Patty Jenkins says Wonder Woman 2 will be another “great love story.” It is still a long way until Diana embarks on her second solo outing but given the massive success that her origin film got last summer, anticipation for Gal Gadot’s next go as the Princess of Themyscira has considerably increased over the last several months. Official information about what her next adventure might be still scant as of the moment, but rumors have been floating around that just like her first flick, it will likewise be a period piece. Only this time, set during the Cold War.


After several weeks of contract negotiations, Jenkins was finally locked in to direct the sequel, a gig the will reportedly make her one of the highest paid female directors of all time. At this point, every penny is worth it for the filmmaker, given what she was able to accomplish in terms of launching Gal as the new poster characters for the DC Films franchise. Production date for Wonder Woman 2 is penciled in for summer of 2018 while November 2019 is all set for its release date.


Without giving anything specific regarding her plans for Diana’s follow-up film, Jenkins shared some information regarding the narrative structure that she and her team plans for Wonder Woman 2. Speaking with Variety, the 46-year-old filmmaker echoed Gadot’s earlier comments about exploring more of Diana’s core values, which is really the best thing about her:

“It’s really still going to other values of hers, and a similar formula insofar as making a great, enjoyable fun movie but that ultimately in its third act turns some very big issues, and a very big experience that will aim to have slightly more weight and profundity than it has to have. Because that’s a formula that I really like, and I like the idea of taking somebody on a very solid, great journey but that arrives at a bigger question being answered. So it’s like that but because she is Wonder Woman and she’s here now and she’s fully developed, it’s got great fun from the start and great big superhero presence from the start, and is funny and a great love story again and a couple new unbelievable characters who I’m so excited about, who are very different than were in the last movie.”


We know that Warner Bros retconned Diana’s stance on walking away from her superhero gig as previously established in Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice. So it is curious how her solo adventures will pan out if the rumors are true regarding Wonder Woman 2‘s Cold War setting. In Justice League, Bruce called her out for hiding in the shadows for decades when she could have been taking more of a leadership role, making her backstory a bit more intriguing.


As for Jenkins’ comments about the follow-up flick being a “great love story again,” the filmmaker could spin it in few different ways. There is her love for mankind and love for her mother and the rest of Themyscira. But if it falls along the lines of romantic love, similar to what she had with Steve Trevor, then it will be curious if they are going to introduce another entirely new love interest or if Chris Pine can return to the fold — a possibility that many are hoping for, given Gadot’s electric chemistry with him onscreen.


It makes sense that Jenkins is sticking to the formula she used in the first film for Wonder Woman 2. The movie was a smashing success, both massively and critically. Among the slew of divisive films that DC Films has put out, Wonder Woman remains to be the most generally well-received installment, keeping Warner Bros.’ dream of building an interconnected movie saga alive.