Patty Jenkins will return to direct Wonder Woman sequel

Among its many other tremendous successes this summer, Wonder Woman‘s $800+ million global box office makes it the highest grossing movie ever directed by a woman. And that woman will return: EW has confirmed that Patty Jenkins will helm the Wonder Woman sequel, scheduled to hit theaters on Dec. 13, 2019.

The news, first reported by Variety, comes after a lengthy negotiation process. But Jenkins was already developing the sequel when she spoke to EW in late June, with Wonder Woman still dominating the box office. Although she didn’t reveal any story elements for the sequel, she made her perspective on sequelizing clear. “It’s can’t be a replica or a continuation of the first,” she explained. “There’s another great story I want to tell. It is its own movie.”

As played by Gal Gadot, Wonder Woman first appeared onscreen in last year’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and will appear again as a central figure in the upcoming Justice League. Wonder Woman was a prequel of sorts, centering on the long-lived hero’s adventures a century ago during World War I. A sequel could theoretically take place anytime from the Armistice onwards, following the character’s pre-Justice League adventures. Or it could pick up with Diana in the present day. The comic book lore of Wonder Woman could point historic or mythic: The character originally fought in World War II, but she’s also explored the cosmic territory of Greek mythology. (It’s a fair bet that the sequel will not feature Wonder Woman love interest Chris Pine. But Jenkins will work with Pine on the upcoming TNT limited series One Day She’ll Darken.)

“I think the thing that I’m the most excited about is the fact that she exists now, and it means there’s a whole other kind of journey that we can do with her,” Jenkins said in June. “We get to have what I feel like the other superheroes get to have a little earlier, which is just a great time with that character.”