Whedonesque : Comments on 6313 : Joss Whedon Confirmed for Wonder Woman.

Awesome!

Way to go Joss!

I seriously could not care less about Wonder Woman.

Therefore, I am sad.

Joss does WW! All the fretting aside, and I do realize there is plenty to fret about with this film...Joss is truly the only one that can turn this out in my opinion without it having major suckage.

He signed on, so it was obviously something he wanted to do. Congrats Joss! I really look forward to it.

Angela | March 17, 10:18 CET

YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Emma Frost | March 17, 10:21 CET

Yessss! I'm totally psyched for this! I might even unearth my old WW comics from the basement to celebrate. Hmmm, I wonder if they'll be worth more now...

Anyway, this is a great step for Joss. Our boy is well and truly on his way to complete world domination, or uhm, that Hollywood stardom thing. Happy dance!

For those who can't get into the idea of WW as a movie by anyone, let alone Joss, consider that this is the kind of big budget/high profile project that will probably springboard Joss into the ranks of writer/directors who will have studios vying for his work in any medium for years to come. There is no bad in this -- taking this job is a no-brainer. Even if the actual movie sucks (which I doubt), it will almost certainly make a ton of dough and get worldwide attention for Joss.

Then perhaps Mr. Whedon can open the doors at Mutant Enemy once again, bring back his writing staff, and start making tv shows worth loving. He can make a Broadway musical or a ballet. Start a theater company, a clothing line, any frelling thing he wants. And he'll probably still carry that girly knapsack, bless his heart.

Numfar, do the dance of joy!

[ edited by punkinpuss on 2005-03-17 08:54 ]

punkinpuss | March 17, 10:22 CET

Yay! I have complete confidence that Joss can pull this off.

electricspacegirl | March 17, 10:26 CET

Congratulations indeed, a new Joss creation to look forward to, always a good thing.

jpr | March 17, 10:29 CET

Yes and no, I think, maybe!

"Wonder Woman is the most iconic female heroine of our time, but in a way, no one has met her yet," - I hope so because the one I've met so far, I didn't like!

"She's someone who doesn't belong in this world, and since everyone I know feels that way about themselves, the character clicked for me." - yes, that sounds like promising territory! In fact, that type of approach is just perfect for Joss' wonderful talents!

"She has super strength, bracelets that deflect bullets and a golden lasso that ensnares victims and forces them to tell the truth. She has, at times, even had her own super vehicle, an invisible plane." - and if this is what she has got in this incarnation, then (and I hate to say this) this thing is dead in the water regardless!

I am so conflicted over this!

Yes and no, I think, maybe!

*head explodes in gouts of green goo*

catalyst2 | March 17, 10:32 CET

this is excellent news, and not just because i remember sitting through supergirl, the movie, but because if joss is getting picked to direct a movie this big, (that isn't based on characters he created) then in the future he can pick and choose his projects. who knows maybe we'll see a serenity 2 or better TV deals.

kittyholmes | March 17, 10:33 CET

If Joss says he has something to say, I want to hear him say it whether it is through WW or Mighty Mouse. OK, I always loved Mighty Mouse anyway...

Congratulations, Joss.

newcj | March 17, 10:35 CET

In many ways WW is an ideal big movie vehicle for Joss - familiar territory in some ways but I've always felt WW was always one of those rather 2D superheroes. I guess if anyone can give her depth then Joss can. I have to agree with catalyst2 that there is much about her that is camply awful and if that can be avoided I think I'd feel a lot more confident. I've always hated the costume too. I hope they give it a serious revamp to get away from red, white and blue uber-cheerleader with fetching tiara thang... ok, I'm done now

prospero | March 17, 10:43 CET

The more I think about it, the more I feel like this may be his second chance at the female superhero movie he always wanted. It's not Buffy, Buffy was his own baby, his own creation, but this time he must be reassured knowing that he gets to both write, and execute, his vision.

For all that I, and many others, may want a Buffyverse motion picture, for a multitude of reasons that could very well include Joss not being interested, we may never get one. That being the case, if he sees value and opportunity in this project, for whatever his personal reasons, I'm behind him.

Or, he likes WW and just felt like it. What do I know?

[ edited by Angela on 2005-03-17 09:18 ]

Angela | March 17, 10:45 CET

I only have 2 words for Joss - STEPHANIE ROMANOV - should be in this movie somewhere (I know perhaps not the title character - although I think she could pull it off) but come-on she was born to play an Amazon (even a Rogue or evil one) - she's got the build that would fit in with these types of characters - she's tall, she's beautiful, she can act. You have to keep her in mind for this movie, please. It's not like it would be the first time you have used an actor in the verse in a different area of the verse. Oh and I also want to cast a vote for Gina Torres to be in the movie as well.

RavenU | March 17, 10:50 CET

This is a sad day, I like Joss, but where's the Angel film, or slayerverse film, no more tv shows, just another year working on a film that lasts like 2 hours like Senerity, and we all get older waiting for it, he was born for tv, slayerverse shows, I'm selfish, but thats where I like him. Xmen 3 would of been acceptable, but wonderman, nope.

He's done Buffy and Buffy is more big then Wonderwoman I say, why the hell can't Fox and Joss do a Buffy/Angel film, his creation, everyone's getting old!!

SeanValen | March 17, 10:51 CET

Good news. Let's show the world (after Elektra and Catwoman) how a female superhero movie SHOULD be!

zz9 | March 17, 10:57 CET

Could care less about this movie, but will go see it anyway to support Joss. At the rate the other female superhero movies are going he will need all the help he can get. One problem with them is that they focus too much on the characters trying to be sexy than the actual story.

ShotgunWes | March 17, 11:05 CET

I'm officially excited - and that's as someone who knows very little about the character other than catching a couple of episodes of the TV show as a kid, and seeing WW in a handful of comic books. I have no strong feelings about her either way.

The key words for me here are "write and direct," meaning that the studio confidence is there to give him creative control. Oh, and "reinvention." Given the way that Joss took various disparate mythological elements and wove them into BtVS, AtS, and Firefly in a manner that was contemporary and relevant, I have absolutely no doubt that he will make a terrific movie.

SoddingNancyTribe | March 17, 11:05 CET

Go get 'em, Joss. We're all behind you. :)

Christopher | March 17, 11:15 CET

Although I never read Wonder Woman comics, I'm still keen to see how the mythology can be reshaped to make it resonant for our time. And I know Joss can do it. In fact, I don't think I would trust this project to amount to anything genuinely genre-shattering or even noteworthy in anyone's hands but his.

In a world replete with Spider-, Bat- and Super-dudes (cool fellas all, admittedly, but representing only half of the viewing public), chicks need superheroes, too -- I say go, Joss, go and give it all you've got! Let's hear it for the Ladies in the house!

And when you get a nanosecond, Joss, would you be so kind as to stop by here and mercilessly tease us with some tantalizing details of this shiny new deal? Please? I crave the torment of semi-knowing what I might be in for...

Wiseblood | March 17, 11:17 CET

Wow.

Go Joss.

eddy | March 17, 11:21 CET

May I just say that Wonder Woman was my idol from ages 5 through...well, let's be honest, now. Sadly, I caught a couple of old episodes recently, and realized how terrible Lynda Carter was! I'm still squealing with joy over the idea of seeing what Joss does with the mythology though.

