Wonder Woman 1984 has only been in theaters for a few days (and on HBO Max too, I guess), but it has apparently made enough money to garner a sequel.
Warner Bros. has officially announced plans to fast-track Wonder Woman 3. The announcement comes from studio chairman Toby Emmerich in the following statement:
“As fans around the world continue to embrace Diana Prince, driving the strong opening weekend performance of ‘Wonder Woman 1984,’ we are excited to be able continue her story with our real life Wonder Women — Gal [Gadot] and Patty [Jenkins] — who will return to conclude the long-planned theatrical trilogy.”
In the press release, HBO Max reported that nearly half of all their retail subscribers viewed Wonder Woman 1984 on the first day it was available and millions more “viewed it by way of their HBO Max access via cable, wireless, or other partner services.”
Director Patty Jenkins previously stated during WW84 press that she would only return for a third film if it was (only) theatrically released. So, does this mean that Wonder Woman 3 will go back to the traditional model, or did WB toss her some extra cash to get her to cave?
What is interesting is that there is no mention of the fourth Wonder Woman movie Jenkins recently mentioned to Entertainment Weekly. She said she had “two more stories that become the completion of this story.” It’s possible she was referring to her Amazonian-spinoff instead of a fourth WW solo film, but it’s hard to say since there was no clarification.
Meanwhile, in a recent The New York Times article, DC Films president Walter Hamada revealed that they plan to release up to four films a year in theaters starting in 2022 while they will also release two additional superhero films per year exclusively on HBO Max.
The article states that these films will not all be set in the DC Extended Universe (the shared cinematic universe that began with Man of Steel), but can be standalone films (Joker) or set in new universes (The Batman). Batgirl and Static Shock are two superheroes that are specifically mentioned as being “riskier projects” primed for HBO Max.
And if you’re thinking, “Six films is a lot, but I guess that sort of evens out to what Marvel is doing when you take into consideration their Disney+ shows,” well, just wait! Hamada also said, “With every movie that we’re looking at now, we are thinking, ‘What’s the potential Max spinoff?'” So in addition to six films a year, there could also be multiple spin-offs also airing (like the upcoming The Suicide Squad spin-off Peacemaker).
Personally, I think six films is a bit of overkill, especially if half of those will be Batman-centric projects. But maybe I’m just being pessimistic. There’s a slew of DC characters who have films in various stages of development such as Blue Beetle, New Gods, Booster Gold, Cyborg, Gotham City Sirens, Lobo, Green Lantern Corps, and Plastic Man. I’d only be interested in watching the one with ties to Batman… so yeah, that’s how I see this six films a year plan going.
The Suicide Squad will be the next DC film out of the gate releasing on August 16, 2021.
Do you think DC Films can successfully release six films (and multiple spin-offs) a year by 2022? Which characters do you think should receive solo films?
