Wonder Woman 1984 is an American superhero film based on the DC Comics character Wonder Woman. Produced by Warner Bros. Pictures, DC Films, Atlas Entertainment and The Stone Quarry, it is a sequel to the 2017 film Wonder Woman and the ninth film in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU). Directed by Patty Jenkins and written by her, Geoff Johns and David Callaham from a story by Johns and Jenkins, the film stars Gal Gadot reprising her role as Diana Prince / Wonder Woman. Alongside her, Chris Pine, Kristen Wiig, Pedro Pascal, Connie Nielsen, and Robin Wright also star. Set in 1984 during the Cold War, the film follows Diana and her past love Steve Trevor as they face off against Maxwell Lord and Cheetah.
Discussion of a sequel began a short time after the release of the first film in June 2017 and the decision to proceed was confirmed the following month. Principal photography began on June 13, 2018, with filming taking place at Warner Bros. Studios, Leavesden in England, as well as the District of Columbia and Northern Virginia in the U.S., London and Duxford in England, Tenerife and Fuerteventura in the Canary Islands and Almería in Andalusia, Spain. Production wrapped on December 22, 2018, after a six-month shoot, with additional filming in July 2019.
Wonder Woman 1984 was originally scheduled for a wide theatrical release on June 5, 2020, but was delayed multiple times due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The film eventually premiered on December 15, 2020, via the DC FanDome virtual platform, and was released in the United States by Warner Bros. Pictures on December 25, 2020, both theatrically and via the HBO Max streaming service. Critics praised its escapist qualities, musical score, acting, depiction of the 80s and Jenkins’s direction but the plot received some mixed responses. The film grossed $169.6 million worldwide against a production budget of $200 million, failing to break even due to limited theaters during the COVID-19 pandemic but quickly became the most-watched direct-to-streaming film of 2020. A spin-off produced by Jenkins focusing on the Amazons of Themyscira is in development.
Plot[]
| Spoiler Warning: The following contains important plot details of the entire film. |
As a young child, Diana participates in an athletic competition on Themyscira against adult Amazons. After being knocked off her horse, Diana takes a shortcut and remounts but misses a checkpoint. Antiope removes her from the race for cheating, explaining anything worthwhile must be obtained honestly, while her mother Hippolyta advises her to be patient in her pursuit of glory and honor.
In 1984, Diana is working at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., while secretly performing heroic deeds as Wonder Woman. New museum employee Barbara Minerva, a shy geologist and cryptozoologist, has trouble getting noticed by her co-workers, but quickly finds a friend in Diana.
After the FBI asks the museum to identify stolen antiquities from a robbery that Wonder Woman recently foiled, Barbara and Diana notice one of the artifacts, later identified as the Dreamstone, has a Latin inscription claiming to grant the holder one wish. Neither openly takes the inscription seriously, but Barbara wishes to become like Diana and unintentionally acquires the same superpowers, while Diana yearns for her deceased lover Steve Trevor. He is resurrected in another man's body and the two are reunited at a Smithsonian gala. Failing businessman Maxwell "Max Lord" Lorenzano steals the Dreamstone, hoping to use its power to save his nearly bankrupt oil company. His wish is to "become" the stone and gain its wish-granting powers so whenever he grants someone else's desire, he can take what he wants from the wisher, resulting in worldwide chaos, destruction, and instability.
Diana discovers that the Dreamstone was created by Dolos/Mendacius, The God of Lies, also known as the Duke of Deception. It grants a user's wish but exacts an equally strong toll unless they renounce the wish or destroy the stone. Although Diana's powers and Barbara's humanity begin to diminish, neither is willing to renounce their wish. Max visits the U.S. President at the White House, who wishes for more nuclear missiles to use against the Soviets, which brings the world to the brink of nuclear war. Max also learns of a new and secret satellite system that can broadcast to anyone in the world. Since his powers are causing his body to deteriorate, he plans to grant wishes globally to steal strength and life force from the viewers and regain his health. Diana and Steve confront him, but Barbara betrays Diana and overpowers her, escaping with Max on Marine One.
