The highly-anticipated Wonder Woman sequel has had its release bumped up by six weeks to November, 2019.
Studio bosses at Warner Bros. had originally pegged 13 December, 2019 for actress Gal Gadot's next outing as the titular superheroine, but on Monday (13Nov17), they announced the project would hit theatres more than a month earlier than expected, on 1 November (19).
The new date means Wonder Woman 2 will no longer have to compete with Star Wars: Episode IX for box office attention so soon after its release, as the sci-fi epic is scheduled to open on 20 December, 2019.
The news emerges amid unfounded reports suggesting Gadot had threatened to quit as Wonder Woman unless Warner Bros. executives cut ties with producer Brett Ratner, who helped to finance the first film via his RatPac-Dune Entertainment firm.
Ratner is under fire over various allegations of sexual misconduct from actresses including Olivia Munn and Natasha Henstridge. He has denied the claims, but an article in the New York Post's PageSix column over the weekend (11-12Nov17) alleged Gadot was refusing to reprise her role if Ratner remained involved.
A Warner Bros. representative has since dismissed the rumour as "false", with other outlets noting the studio's deal with RatPac-Dune would have already expired by the time Wonder Woman 2 begins production.
Patty Jenkins will return to take charge of the next instalment, having recently secured a record-breaking deal to write, produce, and direct the follow-up in a package worth a reported $8 million (£6.1 million) - the highest figure ever awarded to a female filmmaker.
Warner Bros. officials can certainly afford to pay Jenkins handsomely - Wonder Woman was a massive hit worldwide, grossing $821.8 million (£626.5 million) following its summer (17) release.
Gadot is currently promoting her return as the Amazonian princess for DC Comics' new Justice League blockbuster, which hits theatres this week (begs13Nov17).
