Gal Gadots Scrapped Wonder Woman 3 Gets Candid Reflection From DCEU Star

Connie Nielsen, the DC Extended Universe’s Queen Hippolyta, has admitted she does not understand the decision to scrap Wonder Woman 3. Before Wonder Woman 1984’s 2020 release, director and co-writer Patty Jenkins revealed that she already had plans for a third movie starring Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman set in the present day and a spinoff Amazons movie. Despite Wonder Woman 3 being officially greenlit by Warner Bros. in December 2020, those plans would later fall into disarray as new DC Studios co-CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran assumed leadership of the franchise and began planning their DC Universe reboot.

Speaking with Den of Geek, Nielsen admitted her own confusion and frustration over DC Studio’s decision to cancel Wonder Woman 3. Pointing out that the original Wonder Woman made over $800 million in box office returns, and that the movies were made with smaller budgets in comparison to other DC projects, she suggests the decision is leaving “money on the table.” Check out her comments below:

I think it’s crazy. I mean, frankly, I don’t understand it. [Wonder Woman] made $800 million just in the movie theaters, and it has an enormous and passionate, passionate fan base. These are spectacular films, and there’s just no reason I can understand whatsoever for not investing in that. If I were a business person, I would say that’s money on the table. It’s right there. Plus every time we’ve done it, [it was] with budgets that were way smaller than any of the other DC budgets.

Queen Hippolyta Is Not The Only One Confused About The DCU’s Plans

While this December’s launch of the animated Creature Commandos show will serve as the official launch of Gunn and Safran’s new DC Universe, most eyes are on the former’s Superman movie as the first true test of their plans for a soft franchise reboot. With characters like John Cena’s Peacemaker and Viola Davis’ Amanda Waller confirmed to be making the jump across from the older DCEU, the exact nature of the relationship between this new version of the franchise, and the one that preceded it, is still confusing to many.

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Heightening this pervasive sense of confusion is that their plans for other key franchise characters like Wonder Woman and Batman are still yet to be revealed in full. Much as Neilsen points out, Gadot’s version of Princess Diana was not only responsible for one of the DCEU’s most profitable and critically acclaimed entries, many fans are still hoping that she too will find herself back in the role. However, these hopes continue to fly in the face of previous reports that have suggested that none of the original Justice League members will return to their old DCEU roles.

Nonetheless, the seeds of Jenkins’ original plans to expand the DCEU’s Wonder Woman lore via her Amazons spinoff do appear to have taken root courtesy of the DCU’s forthcoming Paradise Lost prequel series. Said to be set on Themyscira in the time before Diana’s birth, it is possible that Gunn and Safran may potentially look back to Jenkins’ proposed spinoff as a potential blueprint for their own plans.

Our Take On Wonder Woman’s DCU Future

DC Studios Can’t Ignore Wonder Woman For Long

With the new DC Universe just months away from making its way onto people’s screens, hopefully, the confusion and uncertainty surrounding the franchise will begin to dissipate as the new DC shows and movies finally start getting released. However, with question marks still hanging over the franchise’s biggest characters, that confusion may quickly turn to impatience if fans are still left wondering how the DCU will handle their version of Wonder Woman.

While it is all but clear that Jenkins’ plans for Wonder Woman 3 have now been permanently relegated to the ever-growing list of comic book movies that never got made, Gunn’s new DC Studios would be wise to follow up their new Superman with some more concrete announcements about the future of the crown princess of Themyscira.

Source: Den of Geek

Wonder Woman 3 is the third film in Warner Bros.’ franchise starring Gal Gadot as Diana Prince. There was initially confusion about whether the sequel would happen after the DC began its soft reboot under the direction of James Gunn and Peter Safran. However, in August 2023, Gadot confirmed that the sequel was moving forward.

Studio(s): DC Films
Distributor(s): Warner Bros. Pictures