Wonder Woman 1984 Director Patty Jenkins Addresses Film's New Christmas Release

As the first wave of COVID-19 infections continues to spread across the country, Warner Brothers announced Friday afternoon it's delaying the theatrical release of Wonder Woman 1984 by two months. At the onset of the pandemic this March, the studio delayed the Gal Gadot vehicle from March to June and then again from June to October 2nd. Now, the flick is set to open Christmas Day 2020.

In a statement obtained by Variety, 1984 director Patty Jenkins expressed excitement in getting to share the follow-up with the masses during the height of the holiday season. "First and foremost let me say how much Gal and I love all our devoted Wonder Woman fans around the world, and your excitement for 'WW84' couldn't make us happier or more eager for you to see the movie," Jenkins says.

The filmmaker adds, "Because I know how important it is to bring this movie to you on a big screen when all of us can share the experience together, I'm hopeful you won't mind waiting just a little bit longer. With the new date on Christmas Day, we can't wait to spend the holidays with you!"

By the time the feature is released in December, the majority of the movie will have been in the can for two years. Starting principal photography in June 2018, the feature wrapped on December 22, 2018 before returning for reshoots the following summer. The first release date the film was given fell last December and subsequently went under a host of changes.

First, Warner's bumped the release up to November 1, 2019, before quickly delaying it until June 5, 2020. That's when the COVID-related delays came into play and it was bumped from June to August, from August to October, and now from October to December.

1984's new release date now puts it out the week after Dune, the sci-fi epic Warner Brothers is releasing on behalf of Legendary. As it stands now, Dune will go up against West Side Story (20th Century) and Coming 2 America (Paramount) while 1984 is virtually uncontested on Christmas Day, at least when it comes to new tentpoles being released.

Cover photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images