To say Wonder Woman crushed the box office would be an understatement. Words like "obliterated" or "demolished" are more apt, given the film's record-setting $103.1 million domestic opening and its badass, empowering message. Everyone from Lupita Nyong'o to Chris Hemsworth couldn't help but gush about director Patty Jenkins and star Gal Gadot, so it came as no surprise that the Hollywood gods answered all of our prayers with a sequel. Only a few small details have been released so far, so let's get to it.
The Story
Wonder Woman begins on Diana Prince's home island of Themyscira and later moves to a Europe torn apart by World War I. For the sequel, Jenkins suggested bringing the superhero across the pond. "The story will take place in the U.S., which I think is right," the director told Entertainment Weekly during an interview in June. "She's Wonder Woman. She's got to come to America. It's time." In July, ScreenRant reported that the sequel will be a period piece rather than set in modern times. In the screenplay developed by Jenkins and DC Entertainment's Geoff Johns, Diana will apparently face off against the Soviet Union during "the closing days of the Cold War" in the 1980s. Break out the Aqua Net, everybody.
While sitting down with Variety in November, Jenkins further elaborated on the broad strokes of the movie. Not only will it bring Wonder Woman to a deeper, perhaps slightly darker place, but she also hinted at another great "love story":
"It's really still going to other values of hers, and a similar formula insofar as making a great, enjoyable fun movie but that ultimately in its third act turns some very big issues, and a very big experience that will aim to have slightly more weight and profundity than it has to have. Because that's a formula that I really like, and I like the idea of taking somebody on a very solid, great journey but that arrives at a bigger question being answered. So it's like that but because she is Wonder Woman and she's here now and she's fully developed, it's got great fun from the start and great big superhero presence from the start, and is funny and a great love story again and a couple new unbelievable characters who I'm so excited about, who are very different than were in the last movie."
The Cast
Although we initially assumed Chris Pine wouldn't return as Steve Trevor given how his story ends, Jenkins seems to think otherwise. "All I can say is it was a dilemma," she told Fandango. "It's something I hope we don't talk about in the public [because] I want people to see, but it's very hard to know which characters will be in the next movie because of the time period, so it's a big question." Pine himself further fuelled speculation in the same interview. "The movie's gotta come out, and then we'll see," he said before joking, "What about Wonder Man?"
In the same ScreenRant report about the sequel's plot, it was also revealed that Pine will return as Steve Trevor, even though he perishes in an explosion in the final minutes of Wonder Woman. Unless someone in the DCEU brings him back from the dead or travels through time to save him, his role will likely be limited to flashbacks, or he could always show up as Steve's descendant.
Regardless, leading lady Gadot will definitely be back to kick some ass. As far as other characters are concerned, making the story set in present day opens up the possibility of a few cameos from other DC characters (even if Wonder Woman only bothers with a single, subtle Justice League Easter egg).
The Director
Unlike Gadot, Jenkins was not contractually obligated to return for the second installment of Wonder Woman since Warner Bros. executives only enlisted her for the one film. We can't imagine a better person for the job, and clearly neither could the studio. In September Jenkins signed a landmark deal to direct the sequel, with sources telling Variety that her paycheck was in the $8 million range. That would make her the highest paid female director of all time, if true!
The Release Date
Settle in, you guys, because this is going to be a hell of a long wait. Before Warner Bros. can begin working on a sequel for Diana, it has to release Justice League (part one debuts on Nov. 17, 2017, part two on June 14, 2019), as well as finish The Flash and Aquaman (due out March 16, 2018, and Dec. 21, 2018, respectively). That's why the official date, which the studio revealed in July, isn't until Dec. 13, 2019.