There's still a long wait for the release of the sequel to "Wonder Woman" featuring Gal Gadot. The follow up to the 2017 hit, "Wonder Woman 1984," has a June 2020 release date worldwide but a new report says it might never be shown in China.
According to a box office tracker from Guangdong, "Wonder Woman 1984" has a problematic storyline that might impact its release in Chinese theaters. Gavin Feng said in a Twitter post that censors in China usually do not approve stories featuring the Cold War between America and Russia, which will be a running theme in "Wonder Woman" sequel.
Case in point, the Ryan Gosling film "First Man" has yet to get approval for showing in Chinese theaters. But as Feng pointed out, Universal has not gotten a response for this movie's release because the story of "First Man" also touched on the Cold War and the race between U.S. and Russia to dominate space exploration.
However, the "Transformers" spinoff "Bumblebee" made it to the Chinese box office without any delays or censorship. According to Comic Book, this film had a reference to the Cold War, but China authorities didn't have any problems with it.
Filming for "Wonder Woman 1984" wrapped up a few days before Christmas, as Gadot confirmed. But while the sequel's plot is a well-guarded secret, the fact that the movie took place in 1984 suggests that the geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union will be a huge part of the storyline.
"Wonder Woman 1984," which has been directed by Patty Jenkins, will have Gadot reprising the iconic character for the fourth time on the big screen. The superheroine would not have aged much after the first movie's World War I timeline since Diana Prince/Wonder Woman is an Amazon from Themyscira and they are considered immortals.
But surprisingly, "Wonder Woman 1984" will also have Chris Pine reprising his role as Steve Trevor. His inclusion has sparked more interest from fans of the franchise since Trevor died in the first movie.
"Wonder Woman 1984" will also feature Kristen Wiig as the villain Barbara Minerva/Cheetah. "Narcos" star Pedro Pascal will be in the cast as well, and rumor has it that he'll play the supervillain Maxwell Lord. The rest of the supporting cast include Kristoffer Polaha, Natasha Rothwell, Ravi Patel, and Gabriella Wilde.
Originally, the studio planned to bring "Wonder Woman 1984" to the big screen for October 2019, but the movie has now been marked for a June 5, 2020 release. DC and Warner Bros have not released any teasers as of press time.