Steve convinces Diana to renounce her wish and let him go, restoring her to full strength. Donning the armor of Asteria, the greatest of all Amazon warriors, Diana flies to the satellite headquarters and again battles Barbara, who has transformed into a humanoid cheetah after wishing to become an apex predator. After a brutal fight that ends in a lake, Diana electrocutes Barbara, then pulls her out of the water. She confronts Max and uses her Lasso of Truth to communicate with the world through him, persuading everyone to renounce their wish. She then shows Max visions of his unhappy childhood and of his son, Alistair, who is frantically searching for his father amid the chaos. Max renounces his wish and reunites with Alistair, and Barbara returns to normal. Sometime later in winter, Diana meets the man whose body Steve possessed. Meanwhile, Asteria is revealed to be secretly living among humans.
| Spoiler Warning: All spoilers have been stated and have ended here. |
Cast[]
- Gal Gadot as Diana Prince / Wonder Woman
- Chris Pine as Steve Trevor
- Kristen Wiig as Barbara Minerva / Cheetah
- Pedro Pascal as Maxwell Lord
- Robin Wright as Antiope
- Connie Nielsen as Hippolyta
- Amr Waked as Emir Said Bin Abydos
- Kristoffer Polaha as "Handsome Man"
- Natasha Rothwell as Carol
- Ravi Patel as Babajide
- Oliver Cotton as Simon Stagg
- Lucian Perez as Alistair Lord
- Gabriella Wilde as Raquel
- Kelvin Yu as Jake
- Stuart Milligan as the United States President
- Doutzen Kroes as Venelia
- Lynda Carter as Asteria (mid-credits cameo)
Production[]
Development[]
The director of the first film, Patty Jenkins, who initially signed for only one film, had expressed interest in returning to direct the sequel. In June 2017, during an interview with Variety, comic book writer Geoff Johns revealed that he and Jenkins had started writing the treatment for a Wonder Woman sequel and that he had a "cool idea for the second one". While speaking in a Q&A at a Women in Film screening of the film, Jenkins stated she would indeed direct the sequel. Jenkins later clarified that "it wasn't a confirmation. Just talking about ideas and hopes."
On July 22, 2017, at San Diego Comic-Con, the studio officially announced a sequel would be produced, with Jenkins returning as director; its title was listed as Wonder Woman 2. In September 2017, it was officially confirmed that Jenkins would be directing the sequel. On September 13, 2017, it was reported that The Expendables writer David Callaham would join the film to co-write the script with Jenkins and Johns, who had already been working on it for several months.
On February 28, 2018, it was reported that the film would be shot with IMAX film cameras in select action sequences. By late May 2018, long-time DCEU producer Zack Snyder confirmed on social media platform Vero that he, along with his wife Deborah Snyder, would serve as producers on the Wonder Woman sequel. On June 13, 2018, the title of the film was announced to be Wonder Woman 1984. A source close to Jenkins described it as a stand-alone film "in the same way that Indiana Jones or [James] Bond films are, instead of one continuous story that requires many installments."
Pre-production[]
Pre-production officially commenced by early December 2017 in the United Kingdom. The same month, director Patty Jenkins stated that the film would be another great love story. In April 2018, the film was confirmed to be set in the 1980s. In May, production designer Aline Bonetto was announced to be returning for the sequel, as well as Academy Award winner Lindy Hemming, also returning as costume designer.
Casting[]
In September 2017, Gal Gadot was confirmed to return as the title character. On February 28, 2018, it was reported that Kristen Wiig was in talks with the studio to play Cheetah, the main villain of the film, with Jenkins confirming her casting the next month. By March 28, Pedro Pascal, who played Ed Indelicato in the pilot of the canceled 2011 Wonder Woman television adaptation, was cast in an undisclosed key role, later revealed to be Maxwell Lord. On June 13, Jenkins confirmed the return of Chris Pine as Steve Trevor via Twitter. On July 24, 2018, Natasha Rothwell was announced to be cast in an undisclosed role. A few days later, on July 27, Ravi Patel and Gabriella Wilde also joined the film, with their roles being kept under wraps as well. By late August, Connie Nielsen and Robin Wright were confirmed to reprise their roles as Hippolyta and Antiope in a flashback sequence. In November 2018, Kristoffer Polaha revealed that he also had a role in the film.
