After months of speculation, the news broke last night that Warner Bros. will release Wonder Woman 1984 on Christmas Day in theaters and on HBO Max (where it will be available for no extra charge). It could be a one-off or a sign of things to come, but DC Comics fans overseas will get the movie even sooner on December 16th. The caveat, however, is that it will only be in cinemas.
Now, WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar has shared a lengthy statement in which he explains that the pandemic, the company's belief in the theatrical experience, their partnership with everyone who worked on the sequel, and the fans, all factored into the decision to handle its release this way.
"[We] believe this decision will bring several benefits," he explains. "The first and most important benefit is to the fans in the form of unprecedented choice from day one. The second benefit is to the exhibitors, providing an eagerly anticipated movie at a much-needed time while they take precautions in their operations."
Interestingly, Kilar notes that, "as long as fans seek out the theatrical experience, we will be there to serve them with great movies in partnership with exhibitors." What happens if they don't? Well, that could be when we see a studio like Warner Bros. prioritise PVOD and streaming platforms.
Make no mistake about it, this is definitely a business decision for Warner Bros., and the WarnerMedia boss emphasised that when he said, "I find it fascinating that we will be measuring the performance of this movie in an entirely new way. To use a line from The Wizard of Oz, we’re not in Kansas anymore. While we will pay attention to theatrical revenues, our expectations are clearly adjusted due to COVID-19. In parallel, we will be paying close attention to the numbers of families and fans diving into HBO Max."
He concludes by noting that four million people in the U.S. watched Wonder Woman during its opening day, and he looks forward to seeing whether Wonder Woman 1984 can pull in similar numbers. This is a big move on WarnerMedia's part, and undoubtedly one which could have ramifications for years to come.
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10 storylines we'd like Wonder Woman 3 to adapt!
10. A League of One
If Patty Jenkins wants to set Wonder Woman 3 in the present day, then it should feature appearances from some her fellow heroes (Shazam, Aquaman, and the Flash, for example). This one-shot depicts the Amazonian Princess learning of a prophecy that says an ancient dragon will awake, killing her fellow members of the Justice League when they rush into battle to stop it.
As a result, Diana decides that she should be the only member of the team to confront the beast, and then proceeds to take down each and every one of her teammates in the hopes of preventing their deaths. This would be a surprising, but no doubt enjoyable, direction to take things in.
It may ultimately depend on whether cameos like those would distract too much from Diana!
9. Eyes Of The Gorgon
At one point in DC history, Themyscira was relocated to an area near the U.S. coastline. Of course, as their ambassador, Diana was forced to deal with the political ramifications of an island full of superpowered Amazons living alongside a country obsessed with their national security.
As if that wasn’t challenging enough for the hero, Wonder Woman’s enemies decide to take advantage of this by teaming together and sending the ancient Medusa after her, and this would serve as a fun way of having Diana Prince's two worlds collide in the present day.
Gorgon, meanwhile, would be a villain who ties into the character's mythological background.
8. Superman/Wonder Woman
Henry Cavill is set to make a series of cameo/supporting appearances in the DCEU moving forward (assuming talks with Warner Bros. work out), so he could very easily show up in Wonder Woman 3.
In the pages of Justice League, Wonder Woman and Superman realised just how similar they are, leading to the two embarking on a relationship with each other. At the time, DC Comics teased that this would have some serious repercussions moving forward, and Batman was far from happy about the world’s two most powerful superheroes being so closely aligned.
As he recently warned them, "They’re going to be gunning for you." When Superman asks who he’s referring to, the Caped Crusader simply states: "Whoever’s afraid of what you two could do."
7. Blood
Greek mythology has obviously always had a big role in stories featuring Wonder Woman, but that was taken to a whole new level in "The New 52" when it was revealed that Zeus is her father! This led to Diana clashing with a whole host of mythological characters as she sets off on a mission to protect a newborn baby who is also one of the Olympian Gods’ many children.
Wonder Woman obviously established Diana's ties to this world, but this movie could dive a little deeper into that, borrowing elements from Brian Azzarello's critically acclaimed comic book run.
