It's nearly arrived: after so much uncertainty, so many delays, and so many restrictions, Wonder Woman 1984 is finally set to debut on HBO Max this Christmas day. As one of the few DC Universe films that received nearly universal acclaim, a sequel was never really in doubt, but in the year of the Coronavirus pandemic, tough calls had to be made and the film's final release date seemed constantly under threat of further delay. Now that the film is finally rolling out, however, Gal Gadot is celebrating.
While the film isn't coming out quite as expected, getting a limited rollout to theaters and a streaming release on HBO Max, the actress is just pleased that people are getting a chance to see it: “The fact that we’re going to share it with everybody during the holidays is the best feeling.... I'm so happy.” In a brief interview with Variety she expressed excitement over the impending release and fielded a few questions about the future of the franchise.
While Wonder Woman 1984 has released to decent reviews, no official continuation or sequel has been announced by Warner Bros. As one of the more successful franchises in the current iteration of the DC Cinematic Universe, it's hard to imagine a world where sequel plans aren't already in progress, but Gadot insists that nothing official is happening yet: "You never know. I would love to do another one if the story is great and with Patty [Jenkins] of course. But I don’t know. We’ll have to wait and see.”
While there may not be any official production or ironclad contracts yet, there's no doubt it's been discussed at Warner Bros. to some degree. It is possible though that the company is waiting to see the reception to Zack Snyder's new version of Justice League, as well as other upcoming projects in order to determine what shape the DC Cinematic Universe takes going forward. It makes sense to be cautious, considering how overcommitting to one direction ended with the first version of Justice League shooting itself in the foot, having been unable to effectively course-correct after the poor reception to Batman Vs. Superman.
As of right now, the next DC project planned after Wonder Woman 1984 is the release of Zack Snyder's Justice League. The four part director's cut is supposedly a separate universe to the ongoing DC Cinematic Universe, but if it ends up being successful, it's not impossible that Warner Bros. may consider the possibility of other alt-universe DC films, or perhaps even creating more director's cuts of films like Suicide Squad. Whatever lies in the future for Warner Bros. and DC, HBO Max subscribers will be able to enjoy most of DC's film line up, including Wonder Woman 1984 for the foreseeable future.
Wonder Woman 1984 will be available on HBO Max starting Christmas day, 2020.
Source: Variety