Like 2017's Wonder Woman, Wonder Woman 1984 (which arrives in theaters and on HBO Max this Friday) has received a positive response from critics. One of the most frequent criticisms about that first movie was the final act focusing too much on a VFX-heavy battle between Diana Prince and Ares. There was nothing wrong with that, but it was somewhat at odds with the rest of the film.
The Amazon Warrior's origin story was extremely personal, so to then top that off with huge explosions and a CGI baddie felt like something of a betrayal when compared to what had come before.
Now, in a new interview with IGN, director Patty Jenkins reveals that she made a deliberate choice to have Wonder Woman 1984 end on a more personal note after being prevented from doing so the first time around.
"The original end of the first movie was also smaller, but the studio made me change it at the last minute," she explains. "And so, that’s always been a little bit of a bummer that that’s the one thing people talk about, because I agreed, and I told the studio we didn’t have time to do it. But, it was what it was, and I ended up loving it, but that wasn’t the original ending of the movie."
Warner Bros. clearly had a little more faith in Jenkins heading into the Wonder Woman sequel, though it remains to be seen whether she'll return for the threequel. Remember, Rogue Squadron is next for the filmmaker, while she also has that Cleopatra movie with Gal Gadot on the way.
Click on the "Next" button below to check out some big reveals
from the recent Wonder Woman 1984 global press conference!
5. Gal Gadot Had An Emotional Reaction To Watching The Movie
2017's Wonder Woman was a very special movie, and one that inspired a lot of female audience members. After all, it had been a long time since a non-male superhero had taken centre stage in a comic book adaptation! Gal Gadot acknowledged that she didn't see many "Wonder Woman-type characters" when she was growing up, and that made this sequel all the more emotional.
Talking about Wonder Woman 1984's opening sequence (which, as the trailers have revealed, features a young Diana Prince), she said: "I got so emotional...I felt like Gal, the 8-year-old, watching another 8-year-old doing something out of worldly and being so good at it. And she's doing it her way...I got emotional. I didn't have the opportunity to see all of these strong female characters, and seeing the way it affects my daughters, but, by the way, also boys and men, and all types of people."
"It's so powerful and strong and I feel very, very grateful that I have the opportunity to be a part of this," Gadot concluded, making it clear that this sequel resonated with her in a big way.
4. Playing Maxwell Lord Was A Challenge For Pedro Pascal
It's been a great couple of years for Pedro Pascal thanks to The Mandalorian, and Wonder Woman 1984 boasts another fantastic performance from the actor. Asked if any of his previous roles inspired his take on Maxwell Lord, the actor admitted that, for the most part, they didn't.
Instead, Pascal said that, "I had to use a lot of myself to do what Patty [Jenkins] wanted. The scariest thing about this movie for me, this experience, was to do something that's a lot closer to me, at least energetically, to expose desperation and to, instead of brood with a moustache, expose, expose, expose." Despite that, the actor acknowledged that it was a "thrilling" experience.
Lord isn't the sequel's only villain, of course, but we'll get to Cheetah a little later in this feature!
3. Practical Stunts Were A Priority For Wonder Woman 1984
As the title suggests, Wonder Woman 1984 is set in, well, 1984! That means Diana Prince and Steve Trevor find themselves in one of the most iconic decades, not that they knew it at the time.
That decade didn't just inspire the visuals, however, as practical stunts were also important for everyone involved. Explaining that "everything was super planned ahead" including "sets, locations, costumes, fight choreography, [and] the acting," Gal Gadot noted, "We wanted to have a minimum amount of CGI, so most of what you see is real people doing the real thing."
"The wire work that we do at the mall and for the fight with Cheetah, I don’t think it’s been done before," she continued. "People don’t do these types of wire-rigs anymore, they just do CGI. You can tell it’s the real deal; you can see by the facial expressions, the weight, the movement, the speed." Asked about Wonder Woman 3, all Gadot could say was, "I'm tired just thinking about it [Laughs]."
2. Kristen Wiig's Transformation Into Cheetah
It's no secret that Kristen Wiig's Dr. Barbara Minerva becomes Cheetah in Wonder Woman 1984, but the actress went into the DC Comics sequel determined not to be the "typical mousy-girl turned villain" (a trope that two of the big screen versions of Catwoman have fallen victim to).
"What is it about her that makes her so lonely and invisible, and what does she really want?" the actress ponders. "She goes through three really big stages. The wardrobe and costumes really helped, working with Patty to figure out who she is at every stage."
Describing herself as a "superhero movie geek," Wiig described Wonder Woman 1984 as a project unlike anything she's worked on before, but credited Patty Jenkins for believing she could do it.
1. A New Spin On Steve Trevor
Chris Pine's Steve Trevor makes a surprise return in Wonder Woman 1984, and the actor knew going in that the World War I hero would be a fish out of water in the DC Comics sequel.
Revealing that it was harder than he expected to play a character who is seeing everything around him for the first time, the actor added that while he played the character here, "Everything became a moment for excitement or exploration or fear. Trying to figure out the logic of, ‘How would I engage with this object, or this experience, that I’ve never seen before?"
Pine was also asked whether any wacky 1980s outfits he tried on didn't make the final cut. "In terms of outfits, I don't know. There was a lot thrown at me! I was madly in love with a denim fanny pack that didn't make it in." To that, Patty Jenkins mentioned a denim cowboy hat, so here's hoping that makes it into the sequel's eventual deleted scenes on Blu-ray.