DC Films’ Geoff Johns and Jon Berg Talk WONDER WOMAN Sequel, Joss Whedon, and More Female Characters

After three movies in a row with polarizing responses, DC Films had its first indisputable hit this year with Wonder Woman. The movie is loved by critics and audiences, and it has maintained exceptionally strong legs at the box office. Naturally, a sequel is expected, while the first film’s reception is very promising to the DC brand as a whole.

Speaking with Variety, DC Films chiefs Geoff Johns and Jon Berg discuss Wonder Woman‘s success, as well as plans for the future. They reaffirm that audiences embraced this movie more than previous films because of the lighter and more optimistic tone, which Johns says is critical to the DC Universe. “Most of the DC Universe is known as being a hopeful and optimistic place. It’s known for characters that are inspirational and aspirational. Anyone who knows and loves the DC Universe knows that a lot of that has to do with its hope and optimism.” As for what they learned from past films, Berg says that Suicide Squad failed on a narrative level, while Batman v Superman (again) was too dark for the general audience.

Johns also confirms that he and Patty Jenkins are writing a story treatment for the Wonder Woman sequel. “Patty and I are writing the treatment right now. The goal is to make another great Wonder Woman film. I had a blast making it with Patty the first time. We’ve got a cool idea for the second one.” It was recently reported that Jenkins only signed on to direct one Wonder Woman movie, so for the sequel, a new deal has to be negotiated.

But Wonder Woman isn’t the only prominent female character in the DC Extended Universe. The studio is also planning Gotham City Sirens, starring Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn, and Joss Whedon’s Batgirl. Regarding the female players in the DCEU, Johns says, “We’ve got a lot of plans for our female characters just because they’re great characters. There are many wonderful elements to the DC Universe, and one of them is that we have the best female characters, heroes and villains, in the world. No one is going to beat Wonder Woman and Batgirl and Harley Quinn.”

And finally, Berg discusses Whedon’s involvement in the DCEU. In addition to writing and directing Batgirl, Whedon is overseeing the Justice League reshoots this summer. Berg says that Whedon is playing a “big” part at DC Films, explaining how he was hired for Batgirl in the first place. “We love him. He’s a great partner, collaborator; we want him to be ensconced. We bring people by, have general meetings and talk about comics and their favorite superhero movies. With Joss, he saw the master board, and he saw a Batgirl title and he said, ‘You guys seriously want to do Batgirl?’ And we said, ‘Absolutely.’ He said, ‘That’s my jam.'”

Stay tuned for more DCEU updates as we have them.