Just last week, Wonder Woman 1984 hit theaters, the second installment of the Wonder Woman reboot series that has been a huge success, commercially and critically. On top of her work as Wonder Woman, it was recently announced that the film’s star Gal Gadot will be producing and starring in Cleopatra, a film about the film of the last Egyptian emperor. She plans to do this alongside director Patty Jenkins, the same director who also directed the first two films in the Wonder Woman series. While the duo have been on an impressive run and are already looking to extend it with this upcoming project, it doesn’t seem like Gadot, nor Jenkins really, will be taking any time off in the future. This past weekend, Warner Brothers announced that they have fast-tracked production of Wonder Woman 3, with Gadot and Jenkins at the helm once again.
Though the impacts of the pandemic might have limited the box office success of Wonder Woman 1984, it still managed to generate $16 million in 2,100 box offices across North America. While this might not sound great, comparatively Christopher Nolan’s Tenet did about half of that in closer to 3,000 theaters, highlighting the appeal and fanfare for Gadot as Wonder Woman. This film will be the final film of the trilogy as Gadot and Jenkins return to modern times, with the recently released film set over three decades ago, and provide viewers the opportunity to see Gadot fulfill her character arc as Wonder Woman. Though details may be sparse, the fact that Warner Brothers fast-tracked the film just two days after the release of Wonder Woman 1984 indicates they are all in on the project and intend to cement the Wonder Woman trilogy in Hollywood history. In a statement made Sunday, the production company expressed their feelings rather clearly: “we are excited to be able to continue her story with our real life Wonder Women — Gal and Patty — who will return to conclude the long-planned theatrical trilogy.” While Wonder Woman may be the star, Warner Brothers considers Gadot and Jenkins the real wonder women, a huge stepping stone for greater gender diversity within the film industry.
Given their current workload, it is difficult to pin down a production timeline or release date for the third installment. On top of Cleopatra, Jenkins is also set to direct the next chapter of the Star Wars series, making it the first film of the series with a female director and further emphasizing the tear that she is making through Hollywood alongside Gadot. This may be good news for fans – and the movie industry as a whole – however as the release very well could coincide with the widespread reopening of movie theaters. While this may be a ways away still, Gadot will still be reprising her role as Wonder Woman next year when she appears in the Zack Snyder directed four-part Justice League film set to release on HBO Max this upcoming March. While this may provide fans some peace of mind as we await more details regarding Wonder Woman 3, fans will be eagerly anticipating the final chapter of Gadot as Wonder Woman.
