Whedonesque : Comments on 5599 : Buffy stars battle over Wonder Woman role.

And if you believe a British tabloid, you'll believe anything.

There could be oil of some kind...Um, not that that's MY thing, but I can imagine some fellas would like that. Ah, who am I kidding, I'd watch it too. I think Charisma would win, personally...

Rogue Slayer | December 17, 22:05 CET

Anyone heard that lindsay lohan song "rumors"? Yeah I think it sounds crappy too.

eddy | December 17, 22:06 CET

Ah yes, the Daily Record. Well, it must be true, then! If this feeble excuse for a newspaper actually ever printed something that was not a complete fabrication it would be a miracle.

The 'Wonder Woman' rumour has been around before and all they have done is rehash it to include a reference to Joss Whedon. Gellar has stated categorically in the past that it is utterly ludicrous to think that she would put herself forward for the role. As she puts it, "Wonder Woman is, like, six-feet tall!"

alien lanes | December 17, 22:13 CET

If only British tabloids were always true....or were *ever* true....

Laur | December 17, 22:13 CET

The very fact that they refer to Wonder Woman as a remake of a 70s tv show rather than a comic book adaptation says all I need to know about this report.

Paul_Rocks | December 17, 22:14 CET

Seems to me not a single word of this makes sense. SMG is already fairly firmly committed to at least two projects next year - "Southland Tales" and "Revolver." But the clincher is "the producers are more interested in Charisma because she is less well known." Huh?

SoddingNancyTribe | December 17, 22:21 CET

Even if it is true...one would think CC has rather burned her bridges where Joss is concerned.

~plus there's no frickin' way she could carry a movie~

psyche | December 17, 22:36 CET

Summer Glau wants to see Gina Torres in the role, and so do I

embers | December 17, 22:54 CET

I know it's totally preposterous, but I keep getting a mental image of CC and SMG embroiled in a Xander/Harmony slap-fight. Too funny. Must stop giggling so hard at work.

SoddingNancyTribe, I can't help but notice you're all blue-y. Are you truly among the anointed now, or did you win the "one millionth post" award and not tell us?

Wiseblood | December 17, 23:37 CET

SoddingNancyTribe has ascended and become a Whedonesque moderator :).

Simon | December 17, 23:38 CET

Just a couple of thoughts.

If a 'Wonder Woman' film is made I don't think we'll see Charisma Carpenter in the lead. However, as to her burning her bridges with Joss Whedon, I'm not sure I would agree with this. I take it that something 'happened' between them. I don't know (or want to know) the details, but Joss doesn't strike me as a person to hold a grudge. Sometimes things happen, and then life moves on.

As to her ability to carry a movie, why not? I can't say that I have any real opinion about this, but people frequently surprise me, and it would be interesting to see what CC could do, given an opportunity.

alien lanes | December 18, 00:01 CET

If we're going to speculate, might as well do it right. Top 3 Whedon-world candidates for Wonder Woman:

1. Charisma Carpenter. Because we want to see her in the star-spangled outfit. A 21st century Lynda Carter. But if it's Joss in the director's chair, CC is out.

2. Gina Torres. Unconventional casting--but if Ving Rhames can play Kojak, Gina can play Diana. Gina is the total package--beautiful, powerful, heroic. I'd love to see a GT Wonder Woman movie.

3. Stephanie Romanov. Big screen acting experience. Definitely has The Look. Stellar supporting player, but may not be charismatic enough to be the lead.

Outside the Joss-verse.

1. Lucy Lawless. Butt-kicking queen of the universe. A role she was born to play? May not have the "regal" quality you need for Diana.

2. Geena Davis. Superb actress, but Despite Renny Harlin's best(?) attempts, never convincing as an action hero.

cjl | December 18, 00:04 CET

The two names I've seem mentioned by columnists lately are Catherine Zeta Jones and Minnie Driver. Personally, I think it's going to be Ben Stiller.

Simon | December 18, 00:07 CET

After the rather fetching lengthy hairdo he displayed in Troy and as he is already used to wearing a skirt, my money is on Brad Pitt.

Come to think of it, that rather lets Colin Farrell into the running. And anybody who has ever played in a Scottish film or worn a kilt just for fun.

