James Gunn has broken his silence on who he thinks would be a “great Wonder Woman” in his new DC Universe.
The Guardians of the Galaxy director is set to reboot DC’s cinematic output in the coming weeks with his version of Superman starring David Corenswet as Superman, Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane and Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor.
The movie will kickstart a new series of films focusing on DC superheroes, with a Supergirl film and a new Batman movie, The Brave and the Bold, also in development.
Little has been announced regarding the casting of some of the other major DC characters, but Gunn was recently asked whether he would consider Andor star Adria Arjona for the part of Wonder Woman.
Speaking to Extra, Gunn was quizzed about the speculation surrounding Arjona after fans noticed that he followed her on Instagram.
Gunn replied: “I follow Adria on Instagram but everybody came out [and said], ‘He just followed her, that means she’s Wonder Woman.’ She’d be a great Wonder Woman, by the way.”
The 58-year-old added: “She was in a movie that I made seven years ago. We’ve been friends and have known each other since that time. I followed her then, I didn’t just follow her.”
The movie that Gunn alluded to was the 2016 action horror movie The Belko Experiment, which was directed by Greg McLean and written by Gunn.
Earlier this year, Arjona told CinemaBlend: “I love James Gunn. He gave me my first movie ever, which was like my first studio movie, so I owe him a lot.”
She also said that she didn’t know if Gunn following her on social media meant anything, but she crossed her fingers in response.
If Ajorna is cast as Wonder Woman, she would inherit the role from Gal Gadot, who played the character from 2016 until 2023. However, it was announced in 2023 that DC had cancelled plans for Wonder Woman 3 and would not be moving forward with the franchise.
The move came after Gunn and Peter Safran stepped in as chiefs of the DC Extended Universe (DCEU), with The Hollywood Reporter claiming that a treatment for the film “did not fit in with” the studio’s plans.
Rather than dwell on the disappointment, though, Gadot said that the news actually “empowered” her.
“The fact that I don’t have to sit still at home and just wait for the next offer is something that makes me feel empowered,” Gadot told Total Film, adding: “I enjoy doing it – it keeps me alive.”
The actor continued: “I’m not only going to do my own projects, I’m going to work as an actress-for-hire still.
“But the fact that I can go ahead and tell the stories that I’m passionate about – from ideas that I conceived, or from ideas that I find fascinating from people that want to partner with us... it’s an incredible thing.”