[ edited by Samantha on 2005-03-17 09:25 ]

Samantha | March 17, 11:25 CET

Congrats, Joss! I don't care for Wonder Woman but now he's involved, how can I refuse?

Sunnycide | March 17, 11:25 CET

I couldn't give a crap about WW. But Joss Whedon is WRITING and directing so I got to give him my time to watch it. I'm sure he'll give the topic great respect, but if I'm going to support this film then I'm like zz9, pulling for him to restore respect to female superheroes after the Catxxx and Elekxxx catastrophes. Okay, big challenge, but he's Joss Whedon, practically the only man in media who doesn't just use women as sexy screen furniture (but, er, like don't forget they're pretty, too, eh Joss . . .)

Drifter | March 17, 11:39 CET

Good stuff. And a huge vote of confidence for Joss. Very pleased for him.

Simon | March 17, 11:49 CET

I wonder if Joss is getting a salery rise from signing onto this film.

eddy | March 17, 11:53 CET

Trying to work out when this will get released. Summer 2006? Or is that too soon? Come to think of it, if it is summer 2006 he'll be facing off against X3 and Superman. So summer 2007? You know what impresses me the most, the fact that he is writing the movie as well. I'm buzzing over this news.

Simon | March 17, 12:01 CET

One would think Joss would get a salary hike, seeing as Wonder Woman is a pretty big DC title, and is a cult TV show from the olden days. But eh, I'm still having trouble getting excited about a Wonder Woman movie, but since Joss is writing/directing. I will be there day one supporting it.

[ edited by BurkleFreak on 2005-03-17 10:08 ]

BurkleFreak | March 17, 12:08 CET

Well as I said on earlier threads, I never really cared or knew much about Wonder Woman, so I'm happy about this in the sense that Joss is the only guy who could get me to be interested in this. If anyone can make me love a Wonder Woman movie, it's him.

I also hope of course, this will establish him as a movie director (along with Serenity obviously, but that has less chance of being a summer popcorn block buster...probably...and sadly) Joss with clout is always a good thing. As for how Wonder Woman would appeal to the mainstream audience....not a friggin' clue.

Now I'm also REALLY curious what they're gonna do with that costume.....

EdDantes | March 17, 12:09 CET

If anyone can make this a sound, worthwhile, and captivating project, it's Joss.
I'm pleased. I'd give anything with his name attached a try.

Flair | March 17, 12:09 CET

Simon, Herc claims "AICN sources" maintain that they're shooting for a Summer 2006 release.

SoddingNancyTribe | March 17, 12:15 CET

Oh shoot, and here I was hoping for 'Wonder Giles'.

In all seriousness though, congratulations to The Joss. It's so thoughtful of him to keep giving this site its raison d'etre.

Caroline | March 17, 12:16 CET

Would WB really want to interfere with Superman's BO take? Maybe it'll be released in late summer.

eddy | March 17, 12:19 CET

It could actually be good for WB to have two big tentpole superheroes in one summer. Wonder Woman and Superman, are two of DC's big characters, they've seen time in their own series and both been members of the JLA, so yeah. I think box office for WB with these two characters having movies in the same summer is gonna be booming

BurkleFreak | March 17, 12:29 CET

I think it'll be good. He writes, he directs. What more do we need?
Was the actress confirmed already?

Revello | March 17, 12:32 CET

Nope. But if they want this out by next summer, expect to hear about casting calls in the next few months.

eddy | March 17, 12:36 CET

No the actress has not been confirmed yet. So we'll no doubt see a lot of articles speculating about who will get the part. Most of the articles will be fed by PR peeps who want to get their clients noticed (cynical me? surely not).

Simon | March 17, 12:37 CET

Who bets this will start up the SMG as Wonder Woman rumor again?

[ edited by BurkleFreak on 2005-03-17 10:40 ]

BurkleFreak | March 17, 12:40 CET

Who bets this will start up the SMG as Wonder Woman rumor again?"

I don't think I could face another "which Buffyverse actress should play Wonder Woman?" debate lol. Personally, I think it will go to an unknown. But this is Joss' big day, so perhaps we'll leave the debate till the spec articles start coming out.

Simon | March 17, 12:49 CET

This is going to be tough work right from the beginning for JW. One can only hope, that the WB will let him do his thing, otherwise this project could really threaten his Hollywood-Carrier. But my hopes are high, because he is the perfect fit for the job.

Blacklodge | March 17, 12:50 CET

Didn't want a debate Simon. Lol. I have a feeling they won't go with an unknown for some reason though. Oh well, we shall see.

BurkleFreak | March 17, 12:51 CET

We will indeed. If it's true the movie is slotted for a summer 2006 release, then a casting announcement should come shortly.

I know some people has genuine doubts about the success of a Wonder Woman movie because the character is not that well known to the general public. But thinking about it, Hellboy and Blade did awfully well at the box office. And those comic book characters were did not have huge public recognition.

Simon | March 17, 13:10 CET

Yeah… I agree with the other people who have said they’re not crazy about Wonder Woman, but they’ll see it (and tell friends to see it) because Joss is doing it.

But a part of me is sad. I’m pretty sure both Serenity and Wonder Woman will be successful, and as a result, I can’t help but wonder if Joss’ TV days are in the past.

fr0g | March 17, 13:12 CET

I've said it before and I'll say it again:

Morena Baccarin for Wonder Woman!

Barry Woodward | March 17, 13:31 CET

Congratulations to Joss. I'm glad he is writing and directing this film. I think the character of 'Wonder Woman' is reasnobly well known and will generate alot of interest for him. It will be interesting to see his take on the character. I'm more familiar with the seventies TV series version than the comic book one, which is probably not a good admission. Still, based on that I've got a wry affection for the character.

Shade of Pale | March 17, 13:34 CET

I don't think Morena is quite 'tough' enough to be Wonder Woman. If you're talking about someone from the 'verse then Gina Torres is probably your best bet. But I really don't think that's gonna happen. It'll be a more mainstream name I think. Personally, I'd go for Angelina Jolie. (Yeah, I know the Tomb Raider movies sucked but that was more down to the directors than her performance, I think. Still think she would be a great action heroine if teamed with a decent script and director and Joss pretty much fits that description (both times))

prospero | March 17, 13:38 CET

I'm a Charisma fan through and through, and I REALLY want her for the role...but I doubt she's gonna get it. In that case, I'd seriously go for an unknown actress.

Oh, and the Stephanie Romanov idea? This might be typecasting just a little, but if ever decides to use a (brunette) Veronica Cale...I can so see her in the role!

Emma Frost | March 17, 13:48 CET

I don't think Morena is quite 'tough' enough to be Wonder Woman."

Yes, but we've never really had the chance to see her in a tough role. I think she has potential, a unique look and if anyone can bring the "tough" out of her, it's Joss.

I'm a Charisma fan through and through, and I REALLY want her for the role...but I doubt she's gonna get it.

I'm a fan of Charisma too but Warner Brothers is going to want sequels and as such, they'll want to cast someone in their twenties.