This project is beginning to sound exiting.

(Note, if you haven’t seen Troy yet: the film was so horrendously written that at one point I was sitting in the cinema wondering whether Brad had hair extensions put in. That’s how bored I was.)

miranda | December 18, 00:28 CET

"And anybody who has ever played in a Scottish film or worn a kilt just for fun."

So if it could be anyone that's worn a kilt dosen't that put Nathan in the running? Then there'd be three whedonverse peeps in the running, hmmmm, what an interesting cat fight that would make....

MandyMouse | December 18, 00:31 CET

Congratulations, SoddingNancyTribe, on your recent ascension.

Did you have to eat any mystical bugs?

kdavid323 | December 18, 00:37 CET

"So if it could be anyone that's worn a kilt dosen't that put Nathan in the running? Then there'd be three whedonverse peeps in the running, hmmmm, what an interesting cat fight that would make...."

Make it four, JM wore one last year when GOTR was in Europe (Fans bought all the band members kilts). There is a photo floating around showing him in his. If I remember correctly, also with his black socks and sneakers, which is always a nice "look" to have. While they may both have the legs for it, somehow I don't think Nathan or James has the chest to hold up the "star-spangled" suit very well.

Also, congratulations to SoddingNancyTribe, all blue and glowey. A Higher Being in our midst...

[ edited by Gracie on 2004-12-17 23:06 ]

Grace | December 18, 00:51 CET

SMG is no Wonder Woman. I am sorry. You can look at any version of the comic and see that SMG doesn't have the physical attributes to play WW. Especially as far as her height goes.

Second, CC just doesn't have the WW type personality to play the part. I also agree that CC probably has burned her bridge with JW. Not to say that he holds a grudge but it would be a long shot.

As much as I love both CC and SMG, I hope JW steers clear. This is a big budget film and they really need to watch who they cast here. Fans won't stand for a gimicky movie on the character. They should cast an unkown with a strong personality type or someone with a more rounded acting resume.

[ edited by DarenG on 2004-12-17 23:26 ]

DarenG | December 18, 01:23 CET

Congratulations, SNT. It's well deserved, since you've been pretty much acting as an unofficial mod with your helpfulness. I'm also curious about the possibility of magic bugs (or I think they were really spiders). Did they seem high in fiber?

dreamlogic | December 18, 01:31 CET

The only reason SMG's name keeps popping up for this role is because she donned the WW costume for a 2002 MTV Movie Awards spoof. She didn't think she fit the costume either.

I wish CC luck.

Whoever gets the role, I'm sure Joss will choose wisely.

Congratulations, SoddingNancyTribe on becoming a mod :)

Anne 5_by_5 | December 18, 01:42 CET

Several folks have alluded to CC "burning bridges" with Joss. Can someone please explain? CC did appear in Angel S5 so did something go south/bad/wrong after that?

SNT, congratulations on your blueness :-)

[ edited by dcubed on 2004-12-17 23:49 ]

dcubed | December 18, 01:43 CET

I'm with dcubed, not really sure I get where anything has been burned...

Grace | December 18, 01:55 CET

Congratulations SNT!

And back on topic, there was a show on TV yesterday about Lynda Carter and how she got the role of WW despite almost no experience at all. The character is supposed to be "Amazonian" so I think we need someone not far off six foot.

Uma Thurman? Julia Roberts? Geena Davis? Michelle Trachtenberg? (We know she's several feet taller than SMG)

zz9 | December 18, 01:57 CET

I think CC burned her bridges by being as vocal as she was about Cordelia's demise. Right or wrong (it's up to you) she did complain rather loudly and expressed her reservations about returning to finish Cordelia's story. She has also said on several occasions that she would never return to the character. I would understand if Joss wasn't too eager to work with her again.

I don't see either of them in the part. The only person I can imagine is Catherine Zeta-Jones. I can't stand her so I'll jump on Simon's bandwagon and pray for Ben Stiller.

kdavid323 | December 18, 02:08 CET

Flaming architecture aside, nobody really knows what happened with CC, dcubed. Discussing it at length here isn't a good idea, as there's no concrete facts to point to, and so will lead to a lot of speculation leading to ... well, not clarity, that's for sure.

