Cancellation, Story, Diana’s DCU Future, & Everything We Know

Fans excited about Wonder Woman 3 were dealt a devastating blow when the news broke that the DCEU sequel was not moving forward. Though director Patty Jenkins and star Gal Gadot were expected to return for the third installment in the DCEU timeline, the project was canceled as the DCU underwent restructuring with the new co-CEOs, James Gunn and Peter Safran. As such, fans waiting for news about Wonder Woman 3‘s trailer or release date are sadly going to be left disappointed, as there will be no new developments with this particular Wonder Woman project.

The cancelation is especially shocking given the massive boost 2017’s Wonder Woman gave to the DCU in its struggling early days. Following the disappointing reaction to movies like Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Suicide Squad, Wonder Woman proved that there was hope for the DCU to survive as it was met with critical acclaim and huge success at the box office.

The sequel, Wonder Woman 1984, became the first big release premiering directly on HBO Max during the COVID-19 pandemic. Unfortunately, the reception was much less enthusiastic. However, while fans were still excited about Wonder Woman 3 to complete the trilogy, those dreams were replaced with questions about Wonder Woman’s future in the DCU, a possible reboot, and an Amazonian-focused HBO Max series.

Why Wonder Woman 3 Was Canceled

Reports circulated in December 2022 that the movie was dead at Warner Bros after director Patty Jenkins left the project due to creative differences. Shortly after, Jenkins released her own statement, clearing up some of the misinformation. However, she confirmed the project was dead as the DCU was going in a new direction, and she was led to believe that there was nothing she could do to save Wonder Woman 3.

Unfortunately for fans of the DCEU’s Wonder Woman, it also appears Gal Gadot will not be reprising the role in the DC Universe, despite the previous suggestions she may play the hero in the new era of the franchise. However, the new DCU will still have an Amazonian project with the upcoming HBO Max series Paradise Lost, focusing on Paradise Island and the formation of this society of female warriors long before Princess Diana was born, which can go a way to setting up a new actor for the hero.

The most likely reason that Wonder Woman 3 was canceled is that James Gunn and Peter Safran wanted as clean of a start as possible for the DCU. No founding members of the Justice League and the DCEU will reprise their roles in the new universe, which means it wouldn’t have made sense for Wonder Woman to continue on after having interacted with them previously.

Of course, aspects of The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker season 1 carrying over into the DCU made it possible that Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman would carry over as well, but the hero’s comparative prominence and inherently connection to the DCEU made this highly unlikely. It’s also worth noting that Wonder Woman 1984 was incredibly divisive, undermining a lot of the good will from the first film. Audiences might not be inclined to see a third film with Gal Gadot in the lead, making it a somewhat easy choice for James Gunn and Peter Safran.

What’s Been Said About Wonder Woman 3’s Cancelation

Despite launching a brand-new universe, there are a lot of people that were and are shocked about not continuing with Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman series. Director Patty Jenkins stated that she delivered a script for a third film and was even willing to retool it to better fit the DCU, but was told that there was essentially no way forward for that version of the character.

Recently, Connie Nielsen, who played Diana’s mother, stated in an interview with Den of Geek that she was shocked a third installment isn’t moving forward despite the first film doing so well. Nielsen said, “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.”

James Gunn hasn’t released a lot of information regarding Wonder Woman’s status in the new DCU, but has repeatedly expressed interest in bringing her into animated projects, a medium that she hasn’t had a lot of exploration in outside of Justice League and Justice League Unlimited. Adapting Wonder Woman for animation before bringing her into live-action projects again could be the perfect way for the DCU to distinguish itself from the previous iteration of the character.

Wonder Woman 3 Story Details: How 1984 Set Up A Sequel

Wonder Woman 1984 ended with everyone taking back the wishes they made, changing the world back into what it was before. Steve Trevor “died” once again, and he would presumably not return for a third installment, given there really isn’t much more that the series could explore with his relationship with Diana. Even though there are several decades between Wonder Woman 1984 and her first appearance in Batman v Superman, it would have made sense to move Diana’s story forward after the events of Justice League.

Lynda Carter, the actor who played Wonder Woman in the popular 1970s series, was set to return for Wonder Woman 3 after being teased in Wonder Woman 1984‘s post-credit scene as Amazon warrior Asteria. However, there are no details about how the character would fit into the story. Instead, it joins the long list of DC post-credit scenes that ended up going nowhere, including Henry Cavill returning to the role of Superman at the end of Black Adam.

Paradise Lost HBO Max Series

It was previously announced that there would be a Wonder Woman spinoff movie focusing on the Amazonians. After no news about that project for quite a while, the cancelation of Wonder Woman 3 suggests that the project is also not moving forward as originally planned.

However, it was revealed as part of the DCU’s Chapter 1 – “Gods and Monsters” slate that there would be an HBO Max series set in Themyscira called Paradise Lost. James Gunn has described the show as a Game of Thrones-style series set in an all-female warrior society long before the time of Diana. It is unclear if this is a repurposing of the original Wonder Woman spinoff project or if it is an entirely new project.

Will The DCU Reboot Wonder Woman?

Though Wonder Woman 3 was canceled, fans can expect the hero to be included in the new DCU before long. The question then became whether this would mean a total reboot for the character, or if Gal Gadot would return – something that was decidedly unclear because, while some big names like Henry Cavill will not return in the DCU, others were confirmed to be reprising their roles, albeit with some alterations. However, according to a new DCU report, none of the old Justice League will be taking up their roles in the new iteration of the team, meaning it appears that Wonder Woman will be played by another person.

Paradise Lost will likely set the stage for the DCU’s version of the hero, thus opening the possibility of using it as a way to introduce a new Wonder Woman. With new actors playing Batman and Superman in the DCU projects like The Brave and the Bold and Superman, it might have added confusion to the already complicated cinematic universe if Wonder Woman wasn’t recast as well, with this logic appearing to be behind both Gadot and Jason Momoa’s recasts, effectively making Wonder Woman 3 impossible.

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