Wonder Woman III : What we know so far about the 3rd movie

[Primal Slayer]

Supposedly, Steve would be back and evil.

The same one where the person said it.was.fake. lol i swear

Source: random person on Twitter who may or may not have been joking.



Anyway...judging from Jenkins's statement, it sounds more like Warner is indeed leaning closer to reboot and would rather cut everything off.

So, as ever, I can go back to blaming bad things that happen to Wonder Woman on having to exist in a shared universe. No Wonder Woman 3 or trilogy because we need to get another shitty Justice League out in the world. Yay.

They cited deadline with no link and people still fell for it hard lol

[Primal Slayer]

So much for all those who were trying to act like Patty is some hard to work with diva

[Alpha]

So, as ever, I can go back to blaming bad things that happen to Wonder Woman on having to exist in a shared universe. No Wonder Woman 3 or trilogy because we need to get another shitty Justice League out in the world. Yay.

Then again, we wouldn't even have the first Wonder Woman movie if it wasn't for shared universes

[LordUltimus]

So the real problem is all the other movies being bad.

[HestiasHearth]

So much for all those who were trying to act like Patty is some hard to work with diva

Is it any surprise that a female director gets unjustly demonized and slandered when something she does fail or when something she is involved is perceived as a failure? I knew that all this talk about her being a "difficult diva that killed her career" sounded fishy.

[Gaius]

So much for all those who were trying to act like Patty is some hard to work with diva

I look forward to the backtracking.

[Amazon Swordsman]

Has anyone seen any rumblings of Gal being replaced on twitter? Idk if maybe people were thinking she wasn’t gonna be in WW3. Let her finish the WW trilogy and then let’s wait a few years to see which direction the franchise should go. I know some people aren’t too keen on Gal for whatever reason, and her acting abilities have been called into question many times, but you don’t really need Viola Davis acting skills to tell a great WW story, imo. They just need a good script, good plot, good character interactions/motivations, and great fighting sequences/choreography.

[BrianWilly]

On the one hand, it's too bad no exec got emailed the wikipedia link for "character arc," which was pretty funny.

On the other hand, lmfao all those rumors were just wild BS and the fact simply was that the WB dragged their feet too long to the point that she couldn't wait for them any more.

(I mean, that's according to her of course, but James Gunn also corroborated)

(Which, of course, might also just be him trying to make the whole situation look more professional and amicable, but at that point of conspiratorial speculation we might as well just assume every word out of anyone's mouth is just them doing damage control...and honestly, the possibility that the WB just dragged this project until it was completely dead definitely tracks with...like, literally everything they've done recently, sooo I don't see any reason to doubt Jenkins or Gunn on this)

[DisneyBoy]

Aren't you the same person who said that Lynda Carter shouldn't stand next to Gal Gadot in a hypothetical Wonder Woman III because of Lynda's age? Women age and can still be seen on screen, and GASP! They can even be in superhero movies.

Gal Gadot is 37, Chris Hemsworth is 39. Both are playing immortal Gods, yet only one person is constantly getting concern trolling about her getting "too old" for her role. I wonder why. Gal Gadot can definitely be in the role for another decade if she pleases.

Both Charlize Theron and Angelina Jolie are 47 years old. Both are action heroines and both can still easily be cast as a action heroine today. There's no reason Wonder Woman III has to be Gal Gadot's last foray in the role.

I am not comfortable with your phrasing here at all. Do not make me the poster child for some opinion that Gal is "too old" or that "older women can't be superheroes". I never said that, I don't feel that way and I really do take offense to your flippant wording here. I am not the one trolling and I think you're aware of that.

Putting that aside, let's give the matter some thought...

Gal is at a place in her career where, because of her fame, she'll be getting offers to do a lot of different things, other than just WW. She'll be wanting to take full advantage of that while it's happening. Remember, it's only fairly recently that someone like Robert Downey Junior could resurrect his career by doing comic book movies and then get hired for other work. Usually, putting on a comic book costume has meant the end of an actor's career. So many have had to deal with the "Superman curse" for example, and never got on-screen work again after wearing the cape. They became too famous as that one thing, and that was essentially the end of their careers. There are even fewer female characters who have carried their own superhero films, so Gal is among a very, very small group of actresses, and one of the few whose movie/portrayal was a big success. For that alone, she could get typecast. Lynda Carter has embraced being known as Wonder Woman fully throughout her career, but she's also never been free of her and never had another performance anywhere near as popular or well-remembered. As any actor will tell you, that's limiting. So, I was fully expecting a third WW movie to be Gal's last, having already played Diana in 5 different film projects. At some point, she'll want to move on, especially while the good offers are still coming. Who could blame her?

