In December 2022, just days after Gadot expressed excitement about returning as the superhero character, it was announced that DC would not be moving forward with the franchise.

The news landed after James Gunn and Peter Safran stepped in as chiefs of the DC Extended Universe (DCEU), with The Hollywood Reporter claiming that a treatment for the film “did not fit in with” the studio’s plans.

Gadot, who at first said she felt “empowered” by the decision, then claimed in an iterview with ComicBook.com: “What I heard from James and from Peter is that we’re gonna develop a Wonder Woman 3 together.”

She went on to state in a more recent interview with Flaunt magazine while promoting her new Netflix film Heart of Stone – ahead of the SAG-AFTRA Hollywood strikes: “I was invited to a meeting with James Gunn and Peter Safran, and what they told me, and I’m quoting: ‘You’re in the best hands. We’re going to develop Wonder Woman 3 with you. [We] love you as Wonder Woman – you’ve got nothing to worry about.’ So time will tell.”

However, Variety is reporting that there are no active plans to develop a new Wonder Woman film, and that there was never any defiitive discussion with Gadot about returning as the character.

This has pompted widespread confusion, with many fans questioning whether either Gadot or Gunn and Safran had been dishonest about the future of the project.

Some have asked why Gadot claimed Gunn and Safran had assured her a third Wonder Woman film would happen not once, but twice, while others are pointing to the fact that Gunn, who regularly debunks incorrect claims about the DCEU, has not commented on Gadot’s comments.

For the most part, DC fans are comparing the situation to the Henry Cavill controversy, which saw the actor dropped as Superman weeks after returning in a post-credit scene for Dwayne Johnson’s film Black Adam.

Cavill later confirmed he would not be returning as the iconic superhero, just two months after telling fans that he would continue in his role following the Black Adam cameo.

“DC is still a hot mess,” one movie fan wrote in response to Variety’s report on Twitter.

The Independent has contacted Gadot and Gunn’s representatives for comment.

Gal Gadot in ‘Wonder Woman 1984’

(Warner Bros Pictures )

Gadot made her Wonder Woman debut in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016), and fronted her standalone movie debut one year later. She returned for the poorly received sequel, Wonder Woman 1984, in 2020, and most recently appeared as Wonder Woman inThe Flash.

Gunn and Safran have a bursting list of DC projects in the works, releasing a slate of forthcoming releases in December 2022. A new Wonder Woman project was not included.