Chris Pine is 'stunned' that “Wonder Woman 3 ”was axed

"I don't know what the reasoning was behind that; it's above my pay grade, but Wonder Woman is an incredible character."

Chris Pine is surprised that Wonder Woman 3 failed to take flight.

The actor, who played former Air Force officer and Diana/Wonder Woman's love interest Steve Trevor, weighed in on the scrapped film in conversation with Business Insider while promoting his directorial feature debut Poolman.

"I'm stunned that they said no to a billion-dollar franchise and decided to pivot elsewhere," Pine said. "I don't know what the reasoning was behind that; it's above my pay grade, but Wonder Woman is an incredible character. Patty [Jenkins] is such a thoughtful director."

That's not to say his very deceased character — who sacrificed himself by hijacking a bomber aircraft in the 2017's Wonder Woman — would have returned. (The character was resurrected via Dreamstone in the retro 2020 sequel Wonder Woman 1984.) "It would be ridiculous to try to bring me back," he told the outlet.

Pine also shared that he initially passed on the role of Steve before Jenkins cited a classic reference, thus convincing him that it would be the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

"I had no interest in playing the boyfriend, and it sounded like second fiddle," Pine said. "Then, in talking to Patty, the way she described it was, 'Forget the superhero of it all; this is a romance, this is Casablanca, that's the movie I want to make.' I was like, oh, now that is very cool because when have you seen a superhero film that was a love story, ultimately? That had nothing to do with blowing s--- up."

News that a third Wonder Woman film had been axed came in December 2022, in the wake of James Gunn and Peter Safran's overhaul of DC as new studio heads. Jenkins confirmed earlier this year that her time with the franchise starring Gal Gadot is "over for the time being, easily forever" and that she has since pivoted to working on a script for Star Wars film Rogue Squadron.

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Related content:

• Patty Jenkins says Wonder Woman 3 is dead, gives Rogue Squadron update

• A romantic reunion: Inside Wonder Woman 1984's timeless love story

• Wonder Woman 1984 has a surprising end-credits scene

Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly.