Updated: This article has been updated with the official announcement video.
Updated: This article has been updated with twitter announcements by Patty Jenkins and WarnerMedia.
Deadline reports that the hotly-anticipated DC Extended Universe sequel Wonder Woman 1984 will hold its Christmas Day theatrical release, but will also be released on HBO Max the same day. Few details are available, and the was not officially announced by Warner Bros. at the time of Deadline's report.
Director Patty Jenkins did confirm the news with a Twitter post, urging fans to see the movie in theaters, "where it is made safe to do so," but watch on the streamer if you do not have a safe theater nearby.
A short time later WarnerMedia confirmed the news via Twitter:
The tweet links to a statement by WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar, who reveals the the film will be available at no extra charge to HBO Max subscribers, departing from the Premium VOD model employed by competitors like Disney+.
The movie was slated for an summer release, before the global pandemic changed the entire film industry. It was then moved to an August date, and then October with the optimistic view the world would be restarting at that time. Finally, it was moved to December 25, but the current landscape makes even that date seem unlikely. The HBO Max release likely helps the studio bolster their new core business asset.
Wonder Woman 1984 is the 2020 feature film sequel to the popular 2017 film Wonder Woman.
Fast forward from World War I to the 1980s as Gal Gadot returns for Wonder Woman’s next big screen adventure finds her facing an all-new foe: The Cheetah. Like its predecessor, Wonder Woman 1984 is directed by Patty Jenkins.
Chris Pine also returns as Steve Trevor, even though that character appeared to die in the previous film and would be quite old in 1984. It remains to be seen how that plays out.
Joining the cast are Kristen Wiig in the role of the Barbara Minerva, a.k.a. The Cheetah, as well as Pedro Pascal.
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, production designer Aline Bonetto, and costume designer Lindy Hemming. Oscar-nominated editor Richard Pearson will cut the film.
