As things presently stand, the DC Extended Universe doesn’t appear totally focused on the whole expanded canon thing. With solo films like Wonder Woman and Aquaman performing better critically and financially than previous team-up attempts, the goal for the franchise right now seems to be much more focused on making the best movies with solo characters instead of adding to a larger continuity. Things may eventually shift, but don’t expect that change to start happening with the upcoming Wonder Woman 1984, as it’s a movie that director Patty Jenkins made more as a follow-up to her 2017 hit than a part in a big picture plan.
This approach has been confirmed by Patty Jenkins herself, who I had the great pleasure of interviewing two years ago when I was invited to join a group of journalists flying to England to visit the set of her new movie when it was still in production. During the conversation with the filmmaker between set-ups, Jenkins was asked about how Wonder Woman 1984 might possibly be a cog in a wheel being constructed over the next few years, but the director mostly shot that idea down. She explained, speaking about her working relationship with writer Geoff Johns,
I think there's little this and that, but Geoff doesn't really... He's such a great writer and such a great partner and he doesn't have an agenda in the greater picture like that. I went to him and talked to him about this story, and we both just got really excited about telling this exact story. And I think there are little things, but those things come secondarily to the story.
Of course, what certainly helps put a lot less pressure on Wonder Woman 1984 in this regard is the fact that unlike any other recent DC adventure it is a period film. It wouldn’t be too surprising if the feature has some kind of nod to the larger universe like what Wonder Woman did with the letter from Ben Affleck’s Bruce Wayne, but with a lot of the principal characters still being children/teens in the 1980s it’s understandable that the world’s big superhero action isn’t really cooking yet and therefore can’t be referenced.
Adding to her point, Patty Jenkins noted that the idea of making a movie that is meant to serve as a small part of a larger narrative also isn’t really something that she is particularly interested in as a filmmaker. Rather than focusing on what could be possible in the future, her focus is on the now and the movie that she wants to make to the best of her abilities. Said Jenkins,
I'm not a huge fan of like doing chapter two of a seven chapter story. That's just not my jam. I feel like that may happen in the way background, but every movie in my opinion that I want to make should be its own great movie, and I kind of like to think about them that way. So I have my own ideas about what her overreaching arc is, of the whole thing, but it's the story first.
In a way, we’ve actually seen this philosophy illustrated by the filmmaker in the past year. Since completing work on Wonder Woman 1984 (which fans will remember was originally supposed to be released last November), Patty Jenkins has not only confirmed interest in continuing the story of Gal Gadot’s Diana Prince in Wonder Woman 3, but also further exploring the details of the world she created with an Amazons spin-off. Will they be specifically set-up in the upcoming sequel? That’s something we won’t know until the film is actually released.
On that note, Wonder Woman 1984, following a few release date changes, is currently on-schedule to be released in theaters on October 2nd – and if you’re getting over-the-moon excited, you should definitely stick close to a computer this weekend. The first ever virtual DC Fandome will be unfolding a schedule full of exciting content this Saturday, and that includes the release of a brand new trailer for the upcoming blockbuster. You can check out the event personally, but also be sure to stay tuned here on CinemaBlend for all our coverage of the biggest announcements and reveals.
