Why Wonder Woman 3 got canceled, explained

Finally, someone is taking a strong call on the future of DCU as Wonder Woman 3 faces cancelation. The first Wonder Woman movie became a major success for Warner Bros., so a sequel was greenlit quickly. But then Wonder Woman 1984 turned out to be a major flop show.

While one could argue that Wonder Woman 1984 had the pandemic to blame for its low box office numbers, others would counter that the quality of the movie deserved equal blame. Still, the old regime was willing to give Patty Jenkins the benefit of the doubt and move forward with her present-day story of Wonder Woman 3. However, that’s not happening with the new leadership of DCU.

Wonder Woman 3 does not "fit in" with the DC reboot plans

Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman (Image via DC) Gal Gadot and Patty Jenkins (Image via DC)

With James Gunn and Peter Safran becoming the leaders of DC Studios, Wonder Woman 3 has been put on ice. The Hollywood Reporter’s recent report stated that Gunn and Safran are not moving forward with Wonder Woman 3.

Patty Jenkins recently presented the script that she and Geoff Johns co-wrote. But the duo of James Gunn and Peter Safran, along with Warner Bros. Pictures co-chairs and co-CEOs Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy, rejected the idea. They broke the news to Jenkins that the current incarnation of Wonder Woman 3 does “not fit in with the new (but still unfolding) plans.”

James Gunn and Peter Safran are still mapping out the future of DCU, but this future will likely involve a complete reboot of the franchise. So, the Wonder Woman threequel with Gal Gadot and Jenkins has been given the boot.

Why Wonder Woman 3 got canceled?

Aside from the vision of DC’s new leaders, there are multiple other reasons why Warner Bros. Discovery is not finishing Jenkins’ trilogy. As mentioned above, Wonder Woman 1984 proved to be a total misfire among critics, fans, and at the box office.

Warner Bros. sent it to its doom when they gave it a day-and-date release in theaters and on HBO Max. And the movie only ended up with $169 million worldwide, out of which just $46 million came from the domestic market.

Since it came out during the pandemic’s peak, its financial failures could still be forgone while considering a sequel. But it also got a lot of backlash from the fans, which cannot be ignored.

Patty Jenkins and Gal Gadot (Image via DC)

While a Wonder Woman project set in the modern-day era does sound quite enticing, the fact that the duo behind Wonder Woman 1984 also penned Wonder Woman 3 could cast doubt on its quality. Apart from quality concerns, James Gunn and Peter Safran have saved Warner Bros. from biting another expensive bullet.

Apparently, Gal Gadot was going to be paid a $20 million salary if Wonder Woman 3 got made, and Patty Jenkins was supposed to make $12 million. So now, Warner Bros. Discovery doesn’t need to spend $32 million from the next Wonder Woman movie’s budget on its talent; they could get a new actor and director at a lower price.

The new DC Universe

The Hollywood Reporter also mentioned that the entire DCU is on the verge of a reboot. James Gunn and Peter Safran are expected to meet with WB Discovery CEO David Zaslav and discuss their new plan. So, there was no point in continuing Wonder Woman 3 with Gadot. In fact, Man of Steel 2 might also be dead. James Gunn would probably even cut all ties to his own The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker stories.

After Aquaman 2, fans can expect an entirely new franchise that tells a coherent story across movies, TV, and animation starting in 2025. Meanwhile, the only other franchises that can continue to run on the sides are The Batman and Joker.