Gal Gadot may be ready to hand over the lasso.
The actress played Wonder Woman for nearly a decade, beginning with her memorable introduction in 2016’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. She went on to headline two Wonder Woman movies and reprise the role in Justice League and several other DC projects. But when James Gunn and Peter Safran took over DC Studios and began reshaping the franchise as the new DC Universe, the question remained: Could Gadot’s Diana Prince somehow make the jump?
It doesn’t sound like it.
Gadot recently spoke with ScreenRant about her new Prime Video thriller The Runner, and naturally, the conversation turned to Wonder Woman. When asked whether she had spoken with Gunn or DC Studios about returning as Diana — or perhaps joining the DCU in another role, similar to Jason Momoa‘s move from Aquaman to Lobo — Gadot said there haven’t been “any specific conversations.”
As for the last time she had a serious conversation about returning? Gadot said it was when “they came to the studio, and they really wanted to develop the third one.”
Since then, she hasn’t “heard anything.”
That’s hardly an official goodbye, but Gadot’s comments about the next Wonder Woman sound pretty definitive. Rather than tease a possible return, she offered her support to whoever eventually steps into the role.
“This is such an incredible character that so many of us care about so much, so whoever it’s going to be to portray her, I wish for her that she enjoys this amazing ride with this amazing character,” said Gadot. “And I’m just grateful that I was granted the opportunity to wear her boots and celebrate this incredible character and everything she stands for.”
Gadot’s final appearances as Wonder Woman came as the previous DC universe was winding down. She popped up in Shazam! Fury of the Gods and The Flash, and her cameo in Shazam! briefly gave fans reason to wonder whether there might still be a place for her in whatever came next.
That movie’s post-credits scene certainly didn’t hurt the speculation. It brought back Steve Agee‘s John Economos and Jennifer Holland‘s Emilia Harcourt, prompting some fans to wonder whether Shazam! was quietly establishing a connection to Gunn’s future DCU. Gunn later clarified that the scene wasn’t considered canon.
Until now, there hadn’t been much to report on Gadot’s status. Gunn had previously said that a new Wonder Woman hadn’t been cast, but neither he nor Gadot had offered much insight into whether she might eventually return.
The new Wonder Woman movie is still in development, with Ana Nogueira writing the script after her work on Supergirl. She’s also involved with the broader creative side of the new DCU, which is gradually filling in the gaps left by the franchise’s reboot.
That hasn’t stopped fans from imagining other ways Gadot could turn up in the DCU. Jason Momoa’s casting as Lobo in Supergirl made it clear that Gunn isn’t necessarily opposed to bringing familiar DC stars back in completely different roles. Gadot has subsequently been fancast as characters including Big Barda, Talia al Ghul and Poison Ivy.
For now, though, there’s no indication that any of those ideas are actually in the works. And considering Gadot’s comments, it sounds like she’s perfectly comfortable leaving Diana Prince behind.
After playing one of DC’s biggest characters for years, Gadot has also had plenty keeping her busy outside the superhero franchise, from Disney‘s live-action Snow White to Netflix‘s Heart of Stone and her upcoming Prime Video thriller The Runner.
Wonder Woman’s next chapter is coming. It just probably won’t have Gal Gadot in it.