Warner Bros' DC Comics Extended Universe officially launched earlier this year with the premiere of Zack Snyder's Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, a followup to the director's 2013 film, Man of Steel. As such, Dawn of Justice featured the return of Henry Cavill's Superman, while the movie additionally introduced fellow DC Comics heroes Bruce Wayne aka Batman (Ben Affleck) and Diana Prince aka Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot). Though the DCEU took a step away from the heroes this summer to focus on villains in David Ayer's Suicide Squad, the shared universe will continue in next year's Wonder Woman standalone feature.

Directed by Patty Jenkins (Monster), Wonder Woman will dive into the history of the DCEU and follow Diana through her journey from her home of Themyscira to Europe during World War I. Along the way, she'll team up with Steve Trevor (Chris Pine), who crash lands on Themyscira and informs the Amazonian inhabitants about "the war to end all wars." Now, a new image features Diana and Steve riding together during the war.

Time released the new Wonder Woman photo as part of a long-form piece about the legacy of DC Comics' most famous heroine -- including the recent annoucement that the United Nations dropped Wonder Woman as an honorary ambassador. Take a look at the image:

Wonder Woman Gal Gadot Chris Pine Horses

Time additionally spoke to Jenkins and Gadot about their portrayal of Diana in the upcoming Wonder Woman film, which is the first blockbuster focused on the DC Comics heroine. For Jenkins, she was inspired by the 1978 Superman film and the legacy of male superheroes on screen: "We’ve spent years treating male heroes in certain ways, I just applied those same tropes to her, and all these incredible radical moments suddenly appear to an audience." Meanwhile, Gadot spoke about needing to balance the characteristics of Diana in Wonder Woman:

We knew it was tricky. We wanted to find the balance between portraying her as confident and strong and feminine and warm. I didn’t want her to be a ball buster. I didn’t want her to be bossy. You can be powerful and also loving.

To their points, Wonder Woman has a significant amount of pressure to both succeed as an entry of the DCEU -- especially after Dawn of Justice and Suicide Squad were critically derided and divisive among fans -- as well as the first solo female-led superhero film since the critical and financial failures of Catwoman and Elektra in the mid '00s. However, as evidenced by Jenkins' comments, including her recent mention that Diana is a "multidimensional" hero, it's clear Wonder Woman's director and star have worked hard to provide an entertaining and compelling superhero blockbuster -- one that honors the legacy of its character.

Next: Gal Gadot Talks Wonder Woman Costume

Source: Time

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