[ edited by Barry Woodward on 2005-03-17 11:59 ]

Barry Woodward | March 17, 13:52 CET

... and if Joss cast actors from Buffy/Angel in Firefly, then we'd never been introduced to so many wonderful new talents. Besides, it'll hurt Joss very badly if he's seen as the guy who casts 'TV talent' in features...

As for WW. I'm a bit 'meh', either way, but I'm sure he'll can do a good job and with the Joel "I don't make movies to be art - I make movies to buy art" Silver machine behind him, i'tll be big.

biki | March 17, 13:56 CET

Well, i'm not going to pretend that i've changed my opinion on this from what i said in the previous thread. I do still think that this is going to be a 50/50 gamble for Joss as to how successful it will be.

I suppose it is debateable how well movies like Catwoman or Elektra would have done with Joss behind them. Maybe his name would have turned them around. Who knows? It's possible. However i have a nasty feeling that this is going to follow in the footsteps of those two movies regardless.

I personally love superhero movies, especially anything Marvel related, because i spent a lot of my childhood reading them. The problem is that the general public interest in them seems to be dropping away. There has been so many in recent years that they have become way too generic and what will make it worse is that there are still a lot more to come. Fantastic Four, Ghost Rider, X-3, Wolverine, Spidey 3, Batman Begins, Superman Returns, need i go on?

Joss will have my support with this movie regardless of the fact i don't really care about Wonder Woman. I'll be there at the cinema, most likely the night it opens, as i'm sure everyone here will try to be. Will that be enough to make this a success when it is up against so many other (dare i say more popular) superhero movies? We will have to wait and see.

Kaine | March 17, 14:01 CET

Congrats to Joss. I hope this is the career step to even greater visibility in Hollywood for him. I'm with those who are lukewarm about WW, but I'll see the movie just because it's Joss's. I hope the film is a success, but my guess is that there is going to have to be a Jennifer Garner-level name-recognition actor in the lead to pull in audiences. I, too, think the interest in the comic heroes is waning from the sheer glut of films, and the memory of the Carter TV characterization is likely to be an obstacle to the movie's success. But if anyone can pull it off, it's Joss.

palehorse | March 17, 14:35 CET

SNT, I think that part of the reason why you can anticipate this movie is because you don't know much about the character. I feel the same way. I don't know anything about WW, so I don't care about the character (in either a negative or positive way). I also didn't care about Buffy when I first heard of her. I resisted the idea. But look at me now, I'm typing a lengthy post into a small box on a Whedon ~~fan~~ news site.

( I am going to go off and assume that everyone else is like me.*) When talking about WW people often mention catwomen or elektra. I don't know about other people, but I (*told you) didn't see those movies because of how bad I heard they were. If Joss were to make WW interesting and actually funny then the movie might get good reviews, and have good word of mouth advertising.

My biggest worry is that Joss wants to give us a Buffy-quality hero, and some suits and marketing people decide, by committee, to give us Jar Jar. I can imagine the type of marketing this movie might end up with if placed in the wrong hands. It ain't pretty.

But hey! It can't be all that bad. Even if you are scarred for life by a previous Wonder Woman experience hopefully Joss will make a movie that you can enjoy on the surface. Just pretend it's Adam West instead.

[ edited by Caleb on 2005-03-17 12:41 ]

Caleb | March 17, 14:39 CET

Monica Baccarin has the facial look of Wonderwoman but I'm not sure she has the height ot build. Wonderwoman is 5'11 so the actress needs to be at least 5'9. The actress also needs to be athletic, so that she LOOKS like she can kick everyone's ass.

eddy | March 17, 14:45 CET

Actually, if Jennifer Garner hadn't identified herself with the role of Elektra (yeah, i know, more Elektra comparisons!) she could well have suited the part. She has the height, the athletic ability, the looks, pretty much all she would need to do is darken her hair, assuming that they would see that as important to the look of the character in the movie.

Kaine | March 17, 14:53 CET

I couldn't give a crap about WW either. Hell, I find Spiderman boring as hell. But, now I have to see this. Bummer. Oh well, a hot and bothered woman kicking ass is always good to watch:) It's very good for Joss though.

Koos | March 17, 15:20 CET

If he's smart, and I believe he is, Whedon will steer clear of using any alumni from his tv shows for the title role. He may or may not include past talents for supporting roles, but the lead can't be Monica Baccarin or Stephanie Romanov. I say this despite my subjective desire for the contrary. Personally, I want Gina Torres in the role because she's got the physique and the acting chops, but I doubt there's enough open-minded people out there who will accept a dark-skinned woman playing the part of an Amazon; though objectively and historically speaking, it'd make a little more sense.

Ideally, they'll find a talented unknown. However, this is Hollywood. I wouldn't be surprised if they end up with Nicole Kidman in a wig. Or even worse: Jennifer Garner.

I can't stand Garner and would like to keep her clear of this property. She sucked as Elektra. Personally I never believed her in the Alias role. She's a pretty girl. WW is an amazon warrior. WW is a kickass princess who's more than just pretty.

I trust that if left in charge without political backseat driving by studio executives, Whedon will find the right people to help him with the project, and write the best story to create the best possible film. All this speculation is a lot of fun, but to be honest I'm just happy to see the guy working on a new project. It's a good sign for us. Otherwise we wouldn't have a lot to talk about until September.

ZachsMind | March 17, 15:23 CET

ZachsMind took the words out of my mouth (fingers?) -

GINA TORRES.

As a Classicist I can go on and on about why it would be fine for an Amazon to have dark skin (blah blah mediterranean, blah blah Africa, blah blah). I can not think of a woman more Amazonian than Gina Torres, in fact.

And even though I love Jennifer Garner, I too don't see her in this role. From the article at comingsoon, it seems Joss is looking for someone who can play the classic Wonder Woman's strength while adding some vulnerability. I'm so hung up on the idea of Gina Torres doing it that I can't think of anyone else right now...

I'm not worried that Joss will betray the character, but the casting decisions don't reside with him alone. I really doubt the role would go to an unknown. It just doesn't seem like studios would want such a big title led by someone nobody's heard of.

Mostly I think if they keep it safe from Halle Berry, it will all be okay. (I have a thing, about Halle Berry and comic book roles. And how she should stay far, far away from them.)

Kiba | March 17, 15:29 CET

Wow... That will be awesome! Just don't go with Kim Basinger!! Please, don't go with Kim Basinger...

Djungelurban | March 17, 15:44 CET

What's wrong with Kim Basinger? Except from that she might be too old?

Koos | March 17, 15:51 CET

Honestly, i really can't see Gina Torres in the role, for exactly the same reason that Halle Berry was a piss poor choice for Catwoman. Whilst i understood that the Catwoman movie was pretty much nothing to do with the character seen in Batman Returns (despite the fact that the project began as a spinoff from that movie as a vehicle for Michelle Pfeiffer) it still needed to maintain a certain amount of a connection to the original property. Catwoman wasn't a big enough superhero name to pull in a crowd, especially if you leave behind basic elements of the character. Doing that will even alienate the core fanbase that might have helped save the movie.

If Wonder Woman has any hope of being a success among the current glut of superhero movies it will need to at least attract its basic fanbase, the comic fans, who are going to want a white Wonder Woman. Simple as that. I mean, i know how annoyed i would have been if they had used a white actress to play Storm in X-Men, or if they had painted Alan Cummings yellow for the part of Nightcrawler. :)

The one thing i cannot argue with regarding what this movie has going for it is that the lead character is an icon. Lose the iconic image and you don't even have that benefit anymore.

