Wonder Woman 1984 director, Patty Jenkins jokes that she wishes the sequel was still releasing in 2019 because it’s that good and she can’t wait to share the film with audiences. With the cinematic futures of both Batman and Superman changing, the sequel to 2017’s Wonder Woman is one of the few constants in Warner Bros.’ announced slate of DC Comics films and that makes it a most important movie for the studio.
Without a doubt, Wonder Woman 1984 is also one of Warner Bros.’ most anticipated films, and fans were disappointed to learn its release was being pushed back to June 2020. However, it was soon revealed that the release date change was at the request of Jenkins and her team. Producer Charles Roven explained that 2020 was always their pick for a release year, but Warner Bros. really wanted a big tentpole film in 2019 and made Wonder Woman 1984 take that spot. Once WB firmed up their film slate for 2019, though, it became possible for Wonder Woman 1984 to move back to 2020. And yet, now Jenkins is sort of regretting that date change, finding the film to be so good that she wishes she could release it sooner.
In a recent interview, Jenkins now jokingly laments lobbying so hard for Wonder Woman 1984 to get a later release date. “I’ve just screened a version of the film,” says Jenkins in the clip (originally posted to vanzekin018’s Instagram story), “And now I’m, ‘Oh my god, can we move it back up again?’ I’m dying to release this film.” Check out the full clip (via Wonder Woman News) below:
Jenkins is clearly excited about Wonder Woman 1984 and why shouldn’t she be? Wonder Woman was widely well-received and it rejuvenated Warner Bros.’ DC slate, holding interest in their shared universe long enough for later hits like Aquaman and Shazam. Not to mention, Wonder Woman went on to become the highest grossing picture ever directed by a woman - a little factoid which surely helped Jenkins negotiate her record-setting salary for directing the sequel.
Still, no matter how excited Jenkins may be for fans to see Wonder Woman 1984, she had good reason to fight for the film to get a 2020 release instead of rushing to get it in theaters sooner. Had they kept that 2019 release, the sequel would have had less time in post-production than the first film, and with Wonder Woman 1984 likely requiring more digital effects work, the extra time in post is really necessary. Kristin Wiig’s character, Cheetah, for instance, will likely be an almost (if not entirely) digital character once she’s fully transformed and that alone should warrant additional time to work on getting the look of the character right. Surely, WB doesn’t want a repeat of Henry Cavill’s now notorious upper lip Justice League.
In addition to Wiig’s Cheetah, Gal Gadot’s Diana will be joined by Pedro Pascal in a mystery role and Chris Pine’s Steve Trevor - a character who died in the first film but is mysteriously returning for the sequel set seven decades later in the 1980s. Very few other story details are known about Wonder Woman 1984, but with Jenkins continuing to hype the film, fans have every reason to get excited for its release next summer.
Next: Wonder Woman 1984 May Break DCEU Sequel Tradition (& Change Its Future)
Source: Wonder Woman News (via CBR)
- Joker Release Date: 2019-10-04 Birds of Prey Release Date: 2020-02-07 Wonder Woman 2 Release Date: 2020-12-25 The Batman Release Date: 2022-03-04 Super Pets Release Date: 2022-07-29 Suicide Squad 2 Release Date: 2021-08-06 Aquaman 2 Release Date: 2023-12-25