Interviews CC gave toward the end of AtS S4 shed a little light on her absence from most of S5, and if you poke around on Google for a bit I'm sure you can find them, and the general gist of the rest of the topic. :)

Wiseblood | December 18, 02:09 CET

I just can't get into the whole Wonder Woman thing, I never read the comics, I remember the TV show.

IMO for what it's worth:
That costume would have to be changed, it's just too tacky.
CC looks more the part than SMG.

Passion | December 18, 02:37 CET

I so hope Joss doesn't do Wonder Woman. As far as super heroes go, she definitely falls into the one-dimensional category. I'd much rather see him do X3. As far as Buffiverse actors in the role, the only one I think who could carry it is Gina Torres. SMG - too short and girl next doorsy and I don't think CC could carry a movie. The only other candidate I can think of is Eliza Dushku but wasn't there a rumour kicking around that she was in the running to play Black Widow in the next Spiderman movie? That's a part she was born to play IMO

prospero | December 18, 03:15 CET

I so hope Joss doesn't do Wonder Woman. As far as super heroes go, she definitely falls into the one-dimensional category.

Most of D.C.'s characters are one dimensional IMO, except Batman, The Flash, and Green Lantern. The latter 2 Warner Bros is too stupid to make a film about.

eddy | December 18, 03:21 CET

Everybody is continuing to talk about SMG. If this is just as a bit of tongue-in-cheek debate, fine, but we are all clear aren't we that she isn't actually up for this role?

This is a wholly fabricated story put about by an extremely tacky British tabloid. This nonsense has been kicking around for some considerable time and Gellar has already made it clear that it's utterly ludicrous.

I'm sorry if I seem to have a sense-of-humour bypass about this, but encouraging the garbage spouted by the British press is never a good thing.

alien lanes | December 18, 03:23 CET

Most of D.C.'s characters are one dimensional IMO, except Batman, The Flash, and Green Lantern. The latter 2 Warner Bros is too stupid to make a film about.

Not according to empire online (also a brief mention of the Joss Wonder Woman rumour)

Paul_Rocks | December 18, 03:32 CET

I'm just sitting here, marvelling at the wonderfulness that would ensue if Gina Torres were Wonder Woman!

looking | December 18, 04:21 CET

Gina would be great in that role! She's beautiful, smart, talented and has arguably one of the best bodies in Hollywood! And if Serenity is a hit, she'd be the perfect "up and coming" star they could be looking for.

I don't know if there is anything to the rumors of a rift between JW & CC and I don't really care to know because none of us were there so can't really take sides but even if there was, I'd think that they would be able to work together if 1. Joss thought she was right for the project and 2. He asked her to.

Personally, out of all the actors in the Buffyverse, I think she was the least talented (I'm talking main characters here) and everything I've seen her in she doesn't seem much different from the Cordelia character so unless Wonder Woman is supposed to be a lot like Cordelia I can't see her in this role.

As for SMG, she's laughed at this notion of her being Wonder Woman, poked fun at it at the MTV movie awards by being Wonder Woman in a skit. I could see debating about her being up for the role if she genuinely was trying out for it but she isn't.

As for her being too short, Gabrielle, on Xena was the Queen of the Amazon's and she isn't exactly a giant! But I never thought "Gabrielle" was believable as an Amazon!

Edited because my paragraphs somehow got out of order and nothing made sense!

[ edited by blwessels on 2004-12-18 02:39 ]

Firefly Flanatic | December 18, 04:37 CET

Well I dunno if it's true or not but...If it is I would love to see Sarah playing the role. :)

Jossfan_21 | December 18, 04:45 CET

She was good in the MTV skit :)

Pad up her bosom a bit (okay, a lot) and put her in some high heal boots, maybe!! But seriously, she has said this is just a rumor.

Firefly Flanatic | December 18, 04:50 CET

I'll throw my vote behind Gina Torres to play WW, b/c except for the race thing, she's perfect. Ditto Eliza except for the height thing.

