Gal Gadot and director Patty Jenkins crack the whip once again in DC sequel Wonder Woman 1984. The latest trailer burst online during DC FanDome, promising an extension of the original Wonder Woman storyline that enthralled with its humour, effects and rousing origin story.
Gadot's virtuous Diana Prince is now found to be living in 1980s America. However, she can barely catch a break with not one, but two, villains on the scene, and the unexpected resurgence of a thought-to-be-dead love interest. Here are the main highlights from the trailer.
1. We get more of Diana's destiny
That Wonder Woman acts as an inspiration to young girls the world over hardly needs repeating. It's a message that the filmmakers have seemingly taken to heart in the sequel, alternating between Diana's warrior origins in Themyscira and her eventual surge into iconic superhero status.
2. It's a warning about getting what you wished for
Tears were shed when brave pilot Steve Trevor (Chris Pine) sacrificed himself at the end of the first Wonder Woman movie. As much as Diana wants him back, she probably didn't envisage the outcome of Wonder Woman 1984. It seems like mysterious entrepreneur Maxwell Lord (Pedro Pascal) is willing to offer people what they want – no doubt at a price.
3. Barbara Minerva's fate is bound up with Diana's
Up until this point, we haven't seen much of Kristen Wiig's Barbara Minerva, archaeologist and eventual nemesis of Diana. This new trailer sketches in her dimensions, as she experiences feelings of envy towards the glamorous and powerful Wonder Woman. The eventual apex predator abilities come courtesy of sinister mogul Maxwell Lord, although it's not yet clear if he's deliberately setting the two women against each other.
4. It reflects the dark side of 1980s excess
Remember all those conversations about how television and 'video nasties' would be a corrupting influence? Probably not. But it did happen. Wonder Woman 1984 looks set to tap into those technological fears, albeit in an audience-friendly, popcorn kind of way, as the ruthless Maxwell Lord extends his influence through the TV set.
5. Steve provides the comic relief
In the first movie, Diana was the comic fish-out-of-water during the amusing World War I sequences in London. This time, Steve is the person out of time, as he grapples with such inventions as 1980s clothing and radar. With Diana now in the driving seat and more attuned to how the world works, it'll be nice having Steve offset that with wry humour.
6. Cheetah is revealed
No, it's not an outtake from Cats. That really is Kristen Wiig clad in CGI fur as Barbara Minerva's rampaging alter-ego. Make of it what you will.
Wonder Woman 1984 is released on 2nd October. What did we miss in the trailer? Let us know @Cineworld.