Now that Wonder Woman 1984 is finally here, fans are likely wondering whether star Gal Gadot and director Patty Jenkins will be back for round three.
The sequel to the smash hit 2017 movie sees Gadot return in the titular role. She's joined by love interest Steve Trevor, played by Chris Pine, and Dr. Barbara Ann Minerva, also known as Cheetah, played by Kristen Wiig. Plus, The Mandalorian himself, Pedro Pascal, takes on the role of Maxwell Lord. But whether or not there will be a third Wonder Woman movie is less clear.
Here's what we know so far about whether Wonder Woman 1984 is getting a sequel anytime soon.
A third Wonder Woman is officially on the way.
On December 27, Variety broke the news that a third Wonder Woman is already in the works. Warner Bros. chief Toby Emmerich said in a statement to Variety, "As fans around the world continue to embrace Diana Prince, driving the strong opening weekend performance of Wonder Woman 1984, we are excited to be able to continue her story with our real life Wonder Women—Gal and Patty—who will return to conclude the long-planned theatrical trilogy."
Gal Gadot is happy to return as Diana Prince.
Upon the release of the second Wonder Woman movie, Gadot opened up to Variety about whether or not a third film might be on the horizon. She explained, "I would love to do another one if the story is great and with Patty [Jenkins] of course. But I don’t know. We’ll have to wait and see." The actress also called the idea of doing a third movie a "nice closure," presumably as it would round the series out into a trilogy.
Director Patty Jenkins wants a guaranteed theater release.
In an interview with The New York Times, Jenkins addressed whether or not she might return to direct a third Wonder Woman movie, especially given the fact that she's recently signed on to direct the new Star Wars movie, Rogue Squadron.
"We’ll see what happens," Jenkins explained. "I really don’t know. I know that I’d love to do the third one if the circumstances were right and there was still a theatrical model possible. I don’t know that I would if there wasn’t."
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Wonder Woman 1984's release date was pushed back on multiple occasions, before Warner Bros. announced that it would be releasing the movie on HBO Max on Christmas Day. While Jenkins was reluctant for Wonder Woman 1984 to be released on the streaming service, she came around to the idea. "It was weird, because the whole year I was afraid of that, and everybody at the studio kept saying, 'No way, we’ll never do that,' because you have to make so much money with this thing," she told The New York Times. "So when they suggested it, I was shocked. We did not agree right away—it was a very, very long process, and I don’t know that they would have let us disagree based on what they’ve been doing now. But I was conveniently into it for this movie."
But as for whether she would want to make a direct-to-streaming movie again, Jenkins was pretty firm. "[T]he studios that make this radical change [of moving their theatrical releases to a streaming service], particularly without consulting the artists, will end up with a very empty slate of quality filmmakers working there."
Watch this space for updates about Wonder Woman 3.
Amy Mackelden is a freelance writer, editor, and disability activist. Her bylines include Harper's BAZAAR, Nicki Swift, Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire, ELLE, The Independent, Bustle, Healthline, and HelloGiggles. She co-edited The Emma Press Anthology of Illness, and previously spent all of her money on Kylie Cosmetics.
