Aladdin, Moana Directing Duo Heads to Warner Bros. for DC’s Metal Men Animated Feature

According to The Hollywood Reporter, animation icons Ron Clements and John Musker, the directing duo behind such Disney Animation classics as The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, and Moana, are said to be heading to Warner Bros. and DC Entertainment for a new animated feature based on DC’s Metal Men. Clements and Musker are working with Space Jam: A New Legacy writer Celeste Ballard on the project.

The feature is reportedly set up at Warner Animation Group, with Clements and Musker producing the film based on a treatment they have written, with an eye on the duo directing the animated feature as well. Craig Peck is executive producing the project, with Warner Animation Group head Allison Abbate The Iron Giant, The Corpse Bride) overseeing the film for the studio.

The Metal Men made their DC Comics debut in 1962, created by Robert Kanigher and Ross Andru. Scientist William Magnus created highly advanced robots who have powers and personalities based on their respective metals: gold, iron, lead, tin, mercury, and platinum. The group had their own comic series that ran for 56 issues throughout the ’60s and ’70s. They’ve also made many appearances in the DC Universe over the decades, including animated shows.

There was talk of a live-action film for the Metal Men in the aughts, with producer Lauren Shuler Donner, Geoff Johns, and Barry Sonnenfeld attached, but it never got off the ground.

Details on the animated project are currently unknown. However, the animated medium along with Ballard’s involvement suggest that the film might be going for a more exaggerated, humorous, and irreverent take on the property.