Why Wonder Woman 1984 Is Set In That Year, According To Patty Jenkins

Diana in Wonder Woman 1984

The DC live-action universe has been on a roll lately, but there was a time when things were shaky. Patty Jenkins' Wonder Woman was one of the big successes of the DCEU, and a sequel was quickly ordered by Warner Bros. Jenkins took her time crafting Wonder Woman 1984, and the debut trailer revealed the first look into the '80s set world. And now the filmmaker has revealed why she chose that time setting for Diana Prince's second solo adventure.

While Wonder Woman was introduced in the present day during Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, her solo movies reveal the character's long history as a hero. The first Wonder Woman movie was set in WWI, while 1984 will jump decades into the future during the Cold War. Patty Jenkins recently revealed why she decided on that specific setting for movie, saying:

Why 1984? We wanted to bring Diana into the modern world, but the '80s is a period that Wonder Woman is quite synonymous with. So it was great to see her there, but most importantly, it's sort of the height of Western civilization and the success of the world that we all live in in the aftermath of now. So I was curious to collide our Wonder Woman into the height of our current modern belief system, and what kind of villains come out of that, and see what happens. So it all came quite naturally.

Well, that makes as great deal of sense. It looks like Patty Jenkins wanted to pay homage to Wonder Woman's past in the media, while also showing how the heroine was adjusting to a more modern world

Patty Jenkins' comments come from her recent appearance at Brazil Comic Con, which was attended by CinemaBlend's own Eric Eisenberg. It sheds a light on the filmmaker's creative process, and how methodically she approaches Diana Prince's journey on the big screen. While Wonder Woman introduced her to the world of man, 1984 will show the title character in the not too distant past.

Related: Wonder Woman 1984’s Gal Gadot Explains Why Diana Ditches Her Sword And Shield In The Sequel

Wonder Woman 1984's director also mentions the character's prior connection to the '80s. This is likely in reference to Lynda Carter's iconic TV how, which concluded in 1979. While not actually airing in the '80s, that show remained a part of pop culture lexicon in the following decade.

Setting the Wonder Woman sequel in 1984 also opens up all the possibilities for nostalgia. The sequel's first trailer debuted the characters' bold '80s looks, with both Gal Gadot and Kristin Wiig looking chic in their period costumes. It looks like an '80s mall will also factor into the upcoming blockbuster. In fact, it's the same set as Stranger Things' third season.

Wonder Woman 1984 will arrive in theaters on June 5, 2020. In the meantime, check out our 2020 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

Corey Chichizola
Movies Editor

Corey was born and raised in New Jersey. Graduated with degrees theater and literature from Ramapo College of New Jersey. After working in administrative theater for a year in New York, he started as the Weekend Editor at CinemaBlend. He's since been able to work himself up to reviews, phoners, and press junkets-- and is now able to appear on camera with some of his favorite actors... just not as he would have predicted as a kid. He's particularly proud of covering horror franchises like Scream and Halloween, as well as movie musicals like West Side Story. Favorite interviews include Steven Spielberg, Spike Lee, Jamie Lee Curtis, and more.