Despite critical and commercial success upon its debut in 2017, the Wonder Woman series starring Gal Gadot has quietly vanished from the DC Universe. Actress Connie Nielsen, who played Hippolyta in Patty Jenkins’s feature adaptation of the classic comic book character, has since criticized Warner Bros.’s cancelation of the franchise, stating that she believes it was a crazy decision.
The third Wonder Woman film was officially canceled back in December 2022, but it seems a lot of bitterness still remains about the stolen future of the wildly successful franchise. Despite facing numerous obstacles and tall odds as a female-directed and largely female-centric movie, the first Wonder Woman earned $800 million at the box office along with a Hugo Award, setting a new precedent for other superhero films. Although its sequel, Wonder Woman 1984, performed dismally by comparison, Warner Bros. still greenlit a third installment — likely well aware of the impossibility of theatrical success in a world being rocked by COVID-19. However, bureaucratic shuffles ultimately scrapped the project, as Warner Bros. transformed DC Films into DC Studios, hired new executives, and created a whole new cinematic universe.
Speaking to Den of Geek, however, Nielsen argued that a reshuffling of the DC universe wasn’t a viable enough reason to cancel such a successful franchise. “These are spectacular films, and there’s just no reason I can understand whatsoever for not investing in that,” Nielsen said. “If I were a business person, I would say that’s money on the table.” She also pointed out that the budgets for the Wonder Woman films were much smaller than any other DC project before finally concluding, “It’s a pity. I really hope that they change their minds, and that they realize this is crazy.”
This is a billion dollars that is lying on the table. Not claiming those fans and making them happy is something I just don’t really understand at all.
How Scrapping Wonder Woman Will Affect Warner Bros. and the DCU
Wonder Woman‘s cancelation seems even more illogical in the aftermath of the Joker sequel’s legendary flop. With a comparably smaller budget, an established fanbase, and a critically acclaimed director at the helm, Wonder Woman almost guarantees box office success, especially given the film’s essential gender shake-up that the current climate of superhero movies most definitely needs. Nielsen isn’t the only one blindsided by Warner Bros.’s decision to kill the franchise, either — stars Chris Pine and Gal Gadot have both expressed their frustration and disbelief. Needless to say, the absence of Wonder Woman is a controversial look for Warner Bros., which is the last thing the studio needs as it desperately tries to recover from the garbage fire that is Joker: Folie à Deux.
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With her magic lasso, indestructible bracelets, and superhuman strength, Wonder Woman has endured as a symbol of hope for over 80 years now.
Despite the backlash, it’s unlikely that Warner Bros. will change their minds, since their roster of upcoming projects is notably lacking a certain Amazonian warrior. However, fans may feel a little comforted by the knowledge that a spinoff T.V. show focusing on the other Amazons — such as Nielsen’s character — is currently in the works.