We're sure Zeus might also have something to say about what happened to Ares in Wonder Woman!
6. Paradise Lost
"Paradise Lost" was a collection of stories which featured Wonder Woman heading to Gotham City.
However, she didn't clash with the Caped Crusader, as the two instead teamed up to face a common enemy. When Ares - the God of War - and his children join forces with some of the worst villains that Batman’s home city has to offer (including The Joker and Poison Ivy), the two members of the Justice League had to combine forces to face these mystically powered baddies.
Some changes would obviously need to be made for this to work, with Ares switched out for another Greek God. However, a team-up with Michael Keaton's Batman, or even Batgirl, would be awesome.
5. Challenge Of The Gods
Penned by the legendary George Perez (with Len Wien), "Challenge of the Gods" sees Zeus demand that Wonder Woman become his wife. It goes without saying that won't make it into Wonder Woman 3 because he's her father, but he could just as easily request that she fight for Olympus.
Refusing his request (she protects everyone, remember), Diana is then forced to travel deep beneath Themyscira to take on a series of challenges, most of whom are monsters from Greek mythology.
Cyclops, harpies, and even a hydra ultimately come into play, while Diana's relationship with her mother is also fleshed out a little more, and that's a reunion it would be great to see happen on screen.
4. The Circle
Gail Simone joined Wonder Woman at just the right time, and "The Circle" features plenty of great moments this third instalment could borrow from. While a good chunk of it revisits Diana's origin story, it's her now role as an agent of the Department of Metahuman Affairs which really stands out.
Throw in a newfound romance with her DMA partner, Tom Tresser, and this adventure could firmly establish Wonder Woman's new place in the DCEU, while helping her move on from Steve Trevor.
We're not sure whether the genetically enhanced gorillas who plague the Amazon warrior here are the best choice of villain, but Gorilla Grodd would certainly be an unexpected foe for this hero!
3. The Hiketeia
When Wonder Woman takes part in an ancient ritual called the Hiketeia, she is honour-bound to protect a young woman named Danielle Wellys. Unfortunately, the girl just so happens to be on Batman’s radar in Gotham City as she killed the drug dealers who murdered her sister.
This leads to Diana becoming extremely conflicted as she finds herself forced between choosing to turn her back on justice or be disowned by the entirety of Themyscira. Inevitably, Wonder Woman comes to blows with the Caped Crusader, and as the duo battle on the top of a cliff, Danielle throws herself over the edge in order to release the Amazonian Princess of her duties.
Batman wouldn't necessarily have to be the hero Diana clashes with as there are lot of potential great team-ups, but dropping another hero from this story wouldn't make it any less impactful. For example, how much fun would it be to see Wonder Woman match wits with one Harley Quinn?
2. The Contest
Despite being a very dated 90s comic book, there's a lot in "The Contest" we think would work on the big screen. Stripped of her "Wonder Woman" identity by her mother, Diana has to find out who she really is without that title, and a new "Wonder Woman" - Artemis - ends up taking her place.
Boxer Ann Wolfe made a blink and you'd miss it appearance as Artemis in the first Wonder Woman movie, but we're assuming someone with a little more acting experience would fill this role.
A lot is bound to have changed on Themyscira since Diana left, so it would be interesting discovering their new champion, and someone who wants to take Wonder Woman's place. Of course, when the reason why she was really chosen to replace Diana comes out, this story could take a dark turn.
1. "War-Torn"
Following Azzarello's Wonder Woman run, David and Meredith Finch took over the series and delivered a story which saw Diana attempting to get her fellow Amazons to accept men on Themyscira.
While this was happening, Donna Troy (a character fans would definitely like to see on the big screen) stepped up to challenge Wonder Woman's role as Queen of the Amazons, a position we could see her take on early in Wonder Woman 3. While not sisters in this continuity, they could be in the DCEU.
This has a lot of potential and if Gal Gadot wants to move on from playing this character after the threequel, Donna could become the new Wonder Woman...the question is, who should play her?