But all this spec is useless, as the role will probably go to Jennifer Garner, whom I loathe with every cell of my body but has the looks, height, martial arts skills and leading lady status to land the part. Just some falsies and there you go. Either her or a complete unknown.

dottikin | December 18, 04:58 CET

Why would they cast Jennifer Garner? she's already played Elektra. The only person who I've seen play multiple comic characters is Halle Berry and well..*spit* I won't even speak of it again.

eddy | December 18, 05:00 CET

God, I hope Joss stays away from this one but casting-wise WW has got to be Lucy Lawless all the way. She has got every attribute that WW needs (and take that any way you want!). Just re-discovering Xena in the last few months and LL has got real presence - and she learned to act somewhere around season2 or 3 too. She could carry this as a feature role, no problem

catalyst2 | December 18, 07:21 CET

Sarah? No way. I prefer CC for the role.

Anyways, i don`t want Joss to direct it.

Angel TheVampire | December 18, 07:39 CET

Well, a couple months ago Wizard Magazine (a magazine about comics books here in the states) had an interview with SMG when she was promoting The Grudge and they brought up the Wonder Woman rumor. She said she wasn't interested. Before that, Greg Rucka, who writes the Wonder Woman comic said that WB and DC Comics where iffy about CC in the role because of her Playboy shoot. I personally don't see why that should keep her from getting the role, but most execs are morons.

thekey1313 | December 18, 09:14 CET

Greg Rucka has no say in who should be casted, especially with such a stupid reason. Halle Berry, the star of Warner Bros' last superheroine driven movie was nude in 3 films before CW.

eddy | December 18, 10:37 CET

right you are, eddy. But Halle is an A-lister, she can get away with more than Charisma can. There seems to be a double standard where if you're naked in a movie, it's for art, but if you're naked in a magazine, it's trashy. In some cases that can be true, but not all. I personally thought CC's Playboy photos were tastefull.

thekey1313 | December 18, 12:17 CET

If they are going to make up their own news why dont they make up news that I would like to see.

"Joss Whedon and Quentin Tarantino have agreed to cooperate on a modernized version of Modesty Blaise, the classical kick-ass heroine, the film rumoured to be a futuristic spy thriller will start filming in the summer of 2005, while Angelina Jolie, Jennifer Garner and Uma Thurman all have expressed interest in portraying the main character Sarah Michelle Gellar is reported to be the writers/producers first choice."

Why dont we see more rumours like that ?

jpr | December 18, 18:18 CET

Charisma Carpenter IS Wonder Woman. And as I said, Joss owes her. He fired a pregnant woman, for God's sake!

Rion | December 18, 19:49 CET

Unless you have a direct line to the Almighty (or to the minds and hearts of all parties involved), I don't think it's helpful to assign blame with such certainty in the CC-AtS parting of ways. I second Wiseblood's opinion that this is a subject best left alone on Whedonesque.

phlebotinin | December 18, 21:05 CET

Rion I seem to remember telling you in a previous thread to tone it down on the CC/ATS speculation, consisder this your final warning.

Simon | December 18, 21:10 CET

Gina Torres IS Wonder Woman; she would be wonderful in that part. But if that didn't work out, I would rather see Eliza than Charisma playing the part. Plus Joss said at High Stakes that he would love to work with Eliza again.

Congratulations, SNT. I've been wondering why you had turned blue. I thought perhaps it was because Joss repsonded to you directly. :-)

Mal'sGal | December 18, 22:01 CET

I have been scouring the archives for the last 48 hours to figure out why SNT's blue.

Now I know. Congrats! Crack that whip!

Seriously, it's not shocking at all. I've always enjoyed your classy, thoughtful posts. It makes perfect sense.

Angela | December 18, 22:42 CET

I don't know if the rumor is true, but if Charisma and Sarah were both up for the role, I would have to pick Charisma. I love 'em both, but I think Charisma would defidently win over the casting directors--she's just perfect for that role:)

MySerenity | December 18, 23:13 CET

Ah yes, I must add my congratulations to the chorus, SNT. (Thinking it alone doesn't count.) "Classy" and "thoughtful" are just the words to describe your posts. Congratulations!

[ edited by phlebotinin on 2004-12-18 21:20 ]

phlebotinin | December 18, 23:19 CET

Have to agree with some here that neither CC or SMG are the types to portray Wonder Woman. SMG tiny! I mean really tiny! And I just don't think CC can pull it off personality and presence-wise.

