‘Wonder Woman 1984’ Producer Reveals Why the Sequel Was Delayed

Despite a major misstep with Justice League’s critical backlash and lackluster box office, DC Comics and Warner Bros. Pictures have seemingly course corrected with the success of Wonder Woman and Aquaman. With Shazam! in the pipeline, the future of the superhero franchise is bright. But Wonder Woman 1984 received a major delay in the process, pushed back seven months from its original delay.

Producer Charles Roven spoke with Collider about the decision to delay the film, revealing why Patty Jenkins‘ sequel will instead be released in the summer of 2020. It might not be a shock to learn that the studio was behind the decision, but for good reason.

“We always wanted the date that we are on right now,” Roven explained. “The studio felt that until their slate for the year before came together—and they had an amazing end of 2018—that they needed to have a big what I call aircraft carrier, a ‘tentpole’, in [2019]. We had a very rushed pre-production because Patty also did the TNT show [I Am the Night] and we had a very rushed post-production schedule in order to make the date that we were on, which was November 1, 2019.”

“We were doing it because the studio said they really needed it, and then at a certain point they came to us and they said, ‘You know what, you guys are right. Let’s go back to the month that you guys released Wonder Woman 1 in, and take the extra time,’” Roven added.

Warner Bros. had one of its better years in recent history, with 2018 seeing the release of smash hits like Crazy Rich Asians, A Star Is Born, and the billion dollar-grossing Aquaman. So while they might have been eager to get another box office success out for 2019, the executives are allowing the filmmakers to take their time and deliver a sequel that will live up to expectations.

With principal photography on Wonder Woman 1984 in the can and a lengthy post-production process ahead, Jenkins can make sure the new movie will be a satisfying experience.

Wonder Woman 1984 is currently set to premiere in theaters June 5, 2020.

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