Gal Gadot opens up about ‘empowering’ cancellation of Wonder Woman 3

Gal Gadot has explained why she felt “empowered” by the cancellation of Wonder Woman 3. In December 2022, just days after Gadot expressed excitement about returning as the character, it was announced that DC would not be moving forward with the franchise. The move came after James Gunn and Peter Safran stepped in as chiefs of the DC Extended Universe (DCEU), with The Hollywood Reporter claiming that a treatment for the film “did not fit in with” the studio’s plans.

Rather than dwell on the disappointment, though, Gadot is keeping her head held high – and said that the news actually “empowered” her. “The fact that I don’t have to sit still at home and just wait for the next offer is something that makes me feel empowered,” Gadot told Total Film, adding: “I enjoy doing it – it keeps me alive.” The actor continued: “I’m not only going to do my own projects, I’m going to work as an actress-for-hire still.

“But the fact that I can go ahead and tell the stories that I’m passionate about – from ideas that I conceived, or from ideas that I find fascinating from people that want to partner with us… it’s an incredible thing.” Gunn addressed the cancellation of Wonder Woman 3, telling his Twitter followers: “As for the story yesterday in The Hollywood Reporter, some of it is true, some of it is half-true, some of it is not true, & some of it we haven’t decided yet whether it’s true or not.” He elaborated upon this by saying that “building the next 10 years of story” at DC “takes time”.

Gunn said he knew “there would be an unavoidable transitional period as we moved into telling a cohesive story across film, TV, animation, and gaming,” adding: “The drawbacks of that transitional period were dwarfed by the creative possibilities & the opportunity to build upon what has worked in DC so far & to help rectify what has not.”

Acknowledging the “fractious” DC fanbase, Gunn warned “We are not going to make every single person happy every step of the way”, but reassured these fans that “everything we do is done in the service of the STORY & in the service of the DC CHARACTERS we know you cherish and we have cherished our whole lives”. Forthcoming projects include Batman: The Brave and the Bold, Superman: Legacy and Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow. The latest DC film in cinemas is The Flash, which had a muted opening at the global box office. Find The Independent’s review of the film here.