Filming[]
Principal photography began on June 13, 2018, under the working title Magic Hour. Filming took place at Warner Bros. Studios, Leavesden in England, and at a number of locations around the District of Columbia and Northern Virginia in the United States, including the Landmark Mall in Alexandria, Virginia and Georgetown during June and July 2018,with scenes shot in Alexandria from June 18 through July 14.Filming occurred outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., during mid-June.[citation needed] Other filming locations around D.C. included the Penn Quarter neighborhood, McPherson Square, the DAR Constitution Hall near the White House, the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden (Smithsonian) and the Lincoln Memorial. By July, production in the United States was completed and moved to England. In August, filming on location took place in several places around London, including St. Andrew's Place, Regent's Park and the Royal College of Physicians. Between September and October 2018, production also took place at Almería, in Andalusia, southern Spain, as well as Fuerteventura and Tenerife in the Canary Islands. From September 5 to September the 11th, filming occurred at the Alcazaba of Almería fortified complex and the Wall of Jayran in Almería. Production moved to Fuerteventura from September 13 through September 26, with the Corralejo Dunes National Park, Parque Holandés, El Jablito, La Oliva and the Jandía Natural Park as filming locations. Filming in Tenerife began during the last week of September, lasting two weeks at various different locations on the island.
Production went back to England in October, with shooting on location taking place at the Imperial War Museum in Duxford, Hyde Park and the Savoy Hotel in Central London and Torrington Square, adjacent to Birkbeck, University of London.[citation needed] By mid-November 2018, Pedro Pascalfinished filming his scenes. Principal photography finished on December 22, 2018, after a six-month shoot. Additional photography and reshoots began on July 28, 2019, in London at Warner Bros. Studios, and was completed the following month.
The film was notably the first to sign-up to the Producers Guild of America's guidelines on how to deal with incidents of sexual harassment on set.
Post-production[]
Richard Pearson served as the film's editor, replacing Martin Walsh from the first film, while John Moffatt served as the overall visual effects supervisor. Double Negative (DNEG), Framestore and Method Studios provided the visual effects for the film. Alexis Wajsbrot served as the visual effects supervisor for Framestore. In December 2019, Jenkins revealed work on the film was completed five months in advance of the original release date.
Marketing[]
On June 22, 2018, it was reported that Gal Gadot would be attending the Warner Bros. DC presentation at the 2018 San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC) and some footage from the film would be shown to promote it. Director Patty Jenkins and actors Gadot and Pine attended the Wonder Woman 1984 panel at SDCC on July 21, 2018, where a short clip of the film was shown. New footage was shown during CinemaCon 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada, with a first look at Kristen Wiig in the film. In June 2019, Warner Bros. screened an extended look to European exhibitors at CineEurope in Barcelona, Spain.
A teaser poster debuted on June 5, 2019, one year ahead of the film's then-scheduled release date. In October 2019, it was announced that the film's first trailer would debut during Comic Con Experience CCXP 2019 on December 8, with Gadot and Jenkins attending the event in São Paulo, Brazil. By the end of the month, WarnerMedia Entertainment debuted new footage from the film during the HBO Max presentation to the press. The first trailer debuted on December 8 at the 2019 Comic Con Experience (CCXP), with the show being livestreamed on Twitter around the world in real time. It used Sebastian Böhm's instrumental remix of "Blue Monday" by New Order. The same day, character posters for Wonder Woman, Maxwell Lord, Barbara Ann Minerva and Steve Trevor were released. In August 2020, the film's second trailer was released during DC FanDome.
The second trailer was "re-released" in November 2020 once the film's simultaneous theatrical and streaming debut was confirmed. Later that month, a new international poster was released, along with confirmation the film would have a presence at Brazil's Comic Con event CCXP 2020 on December 6. A one-minute final trailer was released during the convention.
