Ranking 2019 superhero movies by interest

Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures

2. Wonder Woman 1984 (November 1, 2019)

It’s funny how despite being the most recognizable and iconic female superhero in the entire world, Hollywood execs assumed a live-action Wonder Woman movie would never be a box-office smash. Or rather be a success on par with the likes of Superman, Batman, Spider-Man and all the rest. Yet last year’s Wonder Woman not only proved Hollywood wrong, but it’s also widely considered the best movie (if not the only good movie) in the entire DC Extended Universe. Such success demanded a sequel.

What’s particularly interesting is the apparent direction writer-director Patty Jenkins is taking this movie. As the title indicates, the second Wonder Woman movie takes place in 1984. Not quite the same time period as the 1970’s live-action television series, but close enough to make clear parallels with that series.

Like the TV series, the sequel shifts from war-time to modern setting involving Cold War espionage. If the seemingly back-from-the-dead Steve Trevor (Chris Pine) turns out to be the original Steve’s descendant, that, too, would echo what the TV series did. There’s even talk that Lynda Carter makes a cameo appearance. All in all, it’d make sense for the new film to take cues from the TV series, much like how The Incredible Hulk (2008) did.

On top of this, it looks like there will be some more comic book nods with the inclusion of Barbara Minerva/Cheetah (Kristen Wiig). The only thing really working against this movie is the November release date. Likely, Warner Brothers figured releasing the film in the same summer as Avengers 4 would see it trounced at the box office. A November release will likely result in more people seeing it, but certainly not as many who saw the first Wonder Woman.