Gal Gadot Throws Shade At DC Studios Over Wonder Woman 3, Henry Cavill's Superman Exit

Gal Gadot isn't returning as Wonder Woman in the new DC Universe. That has been clear for some time. Gadot recently confirmed what we already knew about the DC hero and her tenure with the character, but it's officially official. However, it doesn't exactly sound like it was an amicable, clean parting of ways. The actress has thrown some shade at DC Studios — and not just at how studio heads James Gunn and Peter Safran handled her situation, but how they handled Henry Cavill's Superman as well.

During a recent appearance on the "Happy Sad Confused" podcast to promote her new movie "The Runner," host Josh Horowitz asked if there was a specific time or meeting with Gunn and Safran, who head up DC Studios for Warner Bros., where she knew it was over. "They told me the opposite," Gadot said. Then, the actress revealed that they led her to believe "Wonder Woman 3" was still going to happen.

"They were like 'We're going to develop it with you, the third, la la la.' But I saw the way everybody else were handled."

It was reported in December 2022 that "Wonder Woman 3" would not be moving forward at Warner Bros. At this point, it was still a little unclear what Gunn and Safran's plans were, but they eventually decided to pretty much fully reboot the DCU, only bringing over a few characters, such as John Cena's Peacemaker, to the new universe. All of the big heroes were being recast.

This might explain why Gadot claimed that "Wonder Woman 3" was still happening at one point, despite reports to the contrary. As she tells it, the brass at the studio made it seem like she would be coming back.

Josh Horowitz proceeded to mention that the Henry Cavill situation also wasn't handled well. Cavill's return as Superman became uncertain after the new regime was installed at DC Studios by Warner Bros. This, despite the fact that the post-credits scene attached to "Black Adam" very much set Cavill's Superman up for a big return. And that "Black Adam" credits scene drew big reactions from fans. But it all came crashing down mere months later, with David Corenswet ultimately taking over for Gunn's "Superman" movie.

"The Henry situation was not being handled elegantly, to say the least," Gadot said. It seems like Gadot is doing her best to be somewhat diplomatic, though she did add that she wasn't happy with how things were handled in regards to "Wonder Woman" and "Wonder Woman 1984" director Patty Jenkins, either.

"Same with Patty [Jenkins], was not handled elegantly. I feel like, you know, we're all adults, and it's all good. And it's not even about them. They are there, and they're there to do what they believe in, and it's all good."

DC is in the midst of one of the worst box office bad streaks ever, and that actually dates back to "Wonder Woman 1984," which was a critical and commercial misfire. Granted, the pandemic upended that movie's planned release and there's always going to be a huge asterisk attached to it. But the movie's lack of success did, on paper, make it easier for WB and DC to move on, for better or worse.

The whole situation sounds pretty messy, and understandably so. Ben Affleck walked away from his role as Batman willingly. Henry Cavill and Gal Gadot, meanwhile, had hopes of returning to this world and seemingly were made promises that weren't kept. As it stands, the next "Wonder Woman" movie has hired writer Ana Nogueira ("Supergirl") to pen the script and is currently in development.

Despite her comments in the interview, Gadot appears to be taking it all in stride. Speaking further, she expressed her gratitude for her time in the role, while offering some advice to whoever picks up the mantle:

"I'm so grateful that I got the opportunity to wear these boots, and to have the character be so celebrated, and be the vessel at that point of time. And I can only wish for whoever one it's going to be to really come pure to this journey. Because as much as it's like, we're talking about movies and superheroes and blah blah, but this character really means so much to so many of us, to really use it respectfully and bring all the love and light it can to this world, and then enjoy the ride. It was never mine. I was always just a vessel."

"Andor" star Adria Arjona has been cast in the "Superman" sequel "Man of Tomorrow," with speculation running rampant that she will play the new Wonder Woman. That's just speculation for now, but she very well could be Gadot's successor. We'll see how it shakes out when that movie hits theaters next summer.

The new "Wonder Woman" movie doesn't currently have a release date.