Personally I think this could be a brilliant idea, because it gives DC an entire movie to world build Apokolips and flesh out Darkseid's back story, as opposed to simply trying to shoehorn the villain into a Justice League movie like they tried to do. By going this route, DCEU can cut virtually all ties to the poorly received JL aesthetic. They are free to create a completely new and distinct look and feel and use a more vibrant palette and color grading, hopefully more along the lines of GotG and Thor Ragnorok. Sure Apokolips is dark terrifying world, but that doesn't mean everything has to look murky, not to mention New Genesis should be saturated in vibrant colors.
I think Duverney is a talented director who just needs the right project to really break out. I haven't seen A Wrinkle in Time, but some of the visuals from the clips look gorgeous. Plus she's a fan of the source material. She's not writing the movie. I hope she brings in a screenwriter/team who knows and loves the source material, as well as a cinematographer and costume designer who can translate the Kirbyesque vision to the screen. Of course casting and CGI/performance capture will be essential. The less said about Steppenwolf the better. For Darkseid they need to set the bar at Thanos and if they exceed it so much the better. Having someone sitting in on a stool in a recording booth and then matching it to a lifeless CGI character won't cut it. They need an actor, character design, and performance capture workflow that will breathe life into a merciless immensely powerful tyrant who makes Superman look like a 98-pound weakling. I think if they nail Darkseid as well as the supporting characters and character design that will be key to winning over the fans and skeptics. I know folks will immediately start throwing out names like Gwendoline Christie for Barda, who may very well work, but they can't just pick a tall actress or god-forbid a basketball player. They need to find the right "actress" first and foremost and then figure out a way to make her appear 6'7", be it camera and set tricks like in Lord of the Rings, or pushing performance capture to the next level of absolute realism. Probably the smartest thing for them to do to start building excitement would be to show concept design, promotional photos and/or test footage at SDCC, as opposed to just unveiling a poster with the movie logo. Imagine if DC were to unveil the cast on stage, and then show either a photo line up or concept illustration:
On the left -- Highfather, Avia (see below), 6'7" Big Barda, Mr. Miracle in costume, Orion and maybe the Forever People (who could be DC's answer to GotG)
On the Right -- Kalibak, Granny Goodness (Cathy Bates?), the Furies (maybe based on Michael Turner's take)
Smack Dab in the Middle -- 9' Darkseid
If it looked comic accurate/inspired, fans would flip out. Add in world designs, vehicles and even 30 seconds of cool test footage, and the excitement would go through the roof.
I think the ultimate theme of the movie should be "Darkseid Triumphant". Maybe the story could be about Darkseid having risen to absolute ruler on Apokolips in a reign of terror, oppression and bloodshed, now threatening to invade and enslave New Genesis. The New Gods, as well as the rebels on Apokolips come together to oppose him. They are almost successful until Darkseid crushes them, killing High Father and most of the Gods, and vowing to hunt down those who remain. Then at the end of the movie as he sits on his throne, with the heads of his enemies at his feet, one of his minions tells him of a new planet they have discovered... Earth. Or maybe that could be where they believe Barda has escaped to. That way if the movie is a success, it would be a much better setup for Justice League vs. Darkseid.
What's cool about this is it can be completely fresh for the movie audience. If they deliver an epic story of good vs. evil, amazing visuals, a fantastic cast, great costumes and a powerful score, I think it could be Star Wars level. However, the suits need to stay out of the way which WB is famous for.
And if Oprah wants a part in the flick, no problem. She could be Highfather's wife, Avia. The character is dead in the comics, so stunt casting isn't a big issue. They could even write it so that Darkseid's forces capture her and he himself kills her, which is what leads to the war.
So rather than being a naysayer and dismissing this out of the gate, I'm cautiously optimistic.