The DC Extended Universe is over, but there will still be a few holdovers from this era for the new DC Universe franchise, including characters like John Cena’s Peacemaker, Viola Davis’ Amanda Waller and Xolo Maridueña’s Blue Beetle. Now Connie Nielsen would like to join that club, with the actress having previously played Hippolyta in Wonder Woman, both cuts of Justice League and Wonder Woman 1984. She’s even humorously (yet still passionately) pleaded for James Gunn and the rest of the leadership at DC to make this happen.
Nielsen expressed her eagerness to reprise Hippolyta while attending the premiere of her latest movie, Gladiator II, which opened last weekend on the 2024 release schedule. Here’s what the actress told IGN:
DC people, I have the dibs on Hippolyta, OK?! Please! Please? Because I love Hippolyta. I love her so much. And I love those Amazons and that world so much. Like, honestly, is there anything cooler? Like, us in our golden armor, riding down that incredible alley.
You gotta love that enthusiasm! Just like in the comics, Connie Nielsen’s Hippolyta was the immortal queen of the Amazons on Themyscira and mother of Diana, played by Gal Gadot. Hippolyta did her best to shield Diana from the outside world, but when Chris Pine’s Steve Trevor crashed on the island and informed the Amazons about World War I, the queen reluctantly allowed her daughter to accompany Steve back to help end the conflict. Hippolyta appeared in a flashback to Diana’s childhood years in Wonder Woman 1984, and in Justice League, she and the other Amazons unsuccessfully tried to prevent Steppenwolf from stealing Themyscira’s Mother Box.
So what are the odds Connie Nielsen could also play Hippolyta in the DC Universe? While I wouldn’t necessarily call them strong, in addition to there being precedent for this kind of casting move thanks to the aforementioned actors, there’s also an upcoming DC TV show that would be perfect for her to reprise the role in. Paradise Lost is set to explore the political conflicts on the DCU’s Themyscira before Wonder Woman was born. It’s a good bet that Hippolyta will be one of the main characters, and maybe James Gunn, who co-runs DC Studios with Peter Safran, would legitimately entertain bringing Nielsen back aboard.
However, it could be a long time before we learn if that’s a possibility one way or another. With Creature Commandos premiering December 5 on the 2024 TV schedule and Peacemaker Season 2 lined up for a summer drop on the 2025 TV schedule, the next DCU show in development is Lanterns, which will star Kyle Chandler as Hal Jordan and Aaron Pierre as John Stewart. That series isn’t expected to debut until sometime in 2026, and after that, it’s unclear which DCU show will be worked on next. Maybe it’ll be Paradise Lost, or maybe it’ll be something like Waller or Booster Gold.
Whatever the case, and with or without Connie Nielsen’s involvement, we’ll keep you apprised on news surrounding Paradise Lost once it comes in. Like the other DCU shows, it’ll be streamable with a Max subscription.
