Since her introduction in November 1964 in Hawkman #4, Zatanna has become one of the most iconic characters in the pantheon of DC superheroes. She has been a member of The Justice League, led their supernatural spin-off team Justice League Dark, and has been a member of Seven Soldiers and Sentinels of Magic. The daughter of the Golden Age superhero Giovanni Zatara, Zatanna is a stage magician and sorceress who casts spells in the form of speaking backward.
In many ways, Zatanna is the face of the supernatural side of the DC Comics Universe (the way Doctor Strange is of the MCU) and has been adapted into several television properties, including Batman: The Animated Series, Smallville, and Young Justice. It makes a certain amount of sense that a character this iconic would eventually get her own feature film, and the time finally appears to be coming.
While plans to make a Zatanna movie stretch as far back as 2005 with The Ice Princess screenwriter Hadley Davis proposing a teen comedy version of the character, the character almost made her film debut when Warner Bros. first announced a Justice League Dark film with Guillermo del Toro set to direct. Those plans were scrapped and the Justice League Dark franchise has been reworked into a multimedia property across film and television, set to be produced by J.J. Abrams with Constantine and Madame Xanadu set for their own television series.
Meanwhile, Abrams is set to produce a feature film about Zatanna, with a screenplay by Emerald Fennell hot off her winning the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for Promising Young Woman. While no director has been set, it is likely that Warner Bros. is carefully considering who will play Zatanna in the DCEU, as the role is both a fan favorite and a vital part of the universe going forward. These are seven suggestions for who could play Zatanna in the DCEU.
Zooey Deschanel
While it might be a controversial pick on paper, Zooey Deschanel as Zatanna in many ways feels very fitting. Like the character of Zatanna, Deschanel brings with her the real-life experience of having a highly talented father, Caleb Deschanel, the cinematographer of Being There, The Right Stuff, and The Natural. While Deschanel might have been typecast in recent years for playing the quirky character, sometimes unfairly labeled a manic pixie dream girl, that aspect might serve well for the character of Zatanna, as Deschanel could bring that natural charm to the stage persona needed for the sorceress character. She also has the potential to show a variety of ranges if given the chance, and while she is more well known for comedies, that should not rule out Deschanel any more than it did not rule out Chris Pratt, Paul Rudd, or Chris Evans.
Deschanel actually almost played a superhero; when the Wasp was in the original drafts of The Avengers, Joss Whedon wanted to cast Deschanel in the part. She missed out on that chance, but a role like Zatanna might be the perfect superhero fit for her.
Camila Mendes
Camila Mendes' first acting role was as Veronica Lodge on the hit CW series Riverdale. She has played the role for its entire run, which is finally set to conclude with the upcoming seventh season. While making Riverdale, Mendes has found time for small roles in a number of streaming films like The Perfect Date, Palm Springs, and Dangerous Lies.
She has a working relationship with the studio because of her time on Riverdale, and would easily bring in that series' audiences to Zatanna, with its fans wanting to see her in more projects. Yet the other reason is that Mendes' role in Riverdale is very much similar to Zatanna, a strong leader who is willing to take charge while also embracing her femininity. While it is unsure what the future holds for Mendes, and even if she would want another long-term commitment to a franchise after finishing Riverdale, casting her as Zatanna is something Warner Bros. certainly needs to consider.
Alexandra Daddario
Alexandra Daddario has already found herself as part of several franchises, from Percy Jackson: The Lightning Thief to 2013's Texas Chainsaw 3D, while also being featured in acclaimed television series True Detective, Why Women Kill, and White Lotus. She has taken on a wide variety of roles across genres, and 2019's We Summon the Darkness showcased her ability to be the lead star of a project. She is no stranger to the world of DC Comics either, as she voiced Lois Lane in the 2020 animated film Superman: For Tomorrow. Daddario has often been cited as the top choice among fans, being featured in multiple fan art renditions. She has co-starred with future DC star Dwayne Johnson in two projects, San Andreas and Baywatch, so she would be right at home in the DCEU as Zatanna.
Geraldine Viswanathan
Geraldine Viswanathan broke out in 2018 with a role in the hit comedy Blockers, where she played the daughter of DCEU Peacemaker star John Cena. Since then, Viswanathan has taken on many interesting roles, including the critically acclaimed HBO original film Bad Education, the romantic comedy The Broken Hearts Gallery, and the COVID comedy 7 Days, and is one of the stars of the hit anthology comedy series Miracle Workers.
While her career is just getting started, she has already shown an incredible range and has the potential to become the next big star, and a role in a major DCEU property could do that. She easily fits the attitude comic book fans want from Zatanna, someone who is fierce and confident, and she has a great sense of humor and comedic timing. At the age of 27, Geraldine Viswanathan is the youngest star on this list, yet if the DCEU was skewing for a younger Zatanna closer to the one seen on Young Justice or in the Mystik U comic, Viswanathan would be a great choice.
Milana Vayntrub
To most people, Milana Vayntrub is most likely known as Lily from the AT&T commercials (AT&T is now the former owner of DC and Warner Bros.), but she has a long career with a variety of roles ranging from dramas like This Is Us and comedies like the underrated series Other Space. She was most recently was seen in the hilarious film Werewolves Within where she showcased her range playing Cecily, the town's central mail person who has to play a variety of different emotions and tones sometimes even in the same scene. Vayntrub has untapped potential and her comedic background would translate nicely to Zatanna's natural performative energy while also giving the character a vulnerability that is often not seen.
Vayntrub is also no stranger to superhero projects. She was originally set to play the character of Squirrel Girl in the MCU series New Warriors, but ABC passed on the pilot. Vayntrub would later go on to voice the character in the animated series Marvel Rising. While fans are still waiting for Marvel Studios to put her in the MCU, the DCEU should consider hiring her for Zatanna while Marvel just sleeps on this potential.
Rosa Salazar
While she appeared in both The Divergent and Maze Runner franchises, Rosa Salazar truly broke out as the lead of 2019's Alita: Battle Angel. While Salazar is very much covered up by the motion capture technology, it is still fully her performance, and Salazar gives the character a sense of optimism while also a fierce warriors spirit, something that Zatanna would need as both a stage magician and actual superhero.
While Alita: Battle Angel may have disappointed at the box office, it still generated a passionate fanbase, and both director Robert Rodriguez, writer/producer James Cameron, and Salazar are looking for a sequel to get off the ground. In the meantime, Salazar landed a small role in the critically acclaimed Marcel the Shells With Shoes On, headlined the bonkers Netflix series Brand New Cherry Flavor, and is the main star of the rotoscoped animated series Undone. It is time for Salazar to be given another chance to lead a big blockbuster franchise, and being the role of Zatanna in her own solo film as well as a potential Justice League Dark film is the perfect fit.
Meghan Ory
Meghan Ory has been featured on many television series, most famously in the role of Ruby/Red Riding Hood in Once Upon a Time. She also starred in the short-lived CBS series Intelligence and is currently on Hallmark Chanel's Chesapeake Shores. Yet she has mainly stayed on television with little film work, and that might be what a Zatanna film needs. While all the other stars on this list have a mix of television and film backgrounds with some being bigger stars, to a good portion of the audience, Meghan Ory would be an unknown.
Casting an unknown has been instrumental in casting Superman since the days of Christopher Reeve, and even in the DCEU both Gal Gadot and Jason Momoa were working performers but not big-name stars when they took on Wonder Woman and Aquaman respectively. Yet now they inhabit those roles and have become so associated with them. Casting Ory means the studio gets a talented star with years of experience who brings with her the confidence and power that a part like Zatanna calls for, while also possibly finding their next big star.