'Wonder Woman 2' May Be Set In The 1980s, Bring Back Chris Pine
Wonder Woman is still persisting at the box office, breaking records and beating other superhero numbers, with no signs of stopping. So naturally Warner Bros. and DC Films are already looking ahead to Wonder Woman 2, though plot and crew details have remained in the dark — until now.
The sequel to Wonder Woman will reportedly be another historical adventure, trading World War I for the waning days of the Cold War. The sequel will feature the return of Gal Gadot as Diana of Themyscira, and possibly another beloved character from the first film.
According to production details acquired by ScreenRant, and seemingly confirmed by The Wrap, the story of Wonder Woman 2 will be set in the 1980s. In the sequel, Diana will be pitted against the Soviet Union in the final days of the Cold War.
The most interesting tidbit from the report however, is the confirmation that Chris Pine will return for Wonder Woman 2. The chemistry between Pine's Steve Trevor, the dashing World War I American spy and Diana's guide in the real world, and Gadot's Diana was admittedly one of the strongest parts of Wonder Woman, but his character's fate at the end of the film begs the question of how he will return.
This may be making a big deal out of nothing — Pine will likely return in flashback form, with Diana reminiscing about the first man to make her care about humanity. Or filmmakers could pull a fast one on us and have Pine portray a descendant of Steve Trevor, which was something that was rumored awhile back before the first Wonder Woman went into production.
But it's fun to imagine other scenarios. Wonder Woman is set in the world of Greek gods and myths after all, and the historical setting in Moscow — and probably the United States, as director Patty Jenkins has expressed interest in setting the sequel there — could just be lead-in to a story about the Underworld. This may be wishful thinking on my part because I loved Pine's performance in Wonder Woman so much, but it would be intriguing to see Wonder Woman's sequel shirk the period piece settings it's attached to, and go full mythological. Diana venturing into the Underworld, battling Hades, and being given the chance to save Steve Trevor would make for a compelling sequel. Plus it would allow Wonder Woman 2 to avoid the Captain America comparisons again, as Captain America: The Winter Soldier also has shades of a Cold War spy thriller.
The choice to place Wonder Woman 2 before the events of the modern DC Extended Universe is a curious one, though it could fill in the gaps of why the optimistic Diana from Wonder Woman ended up "walking away from mankind" as was claimed in Batman v. Superman. Wonder Woman 2 will be released after Justice League hits theaters in November, but presumably won't deal with the aftermath of the events in the anticipated team-up film like Aquaman is set to do.
Patty Jenkins is still not confirmed to return for the Wonder Woman sequel, but reports confirm that DC Films co-head Geoff Johns is developing the script with the director. While Jenkins is still in negotiations, she's expected to sign on for Wonder Woman 2.
Wonder Woman 2 has no planned release date yet, but that might change at San Diego Comic-Con next week.