All good things come in threes, don’t they? After the successes ofWonder WomanandWonder Woman 1984, the DC Extended Universe will be closing out the story of Princess Diana (Gal Gadot) with the third and final installment,Wonder Woman 3. The movie will be directed byPatty Jenkinsand everything points to it being a proper conclusion to the story that started withWonder Womanback in 2017.
Warner Bros. chairmanToby Emmerichreleased a statementannouncing the movie in December 2020 saying, “As fans around the world continue to embrace Diana Prince, driving the strong opening weekend performance of Wonder Woman 1984, we are excited to be able to continue her story with our real-life Wonder Women – Gal [Gadot] and Patty [Jenkins] – who will return to conclude the long-planned theatrical trilogy.”
It’s still early days with the threequel and not much is known about the project. However, we do have some details to share about the upcoming DC movie. So we’ve put together everything we know aboutWonder Woman 3so far, from the plot and casting details to updates on filming and release dates.
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Who Is in the Wonder Woman 3 Cast?
So far, Gal Gadot is the only cast member who has been confirmed for the movie. At least some of the cast members from the previous movies are likely to show up in the third film.
Robin Wright,Connie Nielsen, andChris Pinehave been in both the first two movies so it’s possible that they might return forWonder Woman 3.Kristen Wiigcould also appear in the upcoming movie, reprising her role as Cheetah fromWonder Woman 1984.
Chris Pine’s return is especially doubtful since we’ve already seen his character come back from the dead once. Doing it a second time might just be pushing it. All things considered, it could be a while before we get some proper casting announcements for the movie.
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Who Are the Returning Characters in Wonder Woman 3?
Wonder Woman 3will obviously see Gal Gadot return as Princess Diana of Themyscira. But beyond that, there’s been no clue as to who may or may not show up in the upcoming film.
Considering howWonder Woman 1984pushed Diana to move on from Steve Trevor (Chris Pine), it seems unlikely that he’ll be in the third movie. That said, he could still show up in some way, perhaps in a flashback or dream sequence of some sort. Honestly, it all depends on what direction the movie will take Diana in.
Fans would enjoy seeing Kristen Wiig return as Barbara Minerva / Cheetah. The character is one of Wonder Woman’s most important arch-enemies in the comics and yet she was mostly a secondary villain inWonder Woman 1984. Bringing the character back in a bigger way could be an interesting move, but not if it’s just to play second-fiddle to another villain again.
It seems quite likely that Connie Nielsen’s Queen Hippolyta and Robin Wright’s General Antiope will return forWonder Woman 3. The characters are most likely to show up in flashbacks to Diana’s time growing up on Themyscira. If they do leave the island to join Diana in Man’s World, it would have to be because of some major threat.
There’s also the possibility thatLynda Cartercould return as the legendary Amazon warrior Asteria. Granted, her appearance inWonder Woman 1984’s mid-credits scene did seem like a tribute to the iconic actor and her time playing Diana in the 1970s TV show. But it would be pretty cool to see the two Wonder Women fighting side by side.
When Is Wonder Woman 3 Filming?
The production schedule forWonder Woman 3is still something of a mystery. Not having a release date makes it rather hard to take a guess as to when filming might begin on the movie.
To make things more complicated, Gadot and Jenkins have other projects lined up that would have to be completed before they can start work onWonder Woman 3. Both of them are involved with the upcomingCleopatramovie and Jenkins is also scheduled to directStar Wars: Rogue Squadron. The latter movie is slated to land in theaters in December 2023.
Based on how those schedules are looking right now,Wonder Woman 3might not begin filming until sometime in 2023 at the earliest. We should have a clearer picture of the schedule once the release date is announced.
When Is Wonder Woman 3 Set?
This is one aspect of the movie that has been confirmed. UnlikeWonder WomanandWonder Woman 1984, the third movie will not be set in the past. That’s right, we won’t be getting another period piece and in fact,Wonder Woman 3might finally continue Diana’s story pastJustice League. Jenkins confirmed thatWonder Woman 3would be a contemporary story in 2019.
“I’m not planning to put it in the past again, because where are you going to go?” she toldThe Hollywood Reporter. “You have to go forward. It’s definitely a contemporary story. That’s all I can say. Where we put it and how that gets figured out, I haven’t totally nailed down.”
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What Is the Wonder Woman 3 Plot?
It remains to be seen whereWonder Woman 3’s story will take Diana. Over the course of the last two movies, we’ve already seen her come into her own and come to terms with her place in the world. Where she’ll go next is completely up in the air.
Patty Jenkins has expressed interest in bringing the present state of the world into the movie. In fact, it looks like the COVID-19 pandemic is going to have a big impact on the film. Jenkins toldHeroic Hollywoodin 2020 that she has paused work onWonder Woman 3so she can fully incorporate the state of a post-COVID world.
“I’ve really hit the pause button,” she said. “Because the truth is, where that plotline was coming from was our state of being six months ago. And so I want to verify that I’m totally absorbing whatever the result of this pandemic is.”
Another reason why it’s taking so long to get any clear details aboutWonder Woman 3is the spinoff movie that’s currently in development. Centered on the Amazons of Themyscira whom Diana left behind, the spinoff film was announced in 2019. Jenkins won’t be directing the spinoff but she does intend to incorporate elements from the movie intoWonder Woman 3. Now to be fair, the spinoff doesn’t have a release date yet and it might not even happen. So until there’s some word on that, it’s really anyone’s guess what the finalWonder Womanmovie will be all about.
Wonder Woman 3 Trailer
The trailer forWonder Woman 3hasn’t been released yet. Details about the movie are being kept closely under wraps and it’s still very early in the process as filming has not yet begun. In fact, it looks like fans will have to wait quite a bit to see any footage from the upcoming film. Watch this space to catch all the trailers and teasers as and when they become available.
When Is the Wonder Woman 3 Release Date?
At the moment,Wonder Woman 3does not have an official confirmed release date. Seeing as the movie hasn’t even commenced filming yet, it’s going to be a long while before it comes out. Chances are thatWonder Woman 3won’t arrive in theaters until 2024 at the very earliest. The actual date is likely to be even later, given that Jenkins’ next project is directing a newStar Warsmovie set for release in December 2023 and she won’t move on toWonder Woman 3until that’s finished. Keep an eye on this section though because we will be updating it with the release date when it is announced.
Will Wonder Woman 3 Be on HBO Max?
As it stands,Wonder Woman 3won’t be coming to HBO Max when it releases. WithWonder Woman 1984, Warner Bros. adopted a hybrid release model, streaming the movie on HBO Max while also releasing it in theaters. This has been heavily criticized even though it helped the movie become themost-streamed film of 2020.
In the case ofWonder Woman 3, this model will not be followed. Patty Jenkins had previously said that she might not return for a third movie if it doesn’t have a theatrical release.
“We’ll see what happens,” she toldThe New York Times. “I really don’t know. I know that I’d love to do the third one if the circumstances were right and there was still a theatrical model possible. I don’t know that I would if there wasn’t.”
In August 2021, Jenkins took an even firmer stance on the matter. While at CinemaCon 2021 (viaDeadline), Jenkins reflected on1984’s hybrid release. “It was the best choice in a bunch of bad choices at the moment,” calling it a “heartbreaking experience.” She continued, “I’m not a fan of day-and-date and I hope to avoid it forever.”
And it looks like Warner Bros. agrees with her. According toVariety, the movie will have a traditional theatrical release, and Warner Bros.made an agreementwith theater owners that starting in 2022, every new WB movie will play in theaters exclusively for 45 days before it goes onto HBO Max.
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