Kaine | March 17, 15:56 CET

Summer of 2006 seems to me to be more than a little farfetched. Unless there is already a script, that is going to be tough. WW isn't going to be a 150 mil. budgeted movie either, which means late fall '06, or Winter '07. I am looking forward to the movie and am glad that Joss is going to continue to work in the comic book realm. I hope though that he will bring the 'verse back to television soon, but that looks doubtful now for at least 2 years.

rockchalkwatcher | March 17, 16:02 CET

Kiba: I was reading down the posts wondering why no one else was thinking of Gina Torres,
because she was made to play a Super Hero!
CONGRATULATIONS TO JOSS!
Yes, I know we restrain ourselves here, with regard to the capital letters...but this is very exciting news.

Just as Joss managed to zero into the most iconic aspects of X-Men, in his 'Astonishing X-men',
I am expecting Joss to retell the saga of Wonder Woman so that she is 100% true to the original comic creation,
and 100% fresh, funny and exciting!
(She'll be everything that Cat Woman wasn't)

I know that this will be a great film, and I'll be excited to hear who is cast for the role.
They might go with a big name, but personally I'm rooting for Gina.

embers | March 17, 16:02 CET

I only mentioned Stephanie as a potential cast member not nescessarily as the Woman herself but at the least a support member of the Amazon cast. Simply because she does fit the typical description usually associated with amazons. Although the series Xena threw some of those notions out as well. I would however, like to see both Stephanie and Gina in at least supporting roles in the film. Since they both have a familiarity of working for Joss and we know they can both pull off any lines he can throw at them.

I think Gina may be a concideration even for the lead, cause if you think about it - she has worked for both Joel (Matrix films) and Joss, so you never know.

RavenU | March 17, 16:17 CET

On every possible level this is a challenge, I can therefore see why it would appeal to someone of Joss calibre. Congratulations and the very best of luck.

On the plus side, any movie written by Joss is pure Joss, unadulterated Joss, nothing but Joss, all natural goodness with no pithy bits floating around. (How often do you think I can say Joss in one post? Watch me!)

On the ‘I now have to lie awake at night and worry’ side, I sincerely hope Joss has put the lady into an ironclad, teflon coated, treble locked creative chastity belt so she doesn’t get screwed by this particular studio (track record not good).

On a personal level, fantastically exited about Joss writing, less so about the subject, but looking forward to consuming large helpings of humble pie when all my worries turn out to be unfounded. (I’ll take that with a bit of Angel pudding on the side please.)

miranda | March 17, 16:22 CET

I too would love to see Gina in the role but apart from her too-low profile, I think she might be considered a little old (not my opinion as such, but just reflecting on how ageist Hollywood can be when it comes to their leading ladies.) I do agree that you couldn't keep Halle Berry too far away from this project. Jolie still gets my vote.

prospero | March 17, 16:22 CET

I just really don't like Kim Basinger. Don't know why, I just don't.

[ edited by Djungelurban on 2005-03-17 14:47 ]

Djungelurban | March 17, 16:47 CET

I thought I'd heard Katie Holmes mentioned as a potential lead, though goodness knows where. Anyway, Stephanie Romanov or Gina Torres would be terrific, but I'd like to see more of Mercedes McNab -- still only 25 years old!

JudithS | March 17, 17:04 CET

WOW. This is fantastic news! 'Wonder Woman' was such an iconic childhood figure for many girls (myself included). You've already proven yourself - and beyond - that you know how to do the female superhero deal the right way, Joss, so I just know you'll do an incredible job with WW.

ariana75 | March 17, 17:12 CET

Well, I'll go see it if they cast Lynda Carter...

Angelina Jolie is already Lara Croft. She's not allowed to be Wonder Woman as well. It's against the law. (Thankfully this rule also automatically vetoes Halle Berry from coming within 500 yards of the project.) Besides, Angelina's busy becoming Catherine The Great for her next movie. Landing the Wonder Woman gig would be too much for even Cosmopolitan magazine's first "perfect woman"'s ego to handle.

I actually have no idea who they should cast as Wonder Woman.. every name (besides Lynda Carter) that springs to mind is quickly followed by a "Nah, that'd suck."

Bad Kitty | March 17, 17:15 CET

Mercedes McNab, could work on a sidekick level. But as Wonder Woman, not a chance. I myself know very little about the WW character, but I know Mercedes does not got what it takes height, and looks wise to be a pleasing Wonder Woman, to the fans of the comic.

BurkleFreak | March 17, 17:20 CET

Go Joss!!

I know nothing about WW, but I'd go see a movie about a paper cup as long as he wrote and directed it.

In the meantime lets here some ideas about a new TV series... huh Joss, huh?????

Spikecam21 | March 17, 17:24 CET

There is also an article in Variety, although I cannot access it because it's paid content and Yahoo doesn't mirror them anymore :-(

Wouldn't it be great if Joss was able to do awesome comic-book adaptation when all the others in recent history have been fairly terrible? The pundits are harshly predicting he will fail if only because they don't think "Wonder Woman" is a popular enough character.

By the way, does anyone remember ISIS ? I think it aired around the same time as the old Wonder Woman tv series and those two were my favorites back then...

[ edited by TaraLivesOn on 2005-03-17 15:40 ]

TaraLivesOn | March 17, 17:29 CET

Excellent news. Congratulations to Joss. My vote's for Torres too.

I remember ISIS! And Shazaam (sp?!)

marmoset | March 17, 17:38 CET

How about Kate Beckinsale as Wonder Woman?
Eh darn, she is "only" 5' 8" - it's gonna have to be someone six foot to get that "amazon" image. Then again the hobbits were played by large adults, just hollywood "magic" to fix it all.

[ edited by TaraLivesOn on 2005-03-17 15:52 ]

TaraLivesOn | March 17, 17:45 CET

Sigourney Weaver would have been perfect if she was younger (damn comic book heroes don't age). She's 5'11". She is an amazing actress. She can definitely do tough.

redfern | March 17, 18:03 CET

Kate Beckinsale should stay further away than Angelina Jolie.

Here's an idea. How about Sarah Thompson??

Just kidding :)

Personally, I don't really care who's cast, as long she can hold her own in serious material. I'm just afraid that this movie might break Joss. After all, how much can he do for a Charater that's so messed up in 2 hours? Even Buffy took a year to find it's feet.

Regardless, my best wishes to him.

NickSeng | March 17, 18:03 CET

Well, i'm happy to watch Kate Beckinsale in pretty much anything, she is absolutely gorgeous!

Truthfully, if people are willing and able to ignore the fact that Wonder Woman is meant to be white in order to have Gina Torres in the role, i don't see any reason why the actress would need to be particularly tall. I mean, if getting the skin colour acurate isn't a big deal then why would height be an issue? In fact we could keep going even further and have a guy play the role, making Wonder Woman the first transvestite superhero to hit the big screen.

J. August Richards should be expecting a call from Joss in the near future i feel! :)

Only joking, but my point is that there is going to have to be certain aspects of the character adhered to if this movie has any chance of making it passed the comic book reader critics. Constantine is being panned by a great number of Hellraiser readers because Keanu Reeves has black hair when the character should have been blonde! It's all in the detail!