(And frankly apart from me not agreeing Joss 'owes' her anything, even if he did, it's the worst reason in the world to hire someone)

Gina has the physique and the presence and I love her, but I'm just not a big fan of changing aspects of character that are as fundamental as race, or nationality or gender or history. Making the Kingpin black or John Constantine an American are other examples. To me it's like casting Tom Cruise as Blade or something. These things are inherently part of the character and the more a character is changed, the less I can see that character in them.

Having said that, let me add again I love Gina and don't actually care about Wonder Woman as a character much, so on second thought, go for it.

EdDantes | December 19, 08:54 CET

I really wish people would quit speculating on Whedon/Carpenter and who burned bridges with whom. We don't know. There's not enough public knowledge for any even remotely beneficial speculation. It's stupid to pretend we know what's going on in their heads.

Further, it's absurd to assume Whedon would give the WW role to any Buffy alumnus. Just cuz they worked together before doesn't mean he has to cast them in everything he does. Realistically, the only name anyone's mentioned that I could actually see in the role myself is Gina Torres, but that again means jack squat. IF Whedon gets the director job for WW, he'll likely cast a relatively unknown actress in the lead role. Sorry to burst everyone's bubble. Again.

ZachsMind | December 19, 10:08 CET

Totally agree with you Zachsmind regarding a Whedon/Carpenter riff and feel it's really nobody's business whether it's true or not. I certainly don't think anyone owes anyone else anything. Frankly, I think most people on this board feel the same way.

And yes, if he is doing this movie, it will most likely be an unknown in the role or someone outside of the 'verse but it's fun speculating on someone from the 'verse being in that role! I do think Gina would be great as a super hero chic though!

(formerly blwessels)

Firefly Flanatic | December 19, 10:15 CET

Sorry about my "burning bridges" enquiry. I didn't mean to spin off such a dust devil. Wiseblood, I was looking for a fairly simple "yes, there was a problem" or "no there wasn't" so Google wasn't the right tool (to me anyway). Google has this habit of providing way more data than any sane person wants or needs. In fact, I think I like the "nobody here is in a position to know" sentiment best.

dcubed | December 19, 10:50 CET

No worries, no dust devil. What makes it difficult to objectively discuss the CC topic is that there's pretty much nothing but pure opinion to go on without concrete data, so there's no such thing as a simple "yes" or "no" response to the question (or issue). Based on past experience here and other places, it's not a topic that lends itself to clear-headed, even- tempered discussion -- which is, I hear, what this place is somewhat known for. And which makes it so different from many other interweb-type hangouts. For that reason, if not a number of others, the "nobody here" sentiment makes good practical sense, and maybe more fundamentally doesn't run the risk of hurting/impugning anyone who can't, or doesn't wish to, speak for themselves.

Nothing wrong with asking, though. The ins and outs of the Whedonverse are complex, sometimes even arcane. How else can a person figure out what's what? :)

Topic-wise, I'm still trying to get my mind around the idea of a JW Wonder Woman movie. I mean, I watched the TV show as a kid, drove my parents crazy singing the theme song around the house, and maybe saw a couple comics here and there over the years, but it wouldn't be my first choice as an adaptation project. Which, since I am not Joss, matters not a whit. I do think that if anyone could make WW relevent for our time, it would be Mr. Whedon, if he was given license to do it his way. I'd rather he do Fray as a major motion picture, or post-NFA Angel, or more Serenity, but if he and his team decide to chase a muse wearing a star-spangled corset, what can I do but see where it leads?

Wiseblood | December 19, 13:05 CET

I'd rather he do Fray as a major motion picture, or post-NFA Angel, or more Serenity, ...

Totally agree here Wiseblood, I would love to see a Fray or Angel movie. I guess I'm optimistic but I kinda have it in my head we will already be getting more Serenity movies.

CC and Joss - don't really care and will never know what happened and it's just not that important to me. I liked the work they did together but people go their separate ways all the time so I wish them both the best of luck.

SNT - Congrats! I love you're posts they are always fun to read , umm I mean "classy" and "thoughtful".

Passion | December 19, 17:53 CET

December 17 2004