As comic book fans across the globe celebrate the premiere of Wonder Woman, it's now been revealed director Patty Jenkins will return for the currently in-development sequel and is eyeing a contemporary setting for the project. After the DC Extended Universe got off to a rocky start with its initial three installments, Diana Prince's first solo vehicle looks to be the bona fide commercial and critical hit the franchise needs at this point in time (read our review). Critics and audiences alike have praised Gal Gadot's starring turn and Jenkins' handling of the material. Wonder Woman ranks as one of the best received superhero movies of all-time, suggesting the Amazonian warrior has a bright future on the big screen.
Before Wonder Woman debuted, it was confirmed a Wonder Woman 2 is coming through the pipeline (adding to the already extensive list of DCEU projects being worked on), but producer Charles Roven recently said nothing has been written yet. While a script isn't finalized at this juncture, Warner Bros. is still starting to put the pieces in place so they can get the ball rolling when the time comes. Jenkins, unsurprisingly, is locked in to helm the Wonder Woman sequel, which will take place in the modern age.
The news comes courtesy of a THR profile on Jenkins and Gadot, which focuses on the project's journey to the big screen. Briefly mentioned in the article are plans for the future. Both leading ladies are contractually signed on for Wonder Woman 2, which would not be a period piece like its predecessor - which took place in World War I. From the sound of things, Jenkins is not letting the success of the first movie get to her head and refuses to rest on her laurels:
“What I never want to do is start phoning it in and making things just to show that I can keep my foot in the door and do big movies. I don’t care about that at all. I just want to make great movies. And that could come from any direction. It might be a $10 million movie or it might be $200 million movie.”
In the past, Jenkins has openly discussed her plans for a sequel, so it's nice to see she's going to get the chance to continue Diana's story on film. The bigger news here is the notion of Wonder Woman 2 being set in the current day; previous reports indicated it could explore other times in history, but that looks to be out of the cards now. In a way, this decision makes sense. The first Wonder Woman meant to serve as an origin story for the titular character, so it was logical to go back to 1918 and depict the War to End All Wars. These events shaped Diana into who she is in Batman V Superman, and now she can continue to evolve through Justice League and beyond. Traveling through the past with Wonder Woman sounds like a fun movie series, but at some point, it's better if her story moves forward into the future.
With everything on the DCEU's plate at the moment, it remains to be seen when Wonder Woman 2 will push ahead. Given the enthusiastic response to Wonder Woman, WB might be inclined to put the sequel on the fast track, but much of their slate remains up in the air after constant reshuffling since announcing the line-up back in 2014. Ideally, the studio will use their Hall H presentation at this year's San Diego Comic-Con to iron things out, giving viewers a revamped schedule they can get excited about.
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Source: THR
