DC Comics is typically defined by the trinity of Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman. James Gunn‘s Superman will kick off the DCU, and My Adventures with Superman will return for a third season. Not only will Matt Reeves’ Batman franchise continue in The Batman Part II, but the DCU will get its own Batman solo film with The Brave and the Bold. This also doesn’t count spin-off projects like Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow and Clayface. Between the cancellation of Patty Jenkins’ Wonder Woman 3, which would have featured Gal Gadot returning, and the news that the planned Wonder Woman video game was canceled back in February 2025, it was a hard time to be a Wonder Woman fan.
As part of his initial January 2023 DCU slate announcement, James Gunn confirmed an Amazon-centric series for HBO titled Paradise Lost, but that series is notably a prequel without Wonder Woman. Thankfully, fans have something to look forward to as James Gunn confirmed that a Wonder Woman film is in development at DC Studios. Even though there is little information at the moment, there are some key details that we do know about the DCU’s Wonder Woman.
Gal Gadot Will Not Return as Wonder Woman
Despite no official confirmation, it is nearly certain that when Wonder Woman does appear in the DCU, she will not be played by Gal Gadot. Gadot initially teased that she would be returning as Wonder Woman in the DCU early on, but she and James Gunn have largely gone quiet on that front. This also means that Wonder Woman 3 is not happening. Despite its previous announcement, the movie was canceled in December 2022.
The DCU’s ‘Wonder Woman’ Is in the Early Stages of Development
James Gunn confirmed that DC Studios was working on a new Wonder Woman film on Jun. 10, 2025, in a profile on Superman for Entertainment Weekly. Gunn said the script was being worked on, but did not reveal who was attached to write it. No further details about the plot or the general direction for the DCU’s Wonder Woman have been given. The film is in the earliest stages of development, not even having a director set or a release date set. Gal Gadot not returning to play Wonder Woman also opens the door for the character to be recast.
Adria Arjona, best known for her roles in Andor and Hit Man, is a popular fan choice to play the role. For a decade, Alexandra Daddario has been a popular fan choice for Wonder Woman. Similarly, Grace Caroline Currey, who previously played Mary Bromfield in the DCEU’s Shazam! and Shazam! Fury of the Gods has also expressed interest in moving to the DCU and is open to the idea of playing Wonder Woman. Casting the DCU’s Wonder Woman will likely be one of the most sought-after roles in Hollywood.
‘Paradise Lost’ Is a Prequel Series for Wonder Woman
In January 2023, just one month after Jenkins’ Wonder Woman 3 was canceled, James Gunn announced a slate of DC projects that were in development that would make up what he called Chapter 1 – Gods and Monsters. It featured projects centered on characters ranging from Superman to The Authority to Swamp Thing and Booster Gold. Despite the subtitle of this chapter having “gods” in it, it took two and a half years for a project centered around the demigoddess Wonder Woman to be announced.
There was, however, an HBO series announced called Paradise Lost. Described as being inspired by Game of Thrones, the series was announced as a prequel series set before the birth of Wonder Woman and would center on the scheming and power struggles on the all-female island of Themyscira. Not only is the title a reference to John Milton’s poem of the same name, but it also seems to draw inspiration from the 2001 comic arc “Paradise Island Lost,” by Phil Jimenez and George Pérez, about a civil war on Themyscira. Yet that storyline was notably set in the modern era, with Wonder Woman actively participating.
As of this writing, no showrunners have been attached to the series, with no indication of when the series will debut on HBO. The same day that Gunn announced a Wonder Woman film, he confirmed that Paradise Lost was still developing, but the project was moving slowly. The Wonder Woman film theoretically ties into Paradise Lost, though Gunn’s comments imply they are two projects with different creative teams, similar to Superman and Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow.
Wonder Woman and the Amazons Were Teased in ‘Creature Commandos’
The seeds for Paradise Lost and the potential Wonder Woman film might have been planted in the DCU’s first proper entry, the animated series Creature Commandos. Within the opening seconds of the episode, the series establishes the villain Circe (Anya Chalotra), a rogue Amazonian sorceress who seeks to become the ruler of Themyscira. A news anchor drops the line that Themyscira, sometimes called Paradise Island, is seemingly a mythical land, meaning both it and the Amazons are a fable to the citizens of the DCU. This suggests that Wonder Woman might not be active yet in the DCU, or if she is, that people don’t know much about her backstory or where she comes from.
Meanwhile, audiences did get their first glimpse of Wonder Woman, but not in the way anyone expected. In the fourth episode, Circe shows Amanda Waller a vision of the future that will come to pass, where Princess Rostovic declares war on the world. Waller sees various DC heroes killed. Some pre-established characters or heroes audiences know are already coming, like David Corenswet’s Superman, John Cena’s Peacemaker, Milly Alcock’s Supergirl, and Isabela Merced’s Hawkgirl, to name a few. However, one of the heroes killed on a spike is none other than Wonder Woman. This is the DCU’s first introduction to Wonder Woman in the DCU, hinting at larger things to come.
Creature Commandos aired in December 2024, six months before the Wonder Woman film was announced to be in development. With Gunn, the creator of Creature Commandos, it gives a good insight into how the DCU might approach Wonder Woman. Circe is one of Wonder Woman’s most notable foes, and with her alive and in A.R.G.U.S. custody, she could potentially return in Wonder Woman and maybe play a role in the Paradise Lost prequel.