Another point is that women have shorter careers in Hollywood. Remember Tina Fey and Amy P's joke that "there are still great roles in Hollywood for Meryl Streeps over 50" ? That's pretty much the truth of it. Actresses get phased out once they start to show signs of age, whereas men get phased out less aggressively. That's down to casting and studio heads and directors - not me. So there's a ticking clock on Gal's career, and a smart actor always eyes the opportunities that might slip away if they aren't taken advantage of while there's still time. Does playing Wonder Woman in a few more movies prove to directors she's versatile? Prove to voters she's an Oscar contender? I don't know what her goals are, but I'm sure she's aware that she has to use her time wisely.

Then there's the issue of who this character is: an immortal. A beautiful Goddess with tons of powers and fighting abilities. That's what anyone playing Wonder Woman has to live up to. Maybe Gal's genes are such that she won't age a day at all for the next ten years, but in all likelihood she will, as we all do. Wonder Woman's costume is essentially a bathing suit/mini skirt situation. It isn't very forgiving and while they could definitely give her something different to wear, the point is still that Diana is supposed to stay the same age. So of course the age of your star matters, and how they look on screen matters. Plus, there's wear-and-tear to consider. Is she going to want to do heavy stunt work in five years? James Bond can strut around in a tuxedo and have a stunt double do the heavy lifting, but generally speaking, most action stars now are expected to be seen doing their own stunts because audiences are so savvy about stunt doubles and CGI. Directors want to show them something real. So Gal's in a tough spot there. If she were playing a regular mortal with looks and skills that could shift with age, it'd be a different situation.

Comparing her to Hemsworth isn't fair since A) He's a man and the "Hollywood Rules" mean he'll be forgiven more for showing visible signs of aging while playing a superhero (Hi, Indiana Jones! Hi Wolverine!), B) His costume covers most of his body and C) Hemsworth might very well be seriously hurting his body by trying to stay in shape for the role the way he has. I've read time and again that all these super-bulked-up actors are likely using unwise methods to achieve on-screen super muscles (again, this is what I've read on reputable sites, not me claiming to be an expert) so while he might not be getting flack for anything regarding his appearance yet or hearing many concerns about aging out of the part yet, he could very well be putting himself in a bad spot constantly trying to keep that physique up. Heck, his character even was portrayed as "fat" in the last film, wasn't he? Yeah. I doubt they'll be doing that for laughs in a Wonder Woman movie and giving Gal a pot belly. Their situations just aren't the same at all.

My wondering if Gal would hang up her WW duds should really come as no surprise since Chris Evans walked away from Captain America years ago. He played the character for what - a decade? - and likely felt that trying to continue to do so might lead to diminishing returns.

As for Charlize and Angelina, neither have played ageless superheroines over the course of several years worth of movies. Angie did Tomb Raider twice and that was it.

Lastly, with the huge mess that was WW84 - from the script, to the weird release because of the pandemic, to the critical response - and then also factoring in the unstable nature of everything going on with WB/DC right now, could you really blame her for wanting to bow out? Who wouldn't want to cut and run? It's a really weird time for the studio and the brand. It's only natural she'd look at what's happening and say, "is it really worth my sticking around?"

So there you have it. I never said Wonder Woman III "has to be Gal's last foray in the role". She could very well play the character for another ten years. We don't know yet. But in all likelihood, this messy cinematic universe will be rebooted within the next three to five, and Gal will likely have bowed out by then, for all the aforementioned reasons.

____

Having now read Jenkins and Gunn's statements, I'm relieved they seem to be on good terms and that this is just a case of the studio needing to move in a new direction and timetables not working out.

Honestly, as much as I've been hoping to see this cinematic universe end, it would be nice for Gal to get to play the character again, either in WWIII or in a JL movie, or as a guest in Henry's Superman movie or whatever, just to tie her story up a bit. I definitely wouldn't want it ending on the relatively sour note of WW84 (not talking about Lynda here - she was the highlight for me!).

