Gal Gadot poses at the premiere of “Wonder Woman,” in Los Angeles, California, May 25, 2017. Photo: Reuters / Mario Anzuoni.
Director and DC Studios Co-CEO James Gunn confirmed this week that a new “Wonder Woman” film is in development, and it seems that Israeli actress Gal Gadot will not return to take on the lead role.
A third “Wonder Woman” movie is “slow moving, but it’s moving,” the “Guardians of the Galaxy” director told Entertainment Weekly. “We’re working on ‘Wonder Woman.’ ‘Wonder Woman’ [is] being written right now,” he said.
Gunn also confirmed that he has yet to cast the role of Wonder Woman for the new film, which suggests that Gadot will not portray the beloved comic book character in the latest installment of the franchise.
During an interview with HBO Max’s “Talking Pictures Podcast” in May 2024, director Patty Jenkins said her time working on “Wonder Woman 3” is “over for the time being, easily forever,” suggesting that she will likely not return to director that latest film about the superhero.
Gadot starred as Wonder Woman/Diana Prince in previous DC films, including Zack Snyder’s “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice,” two standalone Wonder Woman movies (“Wonder Woman” and “Wonder Woman 1984”) directed by Jenkins and a “Justice League” movie. Gadot also made cameos as the Amazonian princess in “Shazam! Fury of the Gods” and “The Flash.” The Wonder Woman franchise was once the highest-earning movie in the DC Comics Extended Universe (DCEU). However, original plans for Gadot’s third film as the iconic comic character were scrapped in December 2022 when Warner Bros. overhauled DC Comics and hired Gunn and producer Peter Safran as co-CEOs of DC Studios.
In August 2023, Gadot said she heard from Gunn and Safran about developing a third “Wonder Woman” movie together. “I love portraying Wonder Woman,” she told ComicBook.com at the time when asked about the third movie. “It’s so close to and dear to my heart. From what I heard from James and from Peter is that we’re gonna develop a ‘Wonder Woman 3’ together.”
When the film was ultimately scrapped, Gadot did not comment on the decision, but several others involved in the project did, including Jenkins and actor Chris Pine, who starred as Diana’s love interest Steve Trevor in the first two “Wonder Woman” films.
“I’m stunned that they said no to a billion-dollar franchise and decided to pivot elsewhere,” Pine told Business Insider in May 2024. “I don’t know what the reasoning was behind that; it’s above my pay grade, but Wonder Woman is an incredible character. Patty [Jenkins] is such a thoughtful director.”
“I never walked away. I was open to considering anything asked of me,” Jenkins said in 2022 of canceled plans for a third “Wonder Woman” film, denying rumors that she stalled efforts to make it happen or stepped away from the project. “It was my understanding there was nothing I could do to move anything forward at this time,” she added. “DC is obviously buried in changes they are having to make, so I understand these decisions are difficult right now.”
Actress Connie Nielsen, who also starred in the Wonder Woman films, said she was shocked about plans to axe a third film starring Gadot as the comic book superhero. “I think it’s crazy. I mean, frankly, I don’t understand it,” she said last year. “[Wonder Woman] has an enormous and passionate, passionate fan base. These are spectacular films, and there’s just no reason I can understand whatsoever for not investing in that … It’s a pity. I really hope that they change their minds and that they realize this is crazy.”
Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Gunn this week reiterated previous comments made by Warner Bros. Discovery head David Zaslav about Superman, Batman, Supergirl, and Wonder Woman being essential characters in the superhero universe.
“I wouldn’t say only those four characters, but I would say that those four characters are incredibly important to us,” Gunn explained. “Right now, I feel great about where two of those characters are, and then we’re dealing with the other two.”
“Superman,” starring David Corenswet, will be released in theaters on July 11 and “Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow,” starring Milly Alcock, will hit theaters in June 2026.
News of “Wonder Woman 3” moving forward without Gadot comes shortly after the Israeli actress had her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame vandalized and anti-Israel protesters disrupt her film set in central London. Gadot most recently starred as the Evil Queen in Disney’s live-action remake of the animated 1937 classic “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.” The Disney film was the topic of controversy since August 2024 when its lead actress, Rachel Zeigler, declared her support for a “Free Palestine” three days after the film’s trailer was released.