Kaine | March 17, 18:09 CET

After all, how much can he do for a Charater that's so messed up in 2 hours?

I seem to remember that was the consensus of opinion back in the late 80s regarding Tim Burton and the first Batman movie. The 60s tv series did unconsciously prejudice people's minds into thinking that a proper Batman movie would never work.

Constantine is being panned by a great number of Hellraiser readers because Keanu Reeves has black hair when the character should have been blonde!

A movie studio should not have to pander to two hundred online fans. And neither should Joss. If it's felt for the right reasons that changes have to be made, then make them. And I really doubt WB and Joss will go all Catwoman on us. If the movie is done properly, who needs comic book movie reader critics?

Simon | March 17, 18:13 CET

Awesome. My knowledge about Wonder Woman stops somewhere around Summer's Chrismukah costume last year, but hearing Joss talk about is enough to get me excited about the film. Really, he expressed the same sentiment that we'd been throwing around here for the past few days: Wonder Woman is an "icon" that people really don't know anything about. Which, in a way, will probably help the film, giving Joss more creative freedom, and from the mainstream, lower expectations.

VampiresSuckLOLOLGetIt | March 17, 18:16 CET

Constantine is being panned by a great number of Hellraiser readers because Keanu Reeves has black hair when the character should have been blonde!

Being a Hellraiser fan myself, I can tell you it's being panned not because they changed the colour of his hair, but the essense of the character. It was an OK movie, and I wouldn't have had this much problem with it if they didn't say it was based on "Hellraiser" when it doesn't. All it does it take character names, and stick it to totally unrecognisable characters.

I'm not saying that changes shouldn't be made, I had no problem with X-men and Spidey, but they shouldn't take away the essense of the character.

Okay, rant over. Sorry.

I seem to remember that was the consensus of opinion back in the late 80s regarding Tim Burton and the first Batman movie. The 60s tv series did unconsciously prejudice people's minds into thinking that a proper Batman movie would never work.

I have enormous faith in Joss, yet I can't seem to get my hopes up. There's always the possibility that it's gonna be another Buffy movie, and then Joss will be stuck with that.

Regardless of what is being said, I'd still be the first in line to watch it. It's Joss, after all. :)

NickSeng | March 17, 18:21 CET

Lasso of Truth? They used that in a Scrubs episode (with Heather Graham as WW) and the lassoed guy admitting to a "menage a trois...and not the good kind." I have a hard time accepting the Lasso of Truth as a superhero's weapon, might as well have a hypodermic needle full of truth serum (but that could get a tad bit inconvenient.)

I am worried that this whole comic-book-based movies bubble will burst before WW comes out. Perhaps that is why the movie's slated for a 2006 release. Don't get me wrong, I personally love comic-books and superhereos and all that jazz, but I worry.
Notwithstanding, congrats Joss and best of luck.

rsfayez | March 17, 18:30 CET

What impresses me alot about this news is that this is a second studio showing faith in Joss.
First Universal, now Warner Brothers.

Mycroft | March 17, 18:39 CET

What impresses me alot about this news is that this is a second studio showing faith in Joss.
First Universal, now Warner Brothers.

Very true. What also impresses me is that if Wonder Woman does get a summer 2006 release, it that means we get to watch two Joss films in less than the space of a year.

Simon | March 17, 18:42 CET

COOL!!
While I am not really a big Wonder Woman fan....I really have TRIED to enjoy the comicbook on several attempts, but...no!

However if there is ANYONE who could make WW work on the big screen, it is Joss. Awsome!!!

Now all ai need is a Buffy/Angel-verse spinn-off :-)

rsfayez - I understand your fear in regards to the "comic-book-based movies bubble". But from what I understand Hollywood has realised that for every LXG and Cat Woman you have an X-Men or Spiderman or evern a Ghost World and maybe Road to Perdition.

It is not that a movie is based on a comicbook or not that makes it a hit. It is the end result that matters.

Oh, well...what do I know anyway.......

Jonas | March 17, 18:46 CET

My interest in the rumours concerning Wonder Woman has been, in truth, negligible and my initial reaction to the announcement that Joss is writing and directing the film was fairly non-committal. I'm not a comic book reader. I know next to nothing about this character (other than a vague memory of the Lynda Carter series... well, actually, the outfit. I remember nothing else about the show) and I've seen virtually none of the films mentioned by others in this thread. However, I have found my interest start to increase already.

I'm usually not one for speculating. For example, I have no opinions about who should or should not play the character. I'm just fascinated to find out how Joss decides to go. Will it be an attempt to make a film with mass-market appeal? Will he go back to the source material and make something acceptable to the fans of the comic? Will he take a radical direction and do something really unexpected? I'm rather hoping for the latter.

Whatever he does is going to be tricky and will end up disappointing or upsetting some of the audience. I probably have an advantage in knowing nothing at all about the source material because all I hope for is a good film, and it will make no difference to me if it's the real Wonder Woman or not.

alien lanes | March 17, 18:46 CET

Will it be an attempt to make a film with mass-market appeal? Will he go back to the source material and make something acceptable to the fans of the comic? Will he take a radical direction and do something really unexpected? I'm rather hoping for the latter.

Me too. I know nothing about the comics but as a character Wonder Woman just seems unbelievably outdated.

Grounded | March 17, 18:51 CET

A movie studio should not have to pander to two hundred online fans. And neither should Joss. If it's felt for the right reasons that changes have to be made, then make them. And I really doubt WB and Joss will go all Catwoman on us. If the movie is done properly, who needs comic book movie reader critics?

Normally i would agree with this one hundred percent. For instance, i am well aware that Hugh Jackman is far too tall to realistically have portrayed Wolverine in X-Men. However, regardless of all the whining comic book fans at the time, he got the role and truly made the part his own. Personally, despite being a massive Wolvie fan, the height discrepency never bothered me in the slightest.

However this isn't X-Men we are talking about. Wonder Woman isn't anywhere near as popular and is going to need it's core fanbase (the comic reader) onside for this to work. If the movie Wonder Woman goes too far away from what they wanted then they won't watch. If that happens the movie loses a large number of it's potential viewers.

Changes are neccessary when transfering a comic book character to the big screen, but a black actress playing a character that is very well know as being white, especially when there is no good, logical reason to make the change? That is taking things a step too far for most of the fans in my honest opinion.

Kaine | March 17, 19:01 CET

This is spectacular news - a major, major feather in Joss's cap. Wow. I know very little about WW and I can't wait to see what he comes up with.

I'm not too worried about Joss going too "mass-market appeal." The man's creative impulses are too inspired to be constrained by the pathetic limits of mass-market tastes. Like dashboardprophet, I'm thinking (hoping) that Joss will take this story and character in an unusual and fascinating direction. This does not necessarily exclude box office success. If Joss is able to reinvigorate WW's iconic status then the crowds should love it. Joss is a master storyteller and while Buffy and Angel were "cult" hits, they were hits nonetheless. Seven years and five years, respectively, is a long time for tv shows to run.

phlebotinin | March 17, 19:05 CET

I too am very sad. For one that kills any hope of another Buffy/Angleverse project. The soonest you could see anything on those lines is 2006-2007. No networks have been barking up the tree for one of those projects to date. The more time that passes the less likely it becomes. If serenity does well it would be even longer. I think it's finally safe for the TV fans to finally say their goodbyes to 2 great TV shows and the characters we all love.