Do you guys think they'd just give up on Gal playing Diana again completely? I feel like she is among the few to have proven somewhat popular with audiences (along with Jason and Henry and Zachary).

[The Overlord]

People with an ax to grind against WW84 are going to grind it--again and again--no matter what.

With good reason, that movie is awful, one of the worst comic book movies ever and that is a lot of competition. A meandering nonsense plot about wishes, bending over backward to bring Steve Trevor, having Wonder Woman have sex with Steve when he is in someone else's body, Wonder Woman not moving on from Steve even he died back in WW1, a random rapist is wandering around, Wonder Woman beats him up, but no one takes him to cops?

I liked the first movie, but Wonder Woman 84 poisoned the well. I like Wonder Woman, but I will not like a bad movie just because it has a character I like in it. Wipe the slate clean and start over.

[DisneyBoy]

With good reason, that movie is awful, one of the worst comic book movies ever and that is a lot of competition. A meandering nonsense plot about wishes, bending over backward to bring Steve Trevor, having Wonder Woman have sex with Steve when he is in someone else's body, Wonder Woman not moving on from Steve even he died back in WW1, a random rapist is wandering around, Wonder Woman beats him up, but no one takes him to cops?

I liked the first movie, but Wonder Woman 84 poisoned the well. I like Wonder Woman, but I will not like a bad movie just because it has a character I like in it. Wipe the slate clean and start over.

I think you mean Cheetah beat him up and didn't take him to the cops...right?

As bad as WW84 was, I think the franchise could have had one more good entry in it. The events of the sequel were pretty self-contained, so with a smart, tight script and Gal back in the lead, they could have just ignored WW84 and done another film and moved forward.

But the Diana raping someone stuff? Yeaaaah. That was a huge, huge misstep...even though I doubt most people cared as much about that as they did the laughable treatment of the transformed Cheetah. Villains count in superhero movies, and this one was overwhelmed by Maxwell Lord yelling about wishes.

[The Overlord]

I think you mean Cheetah beat him up and didn't take him to the cops...right?

As bad as WW84 was, I think the franchise could have had one more good entry in it. The events of the sequel were pretty self-contained, so with a smart, tight script and Gal back in the lead, they could have just ignored WW84 and done another film and moved forward.

But the Diana raping someone stuff? Yeaaaah. That was a huge, huge misstep...even though I doubt most people cared as much about that as they did the laughable treatment of the transformed Cheetah. Villains count in superhero movies, and this one was overwhelmed by Maxwell Lord yelling about wishes.

It's been two years since I have seen that film, but didn't Wonder Woman save Barbara from that rapist in Act 1 and he was just back on the streets in Act 3?

It's hard to get excited for a sequel after that second movie, I was looking forward to the Wonder Woman 84 because of the first film, but after seeing it, my interest disappeared for a third outing.

[DisneyBoy]

I think you're right about Diana letting the rapist get away, but honestly, I won't fault her for that much because she was looking after Barbara and trying not to give away her abilities.

I think WW84 did to the franchise what Superman 3 did - took the air out of the tires considerably.

[Alpha]

Yeah lots of people here eating crow after mouthing off about Patty Jenkins demanding absolute creative freedom

Gal Gadot can play this role if she wants and also make other movies, this is nothing like Chris Evans, since the MCU back then was realising Captain America movies and Avengers movies back to back. Wonder Woman movies aren't being made with nearly as much frequency, and who knows when the next Justice league movie will be. She has a lot more freedom in her schedule

These days an actor doesn't even need to perform any stunts. And as far as aging, Hugh Jackman played Wolverine for 18 years without aging apart from Logan (and even in that movie they had him also play his young clone without aging). So Gal can definitely play it later on.

To be clear, this doesn't mean she would still want to be in these movies, and personally, while I've surprisingly enjoyed her in the role, she is nowhere near what I desire for WW to be like.

[bardkeep]

I think the issue is less about Gal’s age and more about the fact that she’s already been in the role for almost 7 years. If they have a 10-year plan, that’s almost 2 decades as resident WW. And for context, RDJ was Iron Man for 10 years total.

If age is a concern, frankly I’d be more concerned about the other DCEU actors. Momoa is 43, Zachary Levi is 42 (which doesn’t even account for the issue of the actor playing Billy hitting 30), and The Rock is 50. Also I’m not gonna lie, Cavill can get away with a little longer but his age was definitely showing in his recent Superman cameo.