Warner Bros' Wonder Woman was a massive critical and financial success earlier this year, and considered by many to be the brightest spot so far in the young DC film universe. While the Amazonian princess will be gracing the big screen again in this weekend's Justice League, her next solo outing just got a little bit closer. Patty Jenkins' Wonder Woman 2 is moving up six weeks, from December 13, 2019 to November 1, 2019. While no official reason was provided for the rescheduling, this move was likely to avoid the leviathan that will be the trilogy-capping sequel Star Wars: Episode IX on December 20, 2019.
This move, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter, comes after the release date change for Star Wars: Episode IX. Despite Disney's best efforts to return to the traditional May release for films set in that galaxy far far away, the switch from Colin Trevorrow to The Force Awakens helmer J.J. Abrams necessitated the release date be pushed back. This also comes on the heels of Thor: Ragnarok's success in the first half of this month, further proving the release of a major superhero film is no longer bound to any month or season.
Assuming Star Wars: Episode IX's altered release date did factor into Warner Bros' decision to release Wonder Woman 2 sooner, there is nothing wrong with that. It is simply pragmatism. Star Wars has owned December for the past two years (and will likely soon be three with The Last Jedi coming up), and trying to compete with the final film in this trilogy would be incredibly foolish from a business standpoint. By moving the film to early November, Wonder Woman 2 now has more runway to dominate the box office until Star Wars takes over. With time between huge releases, studios can maximize available audiences and not force people to sacrifice one film to see another. This not only helps Wonder Woman 2, but it also helps Star Wars.
Wonder Woman 2 is part of DC's ambitious new film slate, and despite some hiccups and rumors, it has begun coming together. Star Gal Gadot and director Patty Jenkins are both on board for the sequel and will be well rewarded for their efforts, and Geoff Johns and Dave Callaham now working on the story with Jenkins. While we don't know much about Wonder Woman 2 yet, it has been reported that it will be another prequel, this time set in the 1980's.
2019's final months are shaping up to be a blast at the movies, but we still have a ways to go until then. In the meantime, check out our 2018 release schedule and pre-order your tickets to see Wonder Woman's next big screen appearance in this weekend's Justice League.
