It was a great year for superhero movies, 2017. Specifically, that was the year when super-heroines became big, in the form of “Wonder Woman” from Warner Bros. and DC. This installment of the DCEU film franchise successfully introduced the most globally recognized female superhero to a new generation, made a star of its lead actress Gal Gadot, and broke box office records on behalf of the studio and the movie’s female director Patty Jenkins. This 2018 we now get the first few glimpses of a DCEU direct sequel to “Wonder Woman” with everybody important returning, including a character supposedly dead.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, both director Patty Jenkins and Gal Gadot, who portrays Princess Diana of Themyscira/Wonder Woman, have begun sharing the first production stills from the now-in production sequel to the first “Wonder Woman” film. In a mark of simplicity mixed with style, the sequel will be known as “Wonder Woman 1984” pinning down the time the story takes place: between World War I in the first film and the events of “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice”. It also shows actor Chris Pine, apparently back in his role as Steve Trevor despite his death in “Wonder Woman”.
Yes, that is Steve Trevor according to Jenkins herself on her Twitter page. He apparently has been brought back to life. And from his clothes and that of the people around him, he is in the 1980s as the sequel title entails. He also does not seem to have changed other than his hair. The photo preview has gotten many fans to star asking questions ranging from simple “why” and “how” to the more meta-fictional query: Is this needed? Trevor’s heroic sacrifice in the climactic final battle of “Wonder Woman” was a great emotional punch for Diana and the audience, and showed superb acting chops from Chris Pine. Does reviving the character ruin the effect?
“Wonder Woman 1984” by its nature casts some doubt on the plot point established by its predecessor and “Batman v Superman”: that Diana following her initial trip from Themyscira to “Man’s World” left the public eye and lived unassumingly without any super heroics. It was likely due to heartbreak over Steve’s death, and that it took the threat of Doomsday to spur Diana to become Wonder Woman again to help Batman and Superman, and later form the Justice League. What a Wonder Woman adventure in the 80s entails is quite interesting from a narrative viewpoint.
New cast members announced for the film include Pedro Pascal and Kristen Wig. The latter plays the new antagonist for Diana, an anthropologist magically transformed into the half-beast Cheetah, who is a prominent Wonder Woman adversary in the comics. “Wonder Woman 1984” is due to premiere November 1 in 2019.
Photo courtesy of Patty Jenkins on Twitter
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