With the DCEU finally sputtering to an end in 2023, one of the most on-point castings in the history of comic book films also came to an abrupt halt; Israeli actor Gal Gadot’s take on the guardian of Themyscira, Wonder Woman.
Handpicked by Zack Snyder in 2014 to round out the so-called ‘trinity’ of his ambitious DC Universe, Gal Gadot’s fiery Wonder Woman made her stunning debut in 2016’s Batman v Superman as she teamed up with the two heroes to take on Doomsday. The next year would see Gadot lead her Patty Jenkins-directed Wonder Woman solo feature, which received both stunning critical acclaim and box office glory. The success of the film helped cushion some of the muted response to Batman Vs Superman the year prior. Gadot would return the same year to be a major part of the 2017 Justice League ensemble, a Zack Snyder film hacked to bits by the studio.
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As DC recalibrated itself after the Justice League fiasco, the DC top brass ensured Gal Gadot’s hero remained one of the core pillars on which to continue the universe forward, especially when the returns of Henry Cavill’s Superman and Ben Affleck’s Batman were unclear. A sequel to her solo feature followed in 2020 but was unfortunately kneecapped by the pandemic. Gadot would then see her heroine return in Zack Snyder’s Justice League (2021), and two more cameos in Shazam 2 and The Flash would then follow. A faceless Wonder Woman would also make an appearance in Peacemaker Season 1.
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Patty Jenkins and Gal Gadot were hard at work on Wonder Woman 3 when Warner Bro decided to reboot their DCEU, abruptly ending Gadot’s journey as Wonder Woman. Rumors would then arise about how Wonder Woman 3 remained on track in the reboot as James Gunn and Patty Jenkins decided how to best move forward. However, these rumors would be shot down as Warner Bros insisted on a clean slate. It was clear Gadot’s time as the warrior of Themyscira had come to an unceremonious end.
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For a universe that had more than its fair share of controversies and pitfalls, Gadot’s Wonder Woman was one of the few bright stars that continued to shine from DCEU’s inception to its end. When Henry Cavill’s Superman and Ben Affleck’s Batman had seemingly segued out of the universe by 2018, Gadot and Momoa (Aquaman) were the only two core members of the Justice League who continued returning for future projects. Gadot’s casting was pitch perfect, her character's music was sublime, and Gadot brought an energy to the role that will be hard to top for anyone following in her footsteps.
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As Warner Bros and James Gunn set about to reboot the universe in 2023, now aptly titled DCU, they first decided to focus on the Kryptonians: Superman and Supergirl. To assure Wonder Woman fans that they were not being forgotten, a Themyscira-set television series, ‘Paradise Lost’ was also announced to be in development. Paradise Lost was set hundreds of years before Wonder Woman’s birth and was to be a swords and sandals epic focusing on the internal conflicts in Themyscira.
New Wonder Woman Movie
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While the Superman reboot has already been released this week and Supergirl remains on track to debut this time next year, Paradise Lost is arguably stuck in development hell with no writers attached to the project and no updates. Gunn insists it is in development, but without any solid evidence, it's clear the project has quietly been added to the pile of things not happening (along with The Authority feature and the Waller series).
New Wonder Woman Movie
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With Superman and Batman already receiving a lot of love in the new DCU (Matt Reeves’ Batman 2 is soon to begin filming, and Gunn’s Batman: Brave and the Bold is being written as we speak), the top brass at Warner Bros wanted to do something about the last member of the DC trinity. This urgency was all the more important because Paradise Lost had failed to make any headway even after two years. In line with this decision, James Gunn would promptly be nudged to announce that a new Wonder Woman film was in development and that it is currently being written.
However, the writers behind this project were not announced, leading to speculation that the new film might not be as far along in development as Warner wanted everyone to think. With 2026 and 2027 already packed for DC properties, the new Wonder Woman feature won't be able to make it to theatres before 2028, if it enters serious development this year. If and when the script is completed, we should get a casting announcement for the character early next year as well.
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All this has not stopped fans from fantasizing about who will play the new Wonder Woman. Ana De Armas and Alexandria Daddario have been swooped up among such fan castings, and a certain section of the internet has been wildly campaigning for Adria Arjona to take up the crown. The fact that Arjona recently followed Gunn on Instagram might indeed lend some credence to these rumors that the top brass at DC has already decided who is going to be the next Wonder Woman. Gunn promptly came out to deny any such casting had taken place, but this would not be out of character for the DC architect to do so. Our money is on Arjona ultimately being announced for the role.
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New Wonder Woman Movie
Make no mistake, we all love Gal Gadot and each of her seven appearances in the DCEU, but it is clear that Warner Bros. has decided to move into a new creative direction regarding Wonder Woman. To that end, if Superman is a financial success and Supergirl also manages to make back its budget, we can expect a new Wonder Woman film in the next few years. How the reboot will compare to Gadot’s iteration remains to be seen, but if the stars align, we could have another banger Wonder Woman iteration for the second time in the past decade.
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New Wonder Woman Movie