Wonder Woman 1984premiered on December 15, 2020, in a fan-first event, via the DC FanDome virtual platform. The "Virtual World Premiere" included the participation of director Jenkins, stars Gadot, Pine, Wiig and Pascal and a performance from the film's composer Zimmer. The opening scene of the film was released during the event.
The week prior to its domestic launch, the studio spent $17 million on television ads promoting the film.
Release[]
The film was theatrically released by Warner Bros. Pictures in a handful of international markets starting on December 16, 2020, and was theatrically released in the United States and Canada on December 25 in RealD 3D, Dolby Cinema and IMAX while streaming on HBO Max in the United States and via premium video-on-demand in Canada the same day. IMAX theaters showed a version of the film with a taller aspect ratio during select scenes. That version was also seen on HBO Max as well. The film was released theatrically in additional markets through January 28, 2021.
It was originally announced for release on December 13, 2019, before being moved up to November 1, 2019, then it was delayed to June 5, 2020. On March 24, 2020, with theatres closed for an uncertain period of time due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the film was delayed to August 14, 2020, taking the release date of Malignant. In June 2020, another delay saw the film's release pushed to October 2, 2020, before it was delayed further to the final Christmas date in September, following the tepid opening weekend of Warner Bros' Tenet in the United States and in response to the continued closure of theaters in Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York City at the time.
Later, Variety reported the film would be keeping its Christmas release date in theaters, while the film would also premiere digitally on HBO Max in the United States the same day, with the film being available at no extra cost to subscribers, after a staggered theatrical release schedule in most international markets that do not have HBO Max starting on December 16, including Greece, South Africa and the United Kingdom. Shortly after, Deadline Hollywood reported that in order to get exhibitors on board with the day-and-date HBO Max release, Warner Bros. agreed to take a lower cut of the rental revenue than it usually does with a tentpole release, as well as to pull the film from HBO Max after a month so that the second month of the film's run would be exclusive to theaters. The site also said industry analysts had estimated the film's break-evenpoint at $500 million and that it was expected to lose money for the studio. Adam Aron, CEO of US theater chain AMC Theatres, supported the simultaneous release strategy, stating, "Given that atypical circumstances call for atypical economic relationships between studios and theaters and atypical windows and releasing strategies, AMC is fully onboard for Warner Brothers' announcement."
The film's simultaneous release strategy led to Warner Bros. announcing on December 3, 2020, that its entire slate of 2021 films would be given the same release strategy. This led to many filmmakers, production companies and theater chains (who were not informed and consulted with over the move) to voice their disappointment and displeasure over the move, especially in regards to the special treatment given to the cast and filmmakers of Wonder Woman 1984 that was not given to the other filmmakers and actors with their 2021 films. Despite being paid her bonus by Warner Bros. as a result of the move, Patty Jenkins herself expressed both worry and optimism over the move's impact on the future of theaters and moviegoing.
The film was re-added to HBO Max following its premiere on HBO's linear channel on May 13, 2021.
Streaming viewership[]
Following its opening weekend, Warner Bros. announced that HBO Max saw total viewing hours on the film's first day more than triple in comparison to a typical day in the preceding month. Several days later, Screen Engine reported that 23% of viewers had subscribed to HBO Max in order to watch the film. The company also said that Wonder Woman 1984 was already the most-watched straight-to-streaming title of the year, beating Hamilton. According to Nielsen, the film totaled 2.25 billion minutes spent by HBO Max users over its first three days of release, "equivalent to about 14.9 million complete plays of the 151-minute movie". Following its opening weekend, Samba TV reported the film was streamed in 1.6 million American households over its first three days of release.
Samba TV later reported that the film was watched in 3.2 million households within its first week of release and 3.9 million in the first 17 days and in over 4.3 million U.S. households by the end of its month. Following its third weekend of release, Deadline Hollywood wrote "if there's anything positive to report, we'll hear about on the next AT&T earnings call" but if viewership numbers were noteworthy "we would have already heard about it." In January 2022, tech firm Akami reported that Wonder Woman 1984 was the eighth most pirated film of 2021.
