The writing has been on the wall for some time now, but Gal Gadot has made it clear that her time as Wonder Woman in the DC Universe has officially come to a close. The next “Wonder Woman” movie is being written by Ana Nogueira (“Supergirl”), though no release date has been set. Little has been said about it, but the one thing we know for sure is that a new actress will be taking on the role of Diana Prince.
In a recent interview with ScreenRant to promote her new movie “The Runner,” Gadot confirmed that she is indeed done with the role of Wonder Woman. She hasn’t had “any specific conversations” with DC Studios, which is headed up by James Gunn and Peter Safran for Warner Bros., about either reprising her role or taking on a new one. She hasn’t “heard anything.” Speaking further, she made it pretty clear where things stand:
“This is such an incredible character that so many of us care about so much, so whoever it’s going to be to portray her, I wish for her that she enjoys this amazing ride with this amazing character. And I’m just grateful that I was granted the opportunity to wear her boots and celebrate this incredible character and everything she stands for.”
Gadot made her debut as the character in 2016’s “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.” 2017 was then a massive year, as she appeared in a solo “Wonder Woman” movie as well as “Justice League,” which was the box office disaster that doomed the DCEU, aka the DC Extended Universe. That version of the universe officially ended with the release of “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” in 2023.
The DC Universe has moved on from Gal Gadot’s Diana Prince
One certainly can’t blame “Justice League” on Gadot as there were much, much bigger things going on beyond her control. But 2020’s “Wonder Woman 1984,” directed by Patty Jenkins, was met with lousy reviews. It performed very poorly at the box office as well, but that was at a time when the pandemic shut down theaters all around the world, so that’s difficult to hold against anyone. (It also premiered simultaneously on HBO Max.)
In any event, things at DC and Warner Bros. started shifting around this time as well. James Gunn and Peter Safran were brought on board to lead DC Studios, hitting the big red reset button. Ben Affleck walked away from Batman. Henry Cavill, who was supposed to return as Superman, ended up being replaced by David Corenswet in Gunn’s “Superman.” Even Jason Momoa, who had played Aquaman, was eventually recast as Lobo in “Supergirl.”
All of this to say, the new DC Universe is a mostly full-on reboot, with only a few actors reprising their roles. “Wonder Woman 3” isn’t happening, even though Gadot claimed otherwise at one point. So it has felt certain for years that Gadot wouldn’t be back, but in light of these new comments, it’s crystal clear that DC has moved on from her iteration of Diana Prince. It’s time for something new.
The new DC Universe needs a new Wonder Woman
As we speak, James Gunn is working hard on his follow-up to “Superman,” entitled “Man of Tomorrow,” which is due to hit theaters next summer. It’s shaping up to be a large affair, featuring many key players who will be part of the new DCU moving forward — that is, assuming Paramount’s possible acquisition of Warner Bros. doesn’t throw a wrench in those gears.
That aside, things are now in motion that could firm up the future of this particular franchise. “Andor” star Adria Arjona has been cast in “Man of Tomorrow,” with speculation she’s DC’s new Wonder Woman. For the time being, that’s just speculation, but she was a strong favorite to land the role in the rumor mill for weeks leading up to her casting. That, coupled with the fact that it’s been confirmed that a script for a new movie is in the works, makes for a potential smoke/fire situation.
Wonder Woman will be hugely important for the future of the DCU, as will the new Batman. Robert Pattinson’s Batman won’t be joining the new DCU, as Matt Reeves’ “The Batman” movies exist in their own universe. Instead, a new actor will join David Corenswet and the new Wonder Woman actress as DC’s new trinity.
As for Gal Gadot, her tenure with the character, in retrospect, is something of a mixed bag. 2017’s “Wonder Woman” was a towering achievement commercially, in addition to being a watershed moment for female-fronted superhero movies. Whatever messiness went down behind the scenes at Warner Bros. can’t be blamed on her or Patty Jenkins. Unfortunately, though, her run includes one beloved movie, a couple of very divisive superhero team-ups, and one very poorly received sequel.
The new “Wonder Woman” movie remains without a release date, but stay tuned.
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