James Gunn isn't holding back when it comes to revealing projects in the DC Universe. He announced a new Wonder Woman movie, which would benefit from borrowing one of the better aspects of Gal Gadot's tenure as the hero.
It's a bold move to reboot Diana Prince this early. After all, Wonder Woman 1984 was released less than five years ago, killing all the momentum the character had in the DC Extended Universe. However, Gunn knows the impact Wonder Woman can have. Warner Bros. Discovery CEO and president David Zaslav even backed his colleague's play in May 2025:
"You look at the major characters that James Gunn and Peter Safran are developing with their ten-year plan around DC, that is to build asset value for us globally, everywhere in the world, Wonder Woman, Batman, Superman, Supergirl. So those are we look at those as big asset builders and big differentiators."
Having the full support of the higher-ups, Gunn will likely recruit some fresh blood to take another crack at Wonder Woman. A new actor will be cast, an arc for the character will be developed, and it will probably happen quickly. During the brainstorming sessions, the movie's creatives will want to toss out any idea that feels like it covers the same ground as the DCEU. They should pump the brakes, though, because there's at least one thing the franchise did right with Diana.
Wonder Woman Will Always Flourish in a Period Piece
To ensure that Wonder Woman fit into Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice without the movie having to act as her origin story, Zack Snyder decided to have her already be active in his universe. She watched humanity for decades before making her first big public appearance in the fight against Doomsday.
Director Patty Jenkins picked up the baton from there, telling the story of when Diana left Themyscira and found herself in the middle of World War I. The fish-out-of-water angle worked well because all the soldiers underestimated the titular hero, allowing her to get a leg up on her enemies.
Even Ares, the God of War, who was causing the conflict, failed to take Wonder Woman seriously, leading to his downfall. A similar thing happened in Wonder Woman 1984 when Maxwell Lord gained the power of the Dreamstone and altered the world in his image. Lord believed he knew better than everyone, including a hero who had fought in her fair share of battles. Wonder Woman eventually appeals to the villain's humanity and gets him to undo all the damage he has done.
With all these lessons in her back pocket, Diana returned to the world of men and brought a different perspective to the battles she participated in with Batman, Superman, and the rest of the Justice League (read about Gunn's take on the team in the DCU). The DCU could benefit from taking a similar approach, especially because Superman operates in a world already full of heroes. Wonder Woman can't just be another face in a sea of characters; she has to be one of the leaders of the hero movement.
An easy way to ensure that happens is by giving Diana a wholly unique journey. Gunn and co. don't even have to send her back to World War I or the 1980s, as it's already been confirmed that humanity in the DCU has been aware of metahumans for 300 years.
That's more than enough wiggle room to set Diana's first solo movie in the franchise in a period that has yet to be touched in live-action superhero projects.
