Director Patty Jenkins reveals Wonder Woman 1984 isn't meant to be political, including about Donald Trump. Wonder Woman 1984 has gone through quite the journey to make it to screen. Its release date has been delayed multiple times, as it was originally supposed to come out at the end of 2019. However, Wonder Woman 1984 was eventually pushed to June of this year, where it landed square in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic. As a result, Warner Bros. delayed the movie to August, before setting it back once again, this time to October 2. As of now, the studio seems committed to that release date, though a lot has changed since that most recent delay. Depending on how things pan out, it's entirely possible Wonder Woman 1984 will be delayed again.

Following the success of Wonder Woman, the sequel is one of the DC Extended Universe's most exciting upcoming films, partly because the wait for it has been so long. It will feature the return of Gal Gadot as Diana Prince/Wonder Woman, as well as Chris Pine's Steve Trevor. Initially, many were surprised by Steve's return, considering his fate at the end of the first movie. However, he'll be back alongside Kristen Wiig's new character, Cheetah, and Pedro Pascal's Maxwell Lord.

Related: Wonder Woman 1984 Ending Theory: How Diana Defeats Maxwell Lord

In an interview with Screen Rant, Jenkins discussed her inspiration for Lord, who's a powerful businessman in the comics. When asked about Donald Trump in particular being an influence, Jenkins explained:

He’s one of them. I mean honestly, the funny thing is he is [an influence], but I'm not trying to make...We even have the president in this movie, and I've gone out of my way not to make it look like Ronald Reagan. I don't want to get political, it's not about being political. Actually, a huge influence of this movie was also Madoff. Those young Madoff stories fascinate me, because I'm like, ‘How do you end up being Bernie Madoff?’ And when you really start tracking that story, it's like, it all started out in a way that made sense, and he was paying it off, and then doing this, and then paying it off again. And then you just become an evil dude when you don't even realize that it's happening.

Maxwell Lord tied up in the Lass of Truth in Wonder Woman 1984

Jenkins elaborated, explaining it was more the movie's time period and those who were in business then that had an impact rather than Trump alone:

So, yes, Trump's definitely one of the people that we looked at, but it's any of those kind of mavericks of business success that was big in the ‘80s. Who went on to be major players in our world in potentially questionable other ways. Yeah, I don't have an agenda to have a political message to send to the world, but I think that the world all needs the same political message. Everybody needs to look at themselves right now, and our politics, our belief system of excess.

Jenkins' comments about politics in Wonder Woman 1984 make a lot of sense, especially considering the movie is set in the 1980s. It's only logical Trump as a businessman in those times would be more interesting to explore than current politics. It's also interesting to hear Jenkins' reasoning for changing the President, which shows a further separation from the political. All told, Jenkins' comments provide valuable insight into the motivation behind Wonder Woman 1984 and one of its new characters.

During its release delay, quite a bit has been revealed about the movie's plot. However, some things, such as Pascal and Wiig's performances, remain a mystery. While Jenkins has explained her inspiration for Lord, it will be interesting to see if the actor takes cues from someone like Trump or goes a different direction. Audiences will find out when Wonder Woman 1984 finally releases this fall.

More: Wonder Woman 1984's Steve Trevor Return Risks Weakening Diana's Character

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