The second reason I am sad is because as stated before I think this will be a TITANIC undertaking. Out of all the superhero movies to date, this one translates the worst to modern times. This will be next to impossible to get the hard core WW to bite with the changes that will be required to get this character on film. Not to mention getting main stream fans to think the character is cool enough to want to see this film.

I am happy that so many JW fans have pledged their support. However, it's not our support he has to win. It's the support of the masses he has to win over so the studio makes money. This movie will be a long shot at best at being a hit. I really hope JW can pull this off. I really do. I just don't think he will.

RIP BUFFY. RIP ANGEL.

DarenG | March 17, 19:10 CET

Well, I can't say that I'm all that excited about Wonder Woman, because I'm not. However, with Joss both writing and directing I'm confident it will be good. If his movies do well, maybe he'll have a greater ability to bring back characters from the Buffyverse in the future.

killinj | March 17, 19:10 CET

Shiny!!

SillyD | March 17, 19:18 CET

Weeee.....

I've stated before I've always been mostly a DC fan, more than a Marvel fan. Actually I couldn't say I'm a marvel fan, I'm mostly a X-Books fan and that's it. It would be a perfect world the day I see Joss handling the Titans, which is still something I see in my dreams.

Diana, has always been delegated with a lesser part of the big three in the DC Comics, but has always been a continous part in the hole structure of the DC Universe.

Of course I'm courious about the casting, but I'm mostly curious about the approach that Joss will take on this. I'm was a big fan of both how George Perez handled her in the 90's, and I did enjoy how Phil Jimenez handled in his run couple years ago (even though he ain't the most skilled writer). Sam Raimi proved that it's not impossible to keep the colorful costumes and most of the character's features from the comics, without keeping it belivable and in some extent "real".

Plus we know Joss. I know he can pull this off. And since Joel SIlver and the Warner execs worked so hard to get him, we can believe that they won't give Joss too much input and change his vision, keeping the movie as close as Joss envisioned it.

Numfar PTB | March 17, 19:32 CET

I just hope Joel Silver doesn't mess this up. He's got a good movie/bad movie ratio of like 1:37. Joss had better have complete creative control.

grrarrgh00 | March 17, 19:33 CET

wheeeeeeeeee

yay for joss!!!! :D

buffyfanatic18 | March 17, 19:39 CET

Woohoo I say. I'm extremely happy that Joss has gotten a big movie, especailly that he gets to write and direct. I've never been a big WW fan but if anyone can step up to the plate and hit it out of the park it's Joss. Shiny indeed.

Paul_Rocks | March 17, 19:56 CET

Yay! I'm excited and happy for Joss. It's great to see he's finally getting a lot of recognition in Hollywood! Now, I watched the series as a kid but I remember very little about it and don't really know anything about it's true comic history. I'm sure if Joss is interested in doing this he already has a great idea in his head how he wants to go about doing it. I'm sure it's going to be fantastic and I can't wait to see it and Serenity!

Firefly Flanatic | March 17, 20:02 CET

Well I for one am totaly stoked! Congratulations Joss, and I hope ya held out for the big bucks. As was stated before Tim Burton absolutely took the memories of a very camp tv show to it's original roots with Batman, and re-started the whole comic book hero comeback. If we have Superman and his female counterpart WW in the one year, that's great, and perhaps a future Justice League movie....maybe?
My point is, Joss is gonna kick butt making this!
Creative control people, this is a good thing.

I do feel sad about the real end of Buff and Angel, but he is multifaceted and very good at deligating, so don't count the slayverse as lost complettely. He may still surprise us.

Kisses for Joss, well done matey!

nixygirl | March 17, 20:08 CET

All I have to say is that he had better bring back the theme song from the old show. And possibly Linda Carter.

Jack Gladney | March 17, 20:24 CET

Not sure what I think. My knowledge of Wonder woman is limited to 1 or 2 TV eps i saw long long ago, and the Wonder woman underoos I owned as a kid (now I'm dating myself :-) )
Can't say I've ever been that interested in the character, and, like a few others, I'd love to see Joss either return to the worlds he's created or create new ones, either on TV or the movies. But... All that said, I'm keeping an open mind. Hopefully he can find depths in the character and make her interesting. I'll certainly go see it, and am really curious to see what he does with an already existing superhero character. I will say... I hope he finds the way to lose, or update, the costume...

acp | March 17, 20:39 CET

Should be cool. Though I am breathlessly awaiting new original Joss-ness, Joss being given control of an established character is a huge vote of confidence as many have said. Plus, who knows, the extra clout could give him more ability to do more originals. The only other thing I will say right now is its HellBLAZER, people :) <-- Owns all 200 some issues.

zeitgeist | March 17, 20:45 CET

I've had a very on-again/off-again readership with Wonder Woman. Though my confidence is with Joss, I can't just yet get too terribly excited about this. So many things change in Hollywood ... maybe the thrill will catch when production starts. Mostly though -- and this would be the selfish part -- I long for Joss to return to television. Movies are awesome, no doubt, but when you're spoiled with a weekly dose and a storylines that take years to develop and resolve, a two-hour shot every few years just feels so ... small.

But then on the flip side, two-hour shots are better than nothing at all. And with the extra clout, my fingers will remain crossed for Big Screen Buffy.

Jet Wolf | March 17, 20:49 CET

As much as I loved the Buffiverse I think it's pretty much gone now. Those stories have been told. Didn't Lorne once tell Angel, 'You don't go back. You do on to the next place, whatever that is.' I love all those actors, writers, directors who were involved but I think they have the right to their careers and not get stuck in one job, no matter how cool that job is (or was). Joss has done some great stuff, which we have every right to love and treasure, but he'll go on and do lots more great stuff, I'm sure, and it will be new and exciting and probably nothing we can even imagine yet. Personally, I'd hate to see SMG and David Boreanaz et al go down the William Shatner/general Star Trek route of being old and fat and tired and trading on nostalgia of former glory days. Both Buffy and Angel went out in a blaze of glory and I for one don't really want to lose that.

prospero | March 17, 21:14 CET

It's true that the audience they have to shoot for is the mainstream, not the small group of comic fans. However as opening weekends are ever-so important these days, it would be good to at least have that group as one of your cornerstones of boxoffice success. It's always difficult.

I never think people should stray too far from characters. Stick to what already works. And whatever little thing you can do to get it a little closer to the actual character, do it unless you have a good reason not to. As for actresses....I don't know.
-Jennifer Garner; I agree she's too much of a cute coed with sad eyes. In spite of her athletic ability I never buy her in those tough roles either. And she couldn't be bothered to dye her hair black for Elektra (Also a greek woman) so why would she for Wonder Woman?
-Stephanie Romanov; love her, but not the type and a little too old.
-Sigourney Weaver; love her but too old. (Around the time of Ghostbusters I would've been good)
-Catherine Zeta Jones; Now she definitely has the goddess looks, but may be too old too, and no idea if she can be a concincing warrior
-Kim basinger; DON'T make me laugh.
-Charisma; love her, but I don't see her pull this role off. Sorry.
-SMG; love her, but she's not the type in about 20 different ways.
-Gina Torres; love her, and she's got the build and the regal look, but I don't see it make sense to have WW be a black woman unless her history is changed. Ancient Geeks and Ancient Africans were not the same people. But Joss can change that in the writing I suppose.
-Morena; now SHE has the looks. Mediterranean, beautiful, regal, etc. Only thing is that I don't know if she can be convincing as a fearesome Warrior. But Joss loves her and she'd also fit the 'relative unknown' bill.