Theater box office[]
The film grossed $46.8 million in the United States and Canada and $122.8 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $169.6 million. In January 2021, The Hollywood Reporter wrote that the film would likely lose the studio "north of $100 million."
Critical Reception[]
Wonder Woman 1984 was not as well-received as its predecessor, garnering mixed to average reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, 58% of 440 reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Wonder Woman 1984 struggles with sequel overload, but still offers enough vibrant escapism to satisfy fans of the franchise and its classic central character." Upon the initial drop of the review embargo, the film achieved a 90% positive review score; this score gradually dropped until it ended up at 59% after the release. Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 60 out of 100, based on 57 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale (lower than the "A" received by its predecessor), while PostTrak reported 78% of those gave the film a positive score, with 67% saying they would definitely recommend it.
Future[]
Cancelled sequel[]
In January 2019, after principal photography on Wonder Woman 1984 was completed, director and co-writer Patty Jenkins announced that the plot for a third Wonder Woman film was mapped out. The filmmaker stated that the plot of the next installment would take place during the modern day. By December 2019, Jenkins expressed that the wait between the second and third films will be longer than the time it took to release the first sequel. In April 2020, Jenkins said she had a story arc that would take in all four Wonder Woman films, including an Amazons film and then a third Wonder Woman'’ film. In late June 2020, speaking to Heroic Hollywood about the third film's status, Jenkins revealed that she had stopped working on the story which she had been developing six months prior so she could see how to absorb the result of the COVID-19 pandemic into the story. In an interview with the Happy Sad Confused podcast in December 2020, Jenkins stated that while she and Geoff Johns had already "beat out an entire story" for a third film, she now has doubts about whether she wants to make it with the world's current state, unsure if it will be her next film and if her feelings about it will change. When interviewed by MTV News about what she would want to see in a third film, Gal Gadot stated that she wants the third film to take place in the present, having no interest on revisiting the past as she feels that those time periods on Wonder Woman's life have been handled perfectly. The sequel was officially greenlit on December 27, 2020, with Jenkins and Gadot officially returning and Warner Bros. confirming that the film would have a traditional theatrical release as compared to Wonder Woman 1984.
In December 2022, The Hollywood Reporter reported that a third Wonder Woman film from Jenkins was not moving forward because it "did not fit in" with newly appointed DC Studios heads James Gunn and Peter Safran's plans for the DCEU. The film and other DC Studios projects in development were put into doubt as a result of the change in leadership, which Gunn claimed resulted in a transition period that created "drawbacks" and resulted in production on new films being delayed. Jenkins later stated that the film would not be moving forward under the new plans for DCEU being developed by Gunn and Safran. On January 31, 2023, Gunn and Safran stated that they had offered to let Gadot continue playing the character of Wonder Woman in the new DC Universe franchise.
Spin-off[]
In December 2019, director Patty Jenkins announced that a Wonder Woman spin-off film was in development, with the story focusing on the Amazons of Themyscira. Jenkins is attached as executive producer. By April 2020, Jenkins revealed that she will not direct the spin-off, though she will serve as producer. Later that year, the filmmaker stated that the spin-off will take place after Diana leaves Themyscira and that it will be linked to the events between Wonder Woman 1984 and the third Wonder Woman film. In January 2023, DC Studios announced Paradise Lost, a television series for HBO Max centered on the Amazons and taking place before Diana's birth, and stated that it was in a similar vein to Game of Thrones.
Videos[]
To be added
Gallery[]
Films directed:
Dawn of the Dead (2004) •
300 (2006) •
Watchmen (2009) •
Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole (2010) •
Sucker Punch (2011) •
Man of Steel (2013) •
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) •
Justice League (2017)
Films produced:
300: Rise of an Empire (2014) •
Wonder Woman (2017) •
Wonder Woman 1984 (2019)
See also:
Cruel and Unusual Films •
Deborah Snyder