Wonder Woman 3 - What We Know So Far
After months of delays, fans were finally able to sit down and watch Wonder Woman 1984 on Christmas Day in both theaters and streaming at home. According to Warner Bros., it became the most successful film since the pandemic started, bringing in $16.7 million in domestic box office receipts over the weekend. That's a paltry amount compared to Wonder Woman's opening weekend of $103 million, but of course, WW84 can't be judged by pre-pandemic metrics. While Rotten Tomatoes has mixed feelings on WW84, two days after its release, Warner Bros. announced they are moving forward with a third Wonder Woman film to conclude the trilogy.
According to CNN, the chairman of Warner Bros., Toby Emmerich, announced the upcoming film in a statement that confirmed Patty Jenkins would be back to direct WW3. She directed both previous films, and has been integral to making the Wonder Woman franchise the DC success story it has become.
So, despite having only just finished watching WW84, here's everything we know so far about the upcoming end to the Wonder Woman trilogy so far.
The Wonder Woman 3 release date is being fast-tracked
CNN reported that Warner Bros. is fast-tracking production of Wonder Woman 3, but making a film is still a long process, so we can expect to see it in a little over two years from now. Barring any other pandemic-related delays — and fingers-crossed that won't be an issue by then — 2023 seems like a good bet for the WW3 release date.
The film is joining a short list of other upcoming DC Extended Universe movies. The Suicide Squad is slated to release in 2021, while The Flash and Aquaman 2 are scheduled for 2022. Looking even further out, Shazam! Fury of the Gods is already slated for 2023, while Black Adam doesn't yet have a release date, though late 2022 or early 2023 also seems likely. Wonder Woman 3 would fit right in that schedule for 2023, and is likely to be a major tentpole of the DCEU in its next phase.
Jenkins is also currently working on her Star Wars film, Rogue Squadron, which is slated for 2023. So if Warner Bros. is fast-tracking WW3, it's possible she'll be juggling both films at once. While Jenkins previously told Collider that there would be a longer wait between WW2 and WW3 than the two years between the first two movies, it seems plans have changed. We'll have to wait until we hear more about the order of operations over at Jenkins headquarters.
Gal Gadot is back as Wonder Woman
At this point, the only cast confirmation we have so far is Wonder Woman herself, Gal Gadot. However, there is plenty of speculation as to whether Chris Pine will return for the third film in a row as a revenant Steve Trevor. He sacrificed himself in Wonder Woman and was brought back via an ill-fated wish in WW84, though the film ended with him gone again, this time seemingly for good. However, Gadot told Entertainment Tonight that she "couldn't imagine doing another one without him," so Steve's return isn't entirely out of the question.
It's more likely that Kristen Wiig will come back as Barbara Minerva a.k.a. Cheetah, reprising her role from WW84. Both Jenkins and Gadot have been asked this on Twitter, and both responded with vague answers, though Jenkins' in particular could hint toward a yes. She wrote: "We'll just have to see ... " with three winking emoji attached. It's not a yes, but it's definitely not a no, either.
Wonder Woman 3 will pick up after another loss
WW84 ended on a bittersweet note for Diana Prince. Though she saved the day, her partner Steve Trevor disappeared once more, leaving her to take his parting words to heart and find love — romantic or otherwise — elsewhere in the world. The film left many questions unanswered, leaving fans wondering what might be in store for the third and final movie in the trilogy. Jenkins told Collider in 2019 that she already knew the story for WW3, so at least some of it has been planned well before now.
The easiest bet to make at this point is that the third film will jump forward in time once more, possibly to modern times, though that holds the potential to tangle up other DCEU timelines. Hopefully we'll see Diana forge some stronger relationships in the absence of Steve. We didn't get to see a reunion between the human Barbara and Diana in WW84, which could offer an interesting angle to explore in the next film if it doesn't jump too far ahead. At this point, Barbara no longer has the strength and speed of Cheetah, but it's possible she could look for another source of those powers.
In any case, more details are sure to come out about Wonder Woman 3 as development continues.