‘Wonder Woman 1984’ Postponed Because of Coronavirus Pandemic

The release of Wonder Woman 1984 has been pushed back while the release dates for other movies, including an adaptation of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s musical In the Heights, have been called off with plans to reschedule, Variety reports.

Wonder Woman 1984, the sequel to the 2017 blockbuster, was set to hit theaters June 5th but will now open August 14th. In a statement, Warner Bros. Pictures Group chairman Toby Emmerich said: “When we greenlit Wonder Woman 1984, it was with every intention to be viewed on the big screen and are excited to announce that Warner Bros. Pictures will be bringing the film to theaters on August 14. We hope the world will be in a safer and healthier place by then.”

Wonder Woman 1984 finds Gal Gadot reprising her role as the titular superhero, while Patty Jenkins returned to direct. Following the World War I-set first film, the new movie takes place during the Eighties and co-stars Kristen Wiig as Barbara Minerva, better known as the supervillain Cheetah. The film will also feature Chris Pine, Pedro Pascal, Robin Wright and Connie Nielsen.

Along with pushing back the release date for Wonder Woman 1984, Warner Bros. Pictures indefinitely pulled In the Heights (formerly out June 26th) and a new animated Scooby-Doo movie Scoob (formerly out May 15th). The studio bumped director James Wan’s upcoming film Malignant from its August 14th date, too, to make room for Wonder Woman 1984. Warner Bros. is reportedly figuring out when to reschedule all three films, with the studio expecting most movie theaters to re-open by August.

The coronavirus pandemic has caused a slate of delays in the film industry, including major tentpole pictures like the new James Bond, No Time to Die, A Quiet Place 2, Mulan and Fast 9. In response to the closure of movie theaters, however, one studio, Universal Pictures, announced last week that it would start making some of its new films available to rent on home entertainment platforms early. So far, they have provided early releases for films like the controversial satire The Hunt, The Invisible Man and Emma.