James Gunn Debunks Rumors of Dua Lipa Signing with DC Studios

Rumors swirled over the weekend that pop star Dua Lipa had signed a multi-picture deal with DC Studios to portray Zatanna, the Justice League Dark magician. However, Superman: Legacy director and DC Studios co-chief James Gunn quickly put those reports to rest, dismissing the claims on social media.

The original reports suggested that Dua Lipa had agreed to a “ten-year deal” with DC, a notion Gunn found particularly absurd. Responding to the rumors on Threads, Gunn questioned the use of decade-long contracts, stating:

“Until this moment it was neither of those things but as of now it’s debunked as well. ‘10 year contract?’ Do they think this is the 1930’s? I’m a Dua Lipa fan, but no.”

Gunn’s response pokes fun at the outdated concept of decade-long contracts in modern Hollywood, where agreements are typically based on the number of projects rather than fixed terms. Although Gunn’s statement doesn’t directly deny the possibility of Dua Lipa ever working with DC, his firm debunking suggests that, at least for now, there’s no substance to the rumor.

Some internet skeptics might dissect Gunn’s phrasing, pointing out that he only denied the specifics of the reported deal. However, Gunn has built a reputation for quashing fake news swiftly while keeping legitimate secrets under wraps. If there were any truth to Dua Lipa joining DC in the future, it’s likely Gunn wouldn’t play a “gotcha” game with fans online.

Zatanna, a popular character from Justice League Dark, has been linked to several abandoned DC projects over the years. First introduced in 1964, the backwards-speaking magician made her live-action debut in Smallville, portrayed by Serinda Swan. Despite her popularity in comics, animated series, and video games, Zatanna’s live-action future has been riddled with false starts.

Several iterations of solo Zatanna films have been in development since 2005, including a Justice League Dark movie led by Guillermo del Toro and a Max series from JJ Abrams that was scrapped after Discovery acquired Warner Bros. The original plan had been for individual Justice League Dark members to receive their own Max projects, ultimately leading to a crossover—similar to how Marvel built The Defenders series on Netflix.

For now, fans will have to wait to see if Zatanna will ever take center stage in the new DC Universe, with no current projects officially attached to the character.

Would you like to see Dua Lipa join the DC Universe as Zatanna, or do you think another actor would be a better fit? Share your thoughts in the comments below!