Fast forward to the 1980s as Wonder Woman’s next big screen adventure finds her facing an all-new foe: The Cheetah. Principal photography is underway on Warner Bros. Pictures’ follow up to the Super Hero’s first outing, last summer’s record-breaking “Wonder Woman,” which took in $822 million at the worldwide box office. “Wonder Woman 1984” will also be helmed by acclaimed director Patty Jenkins, and star Gal Gadot in the title role.

As previously announced, the film also stars Kristen Wiig in the role of the Super-Villain The Cheetah, as well as Pedro Pascal. And Chris Pine returns as Steve Trevor.

Charles Roven, Deborah Snyder, Zack Snyder, Patty Jenkins, Stephen Jones and Gal Gadot are producing the film. Rebecca Roven Oakley, Richard Suckle, Wesley Coller, Geoff Johns and Walter Hamada are the executive producers.

Joining her behind the scenes are several members of Jenkins’ “Wonder Woman” team, including director of photography Matthew Jensen, Oscar-nominated production designer Aline Bonetto (“Amélie”), and Oscar-winning costume designer Lindy Hemming (“Topsy-Turvy”). Oscar-nominated editor Richard Pearson (“United 93”) will cut the film.

Production will take place in Washington, D.C., Alexandria, Virginia, and in the UK, Spain and the Canary Islands.

Set to open in theaters October 31, 2019 in Australia and New Zealand, “Wonder Woman 1984” is based on the character created by William Moulton Marston, appearing in comic books published by DC Entertainment. It will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.
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Elsewhere, Jason Momoa is actually able to make the Aquaman character seem cool and fast forwarding Wonder Woman’s arc allows Gal Gadot to act more naturally. It’s still at heart a comic book movie and this finds everything in overdrive, even the final battle is so over the top as to defy description. The CGI graphics are more moody and less photorealistic than other franchises and this gives the film its own look and feel.

One of the few minor letdowns is in the character of the Big Bad and without giving away too much, they are just a bit too generic. The balance between the recruitment and formation of the Justice League is finely sequenced but the final reel and its big battle is the film’s least successful element.

Also be warned DC has now fully jumped on the Marvel bandwagon and make sure to stay until the very end so as not to miss the coda at the end of the credits.

Rob Hudson
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Luke Evans (Dracula and F&F) imbues the character of Professor Marston with a nod towards intellectualism but tempers it with a bohemian and libertarian attitude that was never going to withstand the glare of investigation. His loss of being able to make a living in the scholastic world led to him pouring his alternative views into his invention of Wonder Woman.

Cleverly incorporating images from the actual early editions of the WW comic books, you begin to realise how risqué the original character was drawn. The themes of domination, submission and bondage are clear to see and it makes one wonder how the publishers of the time got away (even temporarily) with it. It’s also interesting to note that some of Marston’s real living relatives have come out and denied some of the more salacious elements of the film.

The creation of such a lasting character as Wonder Woman with the multiple versions to reflect the temper of the times is a testament to Marston’s brilliance and clever subversion. This is a human story and one that fans of the bigger than life comic book figures will enjoy as well.

Rob Hudson
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While Marston’s feminist superhero was criticised by censors for her ‘sexual perversity’, he was keeping a secret that could have destroyed him.

Marston’s muses for the Wonder Woman character were his wife Elizabeth Marston and their lover Olive Byrne, two empowered women who defied convention: working with Marston on human behavior research — while building a hidden life with him that rivaled the greatest of superhero disguises.

Professor Marston and The Wonder Women stars Luke Evans, Rebecca Hall, Bella Heathcoate, Connie Britton & Oliver Platt and is directed by Angela Robinson. In cinemas November 9!
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Together, Batman and Wonder Woman work quickly to find and recruit a team of metahumans to stand against this newly awakened threat. But despite the formation of this unprecedented league of heroes—Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Cyborg and The Flash—it may already be too late to save the planet from an assault of catastrophic proportions.

JUSTICE LEAGUE is directed by Zack Snyder and stars Gal Gadot, Henry Cavill, Ben Affleck, Ezra Miller, Ray Fisher, Jason Momoa, Amy Adams, Connie Nielsen, Amber Heard and J.K Simmons. JUSTICE LEAGUE releases in Australian cinemas on November 16, 2017.
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Joining Gadot in the international cast are Chris Pine (the “Star Trek” films), Robin Wright (“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,” Netflix’s “House of Cards”), Danny Huston (“Clash of the Titans,” “X-Men Origins: Wolverine”), David Thewlis (the “Harry Potter” films, “The Theory of Everything”), Connie Nielsen (Fox’s “The Following,” “Gladiator”), Elena Anaya (“The Skin I Live In”), Ewen Bremner (“Exodus: Gods and Kings,” “Snowpiercer”), Lucy Davis (“Shaun of the Dead,” FX’s “Better Things”), Lisa Loven Kongsli (upcoming “Ashes in the Snow”), Eugene Brave Rock (AMC’s “Hell on Wheels”) and Saïd Taghmaoui (“American Hustle”).

Before she was Wonder Woman, she was Diana, princess of the Amazons, trained to be an unconquerable warrior.

Raised on a sheltered island paradise, when an American pilot crashes on their shores and tells of a massive conflict raging in the outside world, Diana leaves her home, convinced she can stop the threat. Fighting alongside man in a war to end all wars, Diana will discover her full powers…and her true destiny.

Patty Jenkins directs the film from a screenplay by Allan Heinberg, story by Zack Snyder & Allan Heinberg and Jason Fuchs, based on characters from DC. Wonder Woman was created by William Moulton Marston.

WONDER WOMAN releases in Australian cinemas on JUNE 1, 2017.
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