UPDATE: James Gunn has responded to the reports mentioned below, and you can read what the DC Studios co-chief had to say here.
The Hollywood Reporter has broken the story that Wonder Woman 3 will not film in its current state, with the outlet stating that new DC Studios chiefs James Gunn and Peter Safran felt it did not fit the franchise’s contemporary vision.
Multiple sources close to THR say, “Patty Jenkins’ Wonder Woman 3 is not moving forward and is considered dead in its current incarnation.” The report claims Jenkins recently submitted her treatment, co-written with Geoff Johns, and that executives including Gunn and Safran, as well as Warner Bros. Pictures co-chairs and co-CEOs Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy, told Jenkins that her current project “did not fit in with the new (but still unfolding) plans.”
With wording like that, there’s still room for Jenkins to change things up and offer a new take on the character that fits what Gunn and Safran have planned. Though, with the lackluster reception to Patty Jenkins’s last outing with Wonder Woman, the panned Wonder Woman 1984, could spell the end of that era of the character. Given Gal Gadot’s popularity as the character, a recast currently seems unlikely.
THR notes that money wasn’t the issue; the studio could “save tens of millions of dollars by not making the third installment.” The trade notes that sources project Gadot bringing in a $20 million payday for Wonder Woman 3, while Jenkins would have received $12 million.
In a curious move earlier this week, Gal Gadot took to Twitter to express her gratitude of playing for playing Wonder Woman, adding, “Can’t wait to share her next chapter with you.” No one knows if Gadot knew about the upcoming news or was blindsided by the announcement.
For fans of Jenkins/Gadot’s Wonder Woman films, don’t take it personally as THR notes, “the rest of the DC slate remains in flux,” with even The Flash far from being finalized. Rumours are now circulating that Henry Cavill’s planned Superman return is also now in doubt (Cavill returned to the role of the Man of Steel for a cameo in Black Adam, and exited Netflix’s The Witcher series ahead of an anticipated new Superman movie), as is a Black Adam sequel, while there’s also talk that Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom could spell the end of Jason Momoa’s time as Arthur Curry in favour of a DC recasting as Lobo.
SEE ALSO: Dwayne Johnson shoots down reports that Black Adam will lose money
Gunn and Safran are reportedly set to pitch their vision for DC Studios to Warner executives next week, but as it stands at the time of writing, the next DC Studios project is Shazam! Fury of the Gods, set for release in March of 2023, followed by The Flash on June 16th, Blue Beetle on August 18th and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom on December 25th 2023. Meanwhile the Todd Phillips Joker sequel, Joker: Folie à Deux, recently began filming with Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga.
