Several months ago, it was rumored that Warner Bros. executives were so impressed with Ben Affleck's Caped Crusader in "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" that they were making the character the center of their growing DC Extended Universe. While "Batman v Superman" failed to connect with audiences like the studio had hoped, Affleck's turn as the Dark Knight was well-received by fans. Going forward, it does appear as if he will serve as the connective tissue in the DCEU.
Affleck will appear as Batman in this August's "Suicide Squad," and it was previously rumored that he'd also be showing up in Gal Gadot's "Wonder Woman" solo movie. Today comes further evidence that Affleck will have some type of role in the super-heroine standalone film.
A new set photo from "Wonder Woman" shows Gadot's Diana Prince in what looks like Gotham City, getting into an armored Wayne Enterprises truck. This is especially curious given that "Wonder Woman" is supposed to take place in the middle of World War I.
It's unknown how this moment plays into the greater story of "Wonder Woman," but a guess would be that the film catches up with our heroes in present time at some point as they attempt to assemble the Justice League post-"Batman v Superman." Batman's presence in the movie is only expected to be a quick cameo, after all.
It will be interesting to see how much of "Wonder Woman" is set in the present day. With Superman seemingly out of the picture until "Justice League: Part I," Warner Bros.' DC standalone movies have the opportunity to advance the overarching plot sans the Man of Steel.
However, the film does run the risk of making the same mistake that "Batman v Superman" made in that it devotes too much time to setting up "Justice League" and not enough making a quality film that can stand on its own merits. Hopefully, director Patty Jenkins has enough backstory packed in there to do Wonder Woman justice. We don't need any more backdoor pilots for future offerings.
"Wonder Woman" will hit theaters on June 2, 2017. "Justice League: Part I" will arrive on Nov. 17, 2017.