(Btw Nick Seng, I assume you meant Hellblazer not Hellraiser)

I have no reason to assume that this will be another Elektra or Catwoman, since Joss is writing and both movies had the same basic problem with severely sucky scripts. (CW being far worse btw) I also don't think that Wonder Woman's lesser known status as a character will be a problem as much as there simply not being any previous succesful movies with female superheroes. Hell the only really succesful female ACTION hero I can think of is Sigourney Weaver's Ripley. (Trinity in the Matrix was technically not the lead)

In TV, female heroes have been everywhere (ever since Buffy and Xena) but in movies? The only recent examples we know were bombs. That would be my main worry here.

EdDantes | March 17, 21:18 CET

First of all, CONGRATULATIONS TO JOSS!!! I am happy he is doing something he wants to do, and I am hopeful that the studio has enough faith in him to let him do his thing.

Secondly, speaking as a comic book fan myself, we don't need Wonder Woman comic book fans to make this movie a success. But think about X-Men. Was the movie a success because of the established fans? Not a chance. The fact it was based on a comic probably turned a lot of people off initially. But it was well-written, well-acted (with the exception of Ms. Berry), and got good reviews. That's why it was a hit. Almost everyone I know in RL has never read a comic book, but they have seen X-Men, Spider-Man, Superman and Batman movies. It doesn't matter one bit what the core fans want; it's too small a percentage of the potential audience. Couple good writing with good direction, throw in some great reviews, it will be a hit.

So, with that in mind, cast whoever is right for the part. I throw my support behind Gina, as well, despite my hesitation at Joss using any of his TV actors. I thought Gina was the best actress in the Jossverse, and she does that tough-yet-not-a-robot, sexy-in-control woman thing so well. Plus, she is just gorgeous.

Dizzy | March 17, 21:19 CET

Wow. Christoper Nolan on Batman. Bryan Singer on Superman and now Joss Whedon on Wonder Woman. You've got to think Warner was tired of having their asses kicked by Marvel Films.
I still think that Terry Farrell of DS9 would have made the best Wonder Woman 9 or 10 years ago. Now? Don't know but I hope they go the unknown route. Of the Whedon-universe women, Gina Torres in a heartbeat.

NOLA64 | March 17, 21:19 CET

prospero I think you are too easily discouraged...remember it took Gene Roddenberry almost 10 years to get Star Trek back in the public eye...and Joss is a very young man. I don't see any reason to consider the Buffyverse dead at all.

I just got this CNN story:
http://www.cnn.com/2005/SHOWBIZ/Movies/03/17/film.wonderwoman.reut/index.html
where they quote Joss:
Quote:
----------------------------------------------------------------
"Wonder Woman is the most iconic female heroine of our time, but in a way, no one has met her yet," Whedon said in a statement. "What I love most about icons is finding out what's behind them, exploring the price of their power."

He added: "There is a woman behind the legend who is very fascinating, very uncompromising and in her own way almost vulnerable. She's someone who doesn't belong in this world, and since everyone I know feels that way about themselves, the character clicked for me."
-------------------------------------------------------------
sounds to me like Joss is full of new ideas for 'Wonder Woman'
and I can't see any reason to doubt his success.
His 'Astonishing X-men' is beyond great!

embers | March 17, 21:23 CET

Hell the only really succesful female ACTION hero I can think of is Sigourney Weaver's Ripley. (Trinity in the Matrix was technically not the lead)

In TV, female heroes have been everywhere (ever since Buffy and Xena) but in movies? The only recent examples we know were bombs. That would be my main worry here.

I'd have to say that Uma Thurman's The Bride from Kill Bill is another "succesful female ACTION hero" and a recent one at that.

Paul_Rocks | March 17, 21:24 CET

"Sufering Sappho!" (Bwahahaha! *snort* THAT is Wonder Woman's catchphrase? Really? Oh dear.. )

God, I hope Joss makes this movie a comedy. I've been doing some snooping (Wonder Woman online research) and the whole comic sounds sooo profoundly uncool. Like, one baby step cooler than Captain America. If that.

Who do ya think's gonna play Captain Steve Trevor? (The luuuuurve interest.)

Bad Kitty | March 17, 21:24 CET

While I'm not terribly excited by the prospect of a Wonder Woman movie, if anyone can pull it off - Joss can. I doubt he would take this on unless he had a story to tell and we all know the absolute quality of the stories he's told up to now. I'll definately give it a chance.

jewel | March 17, 21:29 CET

Good: Joss is writing it as well. Bad: Joel Silver is producing. Good: Joss knows and respects the character. Bad: Casting the lead will be tricky. Good: It's Joss!

Joss gets the benefit of the doubt because I'm assuming that if he didn't think his vision would end up on the screen he'd've turned it down. But we'll see. Bottom line is if he's happy about it, I'm happy about it. We'll all just hope it's good and it's a hit so Joss will get more opportunities.

And boy, do I remember ISIS. Joanna Cameron was just drop dead beautiful! Always wondered what happened to her.

batmarlowe | March 17, 21:35 CET

"I'd have to say that Uma Thurman's The Bride from Kill Bill is another "succesful female ACTION hero" and a recent one at that."

True! Hey it's early and I was searching my brain but I couldn't think of anything. But you're right Paul Rocks, that's definitely a good recent example. Of course she wasn't a female *super*hero (well in many ways she was, but for mainstream audiences, superheroes have costumes) so we've yet to see that happen successfully but it could be that Joss is the one to do it. He was in large part responsible for it on TV, so who knows. Still, female heroes are generally rare on the big screen.

EdDantes | March 17, 21:37 CET

Oh I agree Ed, was trying to think of other examples and was seriously struggling. I nearly included Linda Hamilton as Sarah Connor but decided she didn't really become an ass-kicking hero until T2 at which point she was playing 2nd fiddle to Arnie. Joss is boss however and given his track record is certainly the man for the job.

Paul_Rocks | March 17, 21:50 CET

I failed to notice that the official movie poster was actually on the Coming Soon! news item so if anyone wondered why my link disappeared (it's cause I deleted it) *red face*.

Anyhow, it's nice to see that WB got Adam Hughes to draw it.

Simon | March 17, 21:50 CET

"God, I hope Joss makes this movie a comedy. I've been doing some snooping (Wonder Woman online research) and the whole comic sounds sooo profoundly uncool. Like, one baby step cooler than Captain America. If that."

Well, I think Joss has proven that he has a way with turning seemingly ridiculous concepts into Something More. Plus, just throwing a self-aware joke or two in there (nothing, ya know, tacky) is sometimes enough to get the audience to accept something sort of uncool. On the other hand, it would be a nice throwback if it could be presented in the pure, un-ironic superhero style of the old days. You know...why does she have a Lasso of Truth? Because. She's a superhero.

