Warner Bros. has moved up Gal Gadot’s “Wonder Woman 2” six weeks to November 1, 2019, from December 13, 2019.

The studio made the announcement on Monday. Patty Jenkins is returning to direct. It’s the first title to land on November 1, 2019. The new date also places “Wonder Woman 2” seven weeks away — rather than a single week — from Disney-Lucasfilm’s “Star Wars: Episode IX,” which opens on December 20, 2019.

“Wonder Woman” was a massive hit for Warners with US$412 million in domestic grosses and US$409 million internationally.

“Wonder Woman” is the fourth installment in the studio’s DC Extended Universe, which launched with 2013’s “Man of Steel” with an opening weekend of US$116.6 million, followed by last year’s “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” with US$166 million, and “Suicide Squad” with US$133.6 million. “Wonder Woman,” made for about US$150 million, is critically acclaimed*, with a 92 percent “fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

“Wonder Woman” opened with US$103 million in North America on June 2-4, but has outperformed the other titles to become the 20th highest domestic grosser* of all time. It’s the second-highest-grossing 2017 title after “Beauty and the Beast.”

Page Six reported on November 11 that Gadot was refusing to do the sequel unless Brett Ratner’s production company was not involved but Warner Bros. has said the story is “false.” RatPac had been a financier on “Wonder Woman” but Warner Bros. severed ties with Ratner on November 1 following revelations of multiple cases of sexual harassment by the filmmaker.

(SD-Agencies)