By Chris Pine says he’s shocked that Warner Bros. Pictures has opted to walk away from the “Wonder Woman” film franchise.
Pine co-starred with Gal Gadot in the two films produced. 2017’s “Wonder Woman” launched to not just the best reviews of the DCEU, but scores on par with the better Marvel Studios fare. It also generated $824 million from a $149 million budget.
The sequel, launched at the height of the pandemic, crashed and burned with just a $169.6 million haul from a $200 million budget and mixed at best reviews. Jenkins and Gadot were considering a third, but with James Gunn and Peter Safran taking over DC – all plans for further DCEU set sequels were scrapped.
Gunn & Safran have announced the first films they plan to release under their banner and Wonder Woman is notably not on the list. Out promoting his feature directorial debut “Poolman,” Pine says he’s struggling to understand how Warners opted to end the franchise. He tells Business Insider:
“I’m stunned that they said no to a billion-dollar franchise and decided to pivot elsewhere. I don’t know what the reasoning was behind that; it’s above my pay grade, but Wonder Woman is an incredible character; Patty is such a thoughtful director.”
He adds that either way, it’s certain he would not have returned as his character is dead and “it would be ridiculous to try to bring me back”. He also reflected on his scepticism about taking on the role initially:
“I had no interest in playing the boyfriend, and it sounded like second fiddle. Then, in talking to Patty, the way she described it was, ‘Forget the superhero of it all, this is a romance, this is ‘Casablanca,’ that’s the movie I want to make.’ I was like, oh, now that is very cool because when have you seen a superhero film that was a love story, ultimately? That had nothing to do with blowing s— up.”
The comments come as news hit today that Jeannie Epper, a veteran stuntwoman and double for Lynda Carter in the original “Wonder Woman” TV series, died at home on Sunday evening in Simi Valley, California. She was 83.
Gunn and Safran’s new DC universe will launch with “Superman” in 2025 and a “Supergirl” film shortly after.
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