A third live-action Wonder Woman movie starring Gal Gadot does not appear to be in the cards for the rebooted DC Universe after all.
According to Variety, DC Studios is not developing Wonder Woman 3, despite Gadot recently suggesting that the film was in the works. Furthermore, the outlet’s sources say that DC Studios co-heads James Gunn and Peter Safran do not currently have plans for any Wonder Woman projects beyond the upcoming Max prequel series Paradise Lost.
Gal Gadot strongly hinted at her DCU return
Gadot appeared to confirm that Wonder Woman 3 was in develpment for the new DCU during an interview with ComicBook.com published earlier this month. “I love portraying Wonder Woman,” she said at the time. “It’s so close to and dear to my heart. From what I heard from James and from Peter is that we’re gonna develop a Wonder Woman 3 together.”
Shortly after the story broke, industry insider Jeff Sneider of The Hot Mic podcast threw cold water on the idea of a DCU Wonder Woman 3. Sneider called the story “nonsense.” “I don’t know why you bring in James Gunn and Peter Safran to reboot the DCU if they’re not going to reboot the DCU,” he added. “I don’t know why they would hire someone who isn’t Patty Jenkins to come in and do Wonder Woman 3 and then not let that person cast their Wonder Woman.”
Nevertheless, Gadot seemed to re-confirm Wonder Woman 3 during a newly-published interview with Flaunt, going as far as to detail her meeting with Gunn and Safran. “I was invited to a meeting with James Gunn and Peter Safran and what they told me, and I’m quoting: ‘You’re in the best hands. We’re going to develop Wonder Woman 3 with you. [We] love you as Wonder Woman — you’ve got nothing to worry about.’ So time will tell,” she said. However, Variety’s sources now claim that “nothing was ever promised to Gadot” regarding a Wonder Woman threequel.
The troubled development of Wonder Woman 3
Gadot has portrayed Diana Prince/Wonder Woman in the soon-to-be-defunct DC Extended Universe since 2016’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Her first solo outing came in the 2017 film Wonder Woman, directed by Patty Jenkins. Jenkins returned to direct Gadot in the 2020 sequel, Wonder Woman 1984. Shortly after WW84 released, DC and Warner Bros. began to fast-track Wonder Woman 3, with both Jenkins and Gadot attached to return.
However, amid the late-2022 restructuring of DC Studios, news broke that Wonder Woman 3 would not be moving forward in its current form. Reports claimed that Jenkins had departed the project over disagreements with the studio regarding her script. Jenkins herself soon refuted such claims. “I never walked away,” the director wrote in a statement. “I was open to considering anything asked of me. It was my understanding there was nothing I could do to move anything forward at this time. DC is obviously buried in changes they are having to make, so I understand these decisions are difficult right now.”
Gal Gadot’s future as Wonder Woman remains up in the air
Despite the growing uncertainty regarding whether or not she would get a third solo film, Gadot’s Wonder Woman has maintained a presence in the DCEU post-WW84. This year alone, Gadot cameoed as the Princess of Themyscira in both Shazam! Fury of the Gods and The Flash. However, the upcoming Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom will be the final DCEU film before the onset of Gunn and Safran’s DCU relaunch, which involves multiple major recastings.
That said, contrary to Sneider’s earlier point, Gunn has stated that a number of actors featured in the old DCEU will reprise their roles in the new DCU. For instance, Suicide Squad star Viola Davis is confirmed to be reprising her role as Amanda Waller in the upcoming Max series Waller. Gunn has also assured that the second season of Max’s Peacemaker is still happening, meaning that John Cena and company will likely be back as well. Additionally, Xolo Maridueña is expected to return as Jaime Reyes following his big debut in the fast-approaching DCEU film Blue Beetle. Whether or not Gadot will ever don Wonder Woman’s iconic armor again remains to be seen.
