What excites you the most about the upcoming Wonder Woman 1984 movie? Is it the joy of being a comic book fan, Gal Gadot’s presence, or the promise of kickass fight scenes? Maybe it’s that the sequel to 2017’s Wonder Woman promises to be in neon color because it’s the 80s! An era that Gadot herself says that she does remember:
“I was born in ’85, but it’s funny, I really do remember. Probably more so because of my parents, but it was a such a standout decade as much as it goes with fashion, music, politics. And the look of everything! The colors.”
Everything was bigger in the 80s. The colors, the hair, and the need for greed. Associate Producer anna Obropta explained:
“In 1984, America was at the peak of its power and its pride. computers and parachute pants, wealth, commercialism, glamour, even violence — everything was larger than life. It was a decade of greed and desire, a time of ‘Me, me, more more more.’”
What’s at stake for Diana Prince in 1984? Where do we find her? Producer Charles Roven explains:
“She has not only had the loss of [Chris Pine’s] Steve Trevor. She’s lost nearly all the people that are important to her because they’re not immortal, and her life is actually quite lonely and spartan. In fact, the only joy that she gets out of it is when she’s actually doing something for people, if she can help those in need.”
Not only will Diana be contending with the 80s, her lost love, and being lonely, but Pedro Pascal’s Maxwell Lord. What can we expect from Maxwell? Pascal has been known for Narcos, The Mandalorian, and Game of Thrones. Now, he’s entertaining the DC ring. What does his character bring to the table?
“Max is a dream-seller. It’s this character who encompasses a component of the era which is, you know, ‘Get whatever want, however you can. You’re entitled to it!’ And at any cost, ultimately, which represents a huge part of our culture and this kind of unabashed — it’s greed. It’s f—ing greed, of course. But it’s also about ‘How do you be your best self? How do you win?’ So he’s definitely the face of that version of success.”
Diana may be immune to Lord’s charm, but Kristen Wiig’s Barbara Minerva isn’t. This shy and socially awkward gemologist eventually becomes one of Wonder Woman’s most iconic foes; though, Wiig wasn’t too knowledgeable of her at the time:
“I did not really know so much about Cheetah. Before I even talked to Patty [Jenkins], there was an idea that maybe it might be about being a villain for the movie, so I went online and looked at all the villains of Wonder Woman to try to figure out which one, because I was so excited,” she laughs. “And I was really, really happy to find out it was her.”
She added:
“I’ve never really played someone who walks into the room and owns it — especially when she starts out so insecure and self-deprecating. We didn’t want to see Barbara in Cheetah, and I didn’t want to see Kristen in Cheetah, either.”
As we mentioned before, having two villains in one movie aren’t the only things Diana must deal with. She must deal with Chris Pine’s Steve Trevor coming back from the dead. We don’t know how yet, but Pine did talk about his character in this new movie:
“In the first movie, I played the world-weary soldier who has seen all the depravity that humankind is capable of displaying. And in this one I get to be much more wide-eyed and joyful. My role is really just as a friend, lover, boyfriend-cum-bodyguard who’s trying his best to help Diana on her mission. I’m like the Watson to her Holmes.”
Director Patty Jenkins spoke about the chemistry Gadot and Pine have:
“He’s not beta at all. He’s a super alpha who can absolutely wear his discomfort on his sleeve. So, from day one, I was always saying that it should almost be like Wonder Woman meets Indiana Jones, where Indiana would never be emasculated. Chris just very naturally has that quality. You can tell by meeting him that he’s warm and he’s chill and he truly appreciates women.”
Pine commented:
“I think sometimes superhero films may feel they have to fit in a love story just to tick that box. Whereas in this, it’s part and parcel of the spine of the lead character. And that is Wonder Woman — she leads with love and compassion and protectiveness, and these qualities that I think are nurtured by a good strong relationship.”
Of course, we have to talk about one of the scenes that dazzled fans in the Wonder Woman 1984 trailer. That was Wonder Woman’s golden suit. According to EW, there was a lot of work that went into this suit. Jenkins did research and found references of soldiers in ancient Rome to help build the look. They then brought in Oscar-winning designer Lindy Hemming. What was most impressive of the suit were the wings, which some were made from carbon fiber and weighed up to 44 pounds. Some set was destined to be CG’ed later. Hemming commented on these wings:
“In the light it’s always liquid, moving. There’s a feeling of non-flatness…. Because in the comics, she does fight her mightiest battles in the golden suit.”
For the entire interview, check out EW. Are you excited for Wonder Woman 1984?
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