Marketing is finally kicking off for the next releases in Warner Bros. DC slate, Birds of Prey and Wonder Woman 1984, with new posters and promotional imagery.
Posters featuring the films’ stars Gal Gadot and Margot Robbie popped up at a licensing expo and photos by fans are circulating social media. Wonder Woman News posted an entire collection of the images to Twitter. Gal Gadot appears in her outfit from Justice League and we get a clearer look at Robbie as Harley Quinn.
Sneak peak of a new Wonder Woman 1984 promotional photo at a licensing expo! (Keep your eyes out for the complete photo). #WW84 pic.twitter.com/QpkpgkmQfx
— Wonder Woman News (@WonderWoman84HQ) August 27, 2019
Now in HD. #WW84 pic.twitter.com/CtgMGmc7Xg
— Wonder Woman News (@WonderWoman84HQ) August 27, 2019
Robbie and Gadot’s poster art is placed next to promotional material for Ben 10, Scooby, DC Super Hero Girls, and the new season of Rick and Morty. This is interesting because it is further evidence of AT&T’s handbook for Warner Bros. (Related: Report: DC Comics Might Not Have a Future as Part of WarnerMedia Under AT&T)
As we reported, properties such as comics, film adaptations, and cartoons are considered one big lifestyle brand to the studio’s new parent company. No entity is set apart to establish and bask in its own identity, which they could do with Wonder Woman and the character’s celebrated legacy.
More troubling is Warner had a subdued San Diego Comic-Con and no presence at Hall H. They could have unfurled these images there to greater fanfare rather than at an obscure expo.
The good news is the reason for the subdued presence might be a bureaucratic one. Change in leadership from disgraced former CEO Kevin Tsujihara to Ann Sarnoff was ongoing at the time and may have caused a vacuum with nobody to clear an SDCC slate. Sarnoff’s control of the reins was finalized this month. (Related: WarnerMedia Announces Ann Sarnoff as Replacement for Warner Bros. CEO and Chair Kevin Tsujihara)
From here, promotion of Birds of Prey and Wonder Woman 1984 should shift into high gear with both movies coming out in the winter and summer of next year.
Birds of Prey (And The Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn), directed by Cathy Yan, comes out February 7, 2020. Wonder Woman 1984, directed by Patty Jenkins, is out June 5, 2020. Joker releases in October.
What do you think of the posters? How do you think their strange placement at an expo bodes for the DCEU going forward? Leave some thoughts below.