Wonder Woman 3 s DC’s Reworked Post-2022 Movie Schedule

Wonder Woman 1984‘s crucial Christmas Day streaming premiere on HBO Max yielded interesting results—notably a surprisingly strong showing at theaters with $16.7 million in North America and $68.3 million internationally—but attention has already shifted to the future of the DC Extended Universe, for which untitled threequel Wonder Woman 3 is now a confirmed part. However, the threequel will eventually arrive through the studio’s ambitious new post-2022 release structure.

An announcement this past weekend from Warner Bros. Pictures Group chairman Toby Emmerich confirmed the studio’s plans to fast-track production of Wonder Woman 3, which will close out a film trilogy, retaining the primary duo of star Gal Gadot and writer/director Patty Jenkins. Yet, with the announcement having come off the historic holiday weekend streaming premiere of what would have been (if not for the pandemic,) one of the biggest box office hits of the year, it notably clarifies that the developing threequel is aimed exclusively as a theatrical release. In other words, after Warner labors through its revealed HBO Max drop of would-be 2021 blockbusters, expect a return to theatrical distribution normalcy in 2022, albeit one with a pandemic-era twist.  

DC Films president Walter Hamada, the hitherto low-key proprietor of the DCEU, divulged some intriguing details Static Shock specifically confirmed to be among these streaming exclusives.

Of course, this release structure is the continuation of existing plans for the DCEU to temporarily the untitled Aquaman 2, with star Jason Momoa and director James Wan, on December 16, 2022.

So, where does all of this leave Wonder Woman 3? Given what we now know about the new release structure, there still seems to be one 2022 vacancy left for the DCEU films. However, we would more likely see unscheduled Rogue Squadron for Disney, which has already set a December 2023 release date for that film. Thus, with the aftermath of obligations for Wonder Woman 1984 likely to extend into the beginning of 2021, Jenkins seems destined to spend the rest of the year and beyond in a place set “a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away,” presumably leaving Wonder Woman on the backburner.

Consequently, Warner Bros. didn’t have the hubris to schedule a release date for Wonder Woman 3, despite its move to fast-track the picture. While it is possible that Jenkins might be procured to hit Wonder Woman before she tackles Star Wars (which could yield enough time for a late-2022 or early-2023 release for the threequel), the known time-consuming, collaborative nature of the latter franchise seems likely to dominate her docket for the next two years if she is to make Rogue Squadron’s set December 2023 release date. Indeed, fans would likely want a more refined and thought-out Wonder Woman 3, perhaps arriving sometime in 2024, over a juggled rush job designed to expediently make a 2022/2023 schedule.