Paradise Lost

There was some big news coming from DC Studios when co-CEOs, James Gunn and Peter Safran announced their plan that is now known as Chapter 1 of Gods and Monsters. Gunn finally spilled the beans as to what it would entail, with many of the projects looking truly exciting, especially if it goes the way Gunn described them. One of them is Paradise Lost and it is a prequel to Wonder Woman’s story.

Let’s take a look at everything we know about Paradise Lost, how it could work as a Wonder Woman prequel story, and what to expect coming down the line.

PARADISE LOST IS A WONDER WOMAN PREQUEL SERIES

So, how do you get a Wonder Woman series but not have Wonder Woman in it? Well, you come up with a story that takes place long before Princess Diana of Themyscira was born. Before we get into what the series could be about, it’s important to know what Gunn himself said about it.

When James Gunn introduced Paradise Lost via his Twitter, he didn’t allow for much detail. “We’re doing a television series called Paradise Lost. Paradise Lost is a story of Paradise Island, usually known as Themyscira, which is the birthplace of Wonder Woman. It’s almost like Game of Thrones with Westeros but with all the inhabitants of Paradise Island.”

Here are just a few of our plans. Up, up, and away! #DCStudios #DCU @DCComics pic.twitter.com/8XNDNLUEPq

— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) January 31, 2023

Thankfully, the man co-in-charge of DC Studios did say a bit more when he dropped the Gods and Monsters knowledge during a presentation to a group of reporters.

“This is a Game of Thrones-type story about the atmosphere of Paradise Island, home of the Amazons and the birthplace of Wonder Woman,” Gunn said.

“And this involves all the darkness and drama and political intrigue behind this society of only women. It’s an origin story of, how did this society of women come about? What does it mean? What are their politics like? What are their rules? Who’s in charge? What are all the games that they play with each other to get to the top? I think it’s a really exciting thing.”

Okay, so he dished out more questions than answers, but you can see where he is going with this. So, while he didn’t fill in the blanks, we might have an idea as to the direction of the series. In fact, we may have two.

THE PARADISE LOST PLOT COULD BE ABOUT THE FIGHT AGAINST GREEK GODS

George Pérez was the first writer to give Wonder Woman a whole new beginning when he completely rebooted the superhero for his version of Paradise Lost.

In his version, the Amazon tribe were women who were reincarnated women whose lives were cut short by the brutality of the men in their lives. It was the Greek Gods who gave these women a second chance as Amazon warriors, and it was a second chance they did not miss out on.

These Amazons, through the Greek Gods, came from the sea as fully formed women, built from the clay beneath the ocean some 3,000 years ago. But their return was not met with open arms by some. Zeus’ son, Heracles, was very jealous of the Amazon warriors, so he had them enslaved. Hippolyta then begged the gods to set her free and when they did, she led a bloody revolt against Heracles.

The gods, though, were disappointed with the Amazons and as a penance, they were forced to wear their slave bracelets forever, but that wasn’t all. The Amazons were also forced to exile themselves from the rest of humanity. Not all agreed with the gods.

Hippolyta’s sister, Antiope, was not on board and thusly took half of her sister’s tribe with her, as the other half, along with Hippolyta, went to the island of Themyscira.

As you can see from this possible Paradise Lost storyline, there is plenty of intrigue to go around. Is this the storyline Gunn is wanting to follow?

PARADISE LOST COULD ALSO BE ABOUT TRIBAL WARS

There is another, even darker storyline that could be used for Gunn’s Paradise Lost. This one came in a two-part story that involved an Amazon civil war and was written by Phil Jimenez with help from George Pérez.

This war came about as tensions between the two Amazon tribes began to rise, even though there was romance developing between Amazons from the rival tribes.

There were secret forces on Paradise Island who had long-held grudges. These forces continued to contribute to the rising tensions until a civil war broke out. The battle was long and bloody and only ended when Hippolyta renounced the throne. Is this the direction Gunn wants to go with his story?

PARADISE LOST MIGHT NOT RELEASE UNTIL 2026 OR 2027

When will Paradise Lost be released? This question is very difficult to answer because we are not solid on the DCU timeline and what it will look like. What we do know is that according to Gunn, the “true beginning of the DCU” will start with Superman: Legacy.

“Next up is a big one,” Gunn said on his Twitter post, “the true beginning of the DCU. This is called Superman Legacy. This is being written by me, I’m in the middle of it, I’m having a great time doing it, and Superman will be released into theaters July 11, 2025.”

So, those of you hoping and wanting to see the Wonder Woman prequel, Paradise Lost, will have to wait until at least after Superman Legacy premieres, and don’t be surprised if you are looking at a 2026 or 2027 release.

WONDER WOMAN 3 WITH GAL GADOT IS NO LONGER HAPPENING

After the first two Wonder Woman films, a third was planned. Gal Gadot was set to return to the role she started with on Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice then moving on to her solo efforts. Patty Jenkins was the mastermind of those solo films, and she was also set to return for a third helping of Wonder Woman.

Now, though, the third Wonder Woman film, at least starring Gadot and helmed by Jenkins, is no longer moving forward. According to Jenkins, she never walked away from the third film, but it became clear to her that “there was nothing I could do to move anything forward at this time.”

This also makes Gadot’s involvement with the Gunn-Safran regime questionable.

THIS SERIES COULD BE BLOODY AND VIOLENT

Gunn’s vision of Paradise Lost is Game of Thrones big. Sure, he can deliver all the political intrigue, but what fans are going to want to know since it was Gunn himself who brought up Westeros, is just how far he is willing to go for that comparison. We all know just how much blood and sex were a big part of GoT, so is this the direction Gunn plans to take Paradise Lost?

Well, it’s not like he hasn’t pushed the envelope before, seeing as that he is the creator and writer of his hit HBO Max series, Peacemaker. While there wasn’t an overabundance of sex in the series, there definitely was some.

There was absolutely some gore involved as well, which leads one to believe Gunn is ready, willing, and able to take Paradise Lost wherever he feels the story should take him. Unfortunately, it is going to be a while before we know just how daring James Gunn is willing to be.