Warner Bros. will be bringing Christmas cheer to its U.S. streaming platform subscribers as well as theatregoers who brave the pandemic, as it announces its highly anticipated kick-ass superhero film, directed by Patty Jenkins and starring Gal Gadot, will open both in cinemas and living rooms December 25.
Fans have been patiently waiting to see if Warner Bros. Pictures’ highly anticipated superhero tentpole film, Wonder Woman 1984, would actually hit theatres on its newly rescheduled December 25 release date, rather than get pushed into 2021 like most every other major studio feature. Well, in an unprecedented move, the studio has just announced that their upcoming action-adventure flick will not only stick to its U.S. theatrical release schedule, but it will be released simultaneously in the U.S. on HBO Max.
Let’s be honest: who doesn’t want to see superhero Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) kick some more serious ass? With Gadot jumping back into her gold boots alongside director Patty Jenkins, once again helming with her women-centric production team, fans are more hyped than ever for the next installment. And now they know it’s coming this year! Back in 2017, the Jenkins-directed Wonder Woman took in $822 million at the worldwide box office. And while it’s unknown how much box office loot it can take in internationally, fans, and U.S. HBO Max subscribers, will surely cheer this news.
Wonder Woman 1984 additionally will debut in international markets a week earlier than in the U.S., starting on December 16. The film will be available for a month on HBO Max in the U.S. included at no additional cost to subscribers.
“As we navigate these unprecedented times, we’ve had to be innovative in keeping our businesses moving forward while continuing to super-serve our fans,” said Ann Sarnoff, Chair and CEO, WarnerMedia Studios and Networks Group, which includes Warner Bros. Pictures. “This is an amazing film that really comes to life on the big screen and, working with our partners in the exhibition community, we will provide that option to consumers in the U.S. where theaters are open. We realize that a lot of consumers can’t go back to the movies due to the pandemic, so we also want to give them the option to see Wonder Woman 1984via our HBO Max platform.”
Toby Emmerich, Chairman, Warner Bros. Pictures Group, added, “We appreciate how patient audiences have been and given the great anticipation around Wonder Woman 1984 we are grateful to be able to make this terrifically entertaining movie widely available in these challenging times.”
In the film, we fast-forward to the 1980s as Wonder Woman finds herself facing two all-new foes: Max Lord and The Cheetah. In addition to Gadot, the film also stars Chris Pine as Steve Trevor, Kristen Wiig as The Cheetah, Pedro Pascal as Max Lord, Robin Wright as Antiope, and Connie Nielsen as Hippolyta.
Charles Roven, Deborah Snyder, Zack Snyder, Patty Jenkins, Gal Gadot and Stephen Jones are producing the film. Rebecca Steel Roven Oakley, Richard Suckle, Marianne Jenkins, Geoff Johns, Walter Hamada, Chantal Nong Vo and Wesley Coller are the executive producers.
Patty Jenkins directed from a screenplay she wrote with Geoff Johns & David Callaham, story by Jenkins & Johns, based on characters from DC. Joining the director behind the scenes are several members of her 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) is cutting the film. The music is by Oscar-winning composer Hans Zimmer (Dunkirk, The Lion King).
Source: Warner Bros. Pictures
Dan Sarto is Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Animation World Network.
