Gal Gadot’s Time As Wonder Woman Is Over?
In breaking news from The Hollywood Reporter, Gal Gadot’s run as Wonder Woman could be finished. The troubled production of Wonder Woman 3 has, according to multiple sources, been apparently ended. Patty Jenkins third solo film starring Gadot as Diana Prince will no longer be moving forward under the new leadership of James Gunn and Peter Safran.
Jenkins screenplay, co-written by DC Comics scribe Geoff Johns, did not fit in with the new direction for the DCU. Allegedly, cost was not a factor in the decision, with the massive payday due Gal Gadot and Jenkins not playing into the cancellation, rather it was just the ongoing development of Gunn and Safran’s vision for the franchise. While officially nothing has been said about Wonder Woman not appearing in future movies, or if a different actor will be taking up the Lasso of Truth, the sudden end of Jenkins franchise is the first concrete sign of change at DC.
Complicating the ongoing development of movies under the DC banner is The Flash, starring Ezra Miller, which has long been rumored to involve time travel and wipe the slate clean of the “Synderverse” movies. Despite their star’s ongoing legal troubles, Warner Bros. Discovery is standing by The Flash as a tentpole for the Summer move slate. Gal Gadot is rumored to make an appearance in the film, but just as Henry Cavill’s cameo is now in doubt, the Wonder Woman star may never be seen again for DC.
Recently, Warner Bros. Discovery cancelled the completed Batgirl movie, which featured Brendan Fraser as the villain Firefly. Blue Beetle is is caught up in post-production with fans worrying that the Hispanic sci-fi hero may never see the light of day. Now, as of today, Gal Gadot’s third outing as Wonder Woman joins Batgirl on the discard pile, perhaps soon to be joined by other in development films.
James Gunn and Peter Safran took over as the new creative leads for the DCU in October, just before Black Adam was set to debut, with the pair spending the last few weeks quietly developing a DC Bible that will set the future of the entire franchise. If that future includes Gal Gadot, Henry Cavill, Dwayne Johnson, Jason Momoa, and Ezra Miller is yet to be seen, as Gunn has, outside of a few teases, been providing no information to fans.
Complicating matters is the overall poor performance of the DCU at the box office, with Gal Gadot’s second outing, Wonder Woman 2, impacted by COVID. The recently released Black Adam however, can not use a pandemic or opening day and date on HBO Max as an excuse for its poor performance. Financially, a sequel to Black Adam is unlikely, no matter how much campaigning Dwayne Johnson undertakes to muster fan support.
The next DCU movie, Shazam: Fury of the Gods, is due to be released on March 17th next year. Gal Gadot is rumored to be making an appearance in the film, which if it happens, might be her last time on screen as Wonder Woman. Any teases for future movies, easter eggs, or even story developments in the upcoming Zachary Levi film may be out of date and point towards a DCU future that is no longer going to become a reality.
How much of a fresh start the James Gunn/Peter Safran team is bringing to the DCU is unknown, but as of today, a third Wonder Woman movie will not be happening. Gal Gadot’s next appearance is up in the air, and anyone that knows what is next for the DCU is not talking publicly.
