The DC Extended Universe fandom is gearing up for the franchise's ninth film, Wonder Woman 1984, which arrives after over a year's worth of delays from its original release date in 2019. As the first direct sequel in the DCEU, this movie will have a golden opportunity to give more depth to Gal Gadot's Diana Prince, who has already proved her value to superhero movies on multiple occasions.
While the story of this movie is still mostly a mystery before it debuts in theaters and on HBO Max on Christmas Day 2020, the on-screen Amazonian warrior has already garnered enough success to start up talks for a third solo movie after the sequel debuts. However, a recent interview with the first two entries' director may force fans to push the pause button on expecting a full-blown Wonder Woman trilogy just yet.
NEWS
In a recent interview with Cinema Blend, Wonder Woman 1984 director Patty Jenkins revealed that while she has an idea for a potential Wonder Woman 3 that she loves, she may have to wait to actually put her plan into action for a while. Jenkins gives this quote explaining how the current state of the world is causing her to rethink the third movie, even though she is still passionate about the story she's created:
"I actually came up with a story, and Geoff Johns and I beat out an entire story for Wonder Woman 3 that we were super fired up about. But I’ve never felt this way before as much as I do now. I don’t think I’m doing it next, and so I sort of have to wait and see where we are in the world. It’s interesting. What I wanted to talk about in this film was very prescient to what I was feeling, and what you were feeling, was coming. So now? I’m not sure. So much has changed in the world. I still love the story that we came up with. I’m sure that parts of it would come over to it. But I’m trying to say, ‘Don’t decide.’ Don’t fall in love with anything. See ‘What would Wonder Woman do now?’ What are you craving Wonder Woman to do in this world?"
WHAT THIS MEANS
Even while Jenkins offers this statement on her uncertainty surrounding making Wonder Woman 3 right now, there are no specific reasons as to why she feels the way she feels. Her mention of how much has changed in the world could point to a number of different circumstances, quite possibly the worldwide pandemic or the current state of political affairs, but there are no signs as to what is motivating her hesitation.
One important aspect of a potential third film to take into account is in which era of history it would take place. Diana's team-up adventures in the DCEU have both occurred in the semi-modern day, the first Wonder Woman centered around the events of World War I, and the sequel will be set squarely within the 1980s. A threequel could potentially explore either before or after her battles with the other Justice League members against Doomsday and Steppenwolf, and it's clear that Warner Bros. has a great deal of options to consider as this franchise becomes a trilogy.
Wonder Woman 1984 will release in select theaters and on HBO Max on December 25, 2020. There is no set release timeframe for the untitled Wonder Woman 3.
