As the long-lead marketing campaign forSuicide Squadheats up with someelectrifyingEmpire Magazine covers, Warner Bros. is solidifying plans to start production on itsnextDC Superhero film,Wonder Woman. WhileSquadhas the honor of directly followingBatman v Superman: Dawn of Justiceand bringing a bit of a supervillain twist to the genre,Wonder Womanis also unique in that it will be the first female-led superhero pic of the post-Iron Manera.
Warner Bros. has been working hard to putWonder Womantogether, and while they had their leading actressGal Gadotset long ago, filling out the other pieces of the puzzle has been more difficult. Impeccably talented TV directorMichelle MacLareninitially signed on to develop and direct the film before departing overcreative differences, and WB has been rumored to be developingmultiple separate scriptsat the same time. However,Patty Jenkins(Monster) has been onboard to take the helm for a while now, and recently the film landed its first new cast member:Chris Pine.
Pine is said to be playing the role of Steve Trevor, Wonder Woman’s love interest, and many are hoping the film will play on gender tropes by positioning Trevor as the “damsel in distress”-type character that the female traditionally fills in a superhero movie. While it will likely be some time before we discover just how, exactly, Trevor fits into the story, Pine recently confirmed toPremiere(viaHeroic Hollywood) that he is indeed co-starring in the film, revealing a very promising behind-the-scenes piece of information: Jenkins is shooting on film:
“I do not really know what I’m allowed to tell you. I’m super excited, of course, Gal Gadot is super talented, Patty Jenkins will perform, and we will shoot in film … What excites me most is to turn in a movie with a superhero woman. With a woman in the lead role. I team with this intelligent, beautiful and strong [woman] to destroy the wicked and save humanity.”
The interview was printed in French so the translation is a tad wonky, but Pine certainly seems to suggest thatWonder Womanis treading rare territory behind the scenes. Almost everything is shot digitally these days, butDavid AyershotSuicide Squadon film, so it appears that Warner Bros. is granting Jenkins the same courtesy of capturingWonder Womanin the same medium. Perhaps it provides a bit of cohesiveness to the DC Cinematic Universe—thoughZack Snydershot most ofBatman v Supermanon digital.
Regardless, I’m certainly enthused to see howWonder Womancomes together, and nabbing Pine as the co-starandshooting on film is a promising start. The film is slated for release on July 31, 2025.
