered last Sunday as the first live-action scripted series developed under Gunn and Safran, follows veteran lawman Hal Jordan and his recruit John Stewart as they uncover a dark mystery on Earth that spans the galaxy. A second season is being mapped out, though HBO hasn’t formally renewed it yet.

Beyond Lanterns, DC Studios’ small-screen pipeline remains in flux, with a Jimmy-Olsen-led Superman spinoff currently in development. This steady, if cautious, television rollout stands in stark contrast to the film division, which has already established momentum with the 2025 release of Superman and this year’s Supergirl.

Sources: DC Comics, Variety, Deadline, Men’s Journal, The Ankler