'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Chris Pine recently opened up about DC not moving forward with a third installment of Wonder Woman, four years after the last film debuted in theaters. The 43-year-old played Steve Trevor in Patty Jenkins' 2017 and 2020 movies. He told Business Insider on May 6, 2024,
"I'm stunned that they said no to a billion-dollar franchise and decided to pivot elsewhere. I don’t know what the reasoning was behind that; it’s above my pay grade, but Wonder Woman is an incredible character; Patty is such a thoughtful director."
Pine is currently promoting the mystery-comedy film, Poolman. He made his director debut with the project and will also star as pool cleaner Darren Barrenman in it.
Chris Pine's role in the Wonder Woman franchise
Chris Pine portrayed the role of Steve Trevor, the love interest of Diana Prince/Wonder Woman character (played by Gal Gadot). The first movie of the franchise was released on June 2, 2017, in the United States, and it made a net estimated profit of $252.9 million, as per Deadline.
Patty Jenkins directed the film that showed Trevor, the American Spy teaming up with Prince to fight with the Allies in World War I, and eventually, the pair fell in love. However, the character passed away at the movie's end, only to return in Wonder Woman 1984 three years later when Prince accidentally wished him back to reality. He dies once again as Diana renounces her wish, choosing to save the world instead.
The second movie grossed $170 million worldwide against a production budget of $200 million. During the promotion of his new movie, Poolman, Chris Pine had a sit-down with Business Insider and claimed he was "stunned" that the DC franchise was canceled. When the interviewer asked if he felt he had any unfinished business in the third movie, Pine quipped:
"Me. No. Homie is dead. Steve is gonzo. It would be ridiculous to try to bring me back."
According to BI, the third movie was in the works all throughout the pandemic and Jenkins said that this time she wanted it to be set in the present day. The franchise was the highest-earning movie in the DC Comics Extended Universe but still got scrapped. Chris Pine also shared that he passed on playing Steve Trevor twice before meeting Jenkins finally convinced him. He said:
"I had no interest in playing the boyfriend, and it sounded like second fiddle. Then, in talking to Patty, the way she described it was, 'Forget the superhero of it all, this is a romance, this is 'Casablanca,' that's the movie I want to make.' I was like, oh, now that is very cool because when have you seen a superhero film that was a love story, ultimately?"
As per Variety, back in December 2022, news broke that Wonder Woman 3 had fallen apart after Warner Bros. leadership passed on Jenkins' treatment for the sequel. The director then publicly exited the project.
Chris Pine's new movie, Poolman, revolves around a Los Angeles pool cleaner Darren Barrenman. He meets a femme fatale named June Del Rey played by actress DeWanda Wise, as he helps her uncover corruption in a shady business deal.
Other members of the cast include Annette Bening, Stephen Tobolowsky, Clancy Brown, John Ortiz, Ray Wise, Juliet Mills, Ariana DeBose, and more. The movie is all set to hit theaters on May 10, 2024.