On another note: I know that, ever since this project was rumored, TVGuide.com has been throwing Lauren Graham's name around as a suggestion. Thoughts?

[ edited by VampiresSuckLOLOLGetIt on 2005-03-17 20:00 ]

[ edited by VampiresSuckLOLOLGetIt on 2005-03-17 20:14 ]

VampiresSuckLOLOLGetIt | March 17, 21:58 CET

Well, we know 2 things. Joss is writing this so it is bound to be witty and wise and tell a new story. And, he is directing it, so his story will come through intact. Yes, lots of other things can go wrong, but those 2 things are so strong that I have to believe they will outweigh everything else and this will be a very good movie.
The only thing I know about WW is when the TV show was on and I kept getting crank phone calls from two boys (10 year olds maybe?) who were convinced that I was Wonder Woman. I never disabused them of the misconception!

Lioness | March 17, 22:11 CET

I did not notice the poster either. Very nice. If they go that way, it does answer a few questions this board has been asking while leaving enough latitude for Joss's own vision. Traditional look as far as a revealing costume, black hair, apparently caucasion, and, as my daddy used to say, built like a brick outhouse. Notice that they made the costume gold and showed so little that she could be wearing a ball gown. Looks like somebody is thinking.

BTW: My theory is that the negotiations have been more about preapproval of Joss's vision and level of control than anything else. It would not surprise me if he is pretty far along on the script already.

newcj | March 17, 22:12 CET

Oh how I wish Joss had chosen X-Men 3 instead. Kudos to Joel Silver and co. though... I would not otherwise have watched a Wonder Woman film and now I will.

Something tells me the people involved with X3 weren't prepared to let him write AND direct that film. I'm guessing this was the sticking point. I'd be interested to find out for sure.

Hjermsted | March 17, 22:14 CET

NOOOO!!!!

¬¬ At least, he will pen the screenplay.
I know he will do a very good job, but i´m not sure that the people will support the film (not Whedon fans, of course).

Angel TheVampire | March 17, 22:29 CET

Joss is writing the script ? Phewww. Now I'm looking forward to it. Of course, I'd watch the movie as soon as it was out if Joss was just directing it but I'm very happy to hear he's also writing the screenplay. Superb news !

pelinxf | March 17, 22:32 CET

I'm happy Joss is getting work. I'm happy whenever someone from the land of Mutant Enemy gets work.

I'm not a huge Wonder Woman fan but I can't wait to see what Joss does with the character in much the same way I can't wait to see what Kevin Smith does with the Green Hornet.

The one shout-out I'd love is for Diana (Wonder Woman) to be in America and unable to sleep one night so she gets up and watches a Buffy repeat on television.

Selannia | March 17, 22:40 CET

Hjermstead:
Oh how I wish Joss had chosen X-Men 3 instead.

You're presuming he was asked to do X3.

PMMJ | March 17, 22:48 CET

I'm excited, I'm terrified, I'm sad, I'm happy, I'm worried, I'm nervous, I'm confident. I am pretty unsure what to think about this.

Joss getting to direct and write a film? That's good! But Wonder Woman? Outdated, sexist, not the most popular of franchises, territory he's kind of already done, hard to make relevant in modern times. Sort of a difficult thing to make credible.

But Joss Whedon? Talented, gifted, he's rejuvinated the genre before, if anyone can do it he can, it's nice to see him taking on a challenge, and so on.

I really think this could be great, but also horribly awful.

Good luck to Joss. I can't wait to see it.

Gonnas | March 17, 22:53 CET

Well, I made the wrong call on that one and, for once, I'm thrilled to be wrong. Congratuations to Joss! Another movie to look forward. They couldn't pick a better person to write and direct. Looks like Joss will be very busy these next few years.

Madhatter | March 17, 22:56 CET

Oh how I wish Joss had chosen X-Men 3 instead.

To my knowledge, he was never asked to do X-Men 3, so its not like he was offered the opportunity and turned it down. He wasn't given a choice.

killinj | March 17, 23:05 CET

God, I hope Joss makes this movie a comedy. I've been doing some snooping (Wonder Woman online research) and the whole comic sounds sooo profoundly uncool. Like, one baby step cooler than Captain America. If that.

And what exactly is wrong with Cap?!?!? The guy is a legend, in every sense of the word! Now if you had said Captain "Shazam" Marvel then i might have agreed! ;)

Kaine | March 17, 23:07 CET

Kate Beckinsale is Wonderwoman!

(BTW, her husband is Superman and her ex is Elvis. Make of that what you will.)

zz9 | March 17, 23:11 CET

Casting prediction:

Where did SMG get her start? Soaps.
What did Nathan Fillion get his start? Soaps.

New Superman Brandon Routh? Soaps.

A lot of hotties in the soap world and they are work horses. I look for Joss to go to the well again and pluck an unknown from the soaps.

IMMORTAL | March 17, 23:27 CET

About not needing the comic book-reading core audience:

In terms of numbers, maybe you don't. But even setting aside the massive impact positive or negative Internet buzz can have on a movie, what everyone seems to forget is that these people know and understand the source material--they get what makes it work, and what makes it worth making a movie out of in the first place. So you don't necessarily need that core audience. But if the core audience thinks an adaptation will be crap, I'll believe them sooner than I will most reviewers.

Niels | March 17, 23:27 CET

Selannia, I thought Kevin Smith decided not to do the Green Hornet project. Something about how it overwhelmed him and he couldn't handle it?

And this is a question for the mods, when script details start leaking out - and they will - will it be ok to post a a link to it?

eddy | March 17, 23:31 CET

And this is a question for the mods, when script details start leaking out - and they will - will it be ok to post a a link to it?

Good question, depends on how detailed the script details, I guess. We shall see how it goes initially. Official movie details would be fine, test screening reports would be fine, a review of the script which don't reveal major spoilers would be probably be ok (i.e. the type of thing you see at AICN).

Posting a link to the entire script would be a no no.

And hmmm to the following.

Wonder Woman is the most iconic female heroine of our time, but in a way, no one has met her yet," Whedon said.

So who is the most iconic male heroine of our time?

Simon | March 17, 23:39 CET

Dr. Frankenfurter?

Though I suppose he's more of a villian.

[ edited by Caleb on 2005-03-17 21:55 ]

Caleb | March 17, 23:53 CET

Congrats to Joss!

I´m not really a Wonder Women fan but i think Joss might be able to me into one!

Kessie | March 18, 00:05 CET

Simon. Obviously Superman. However. Wonder Woman still ranks high on female comic book characters I'd like to fu-,[notices everyone staring at him], never mind.

SpikeBad | March 18, 00:06 CET

I really think this could be great, but also horribly awful.

I think I know what you mean, Gonnas. Personally, I just can't conceive of a Joss-written and directed movie being horribly awful. I can, however, conceive of it doing less than overwhelming box-office. Personally that matters not at all to me except, of course, in that it presumably would affect JW's ability to do other stuff. But that is several steps of conjecture down the road. Right now, I'm just excited about how he will reinvigorate the character and legend.

And Telltale, I tend to agree with you about trusting the judgment of the core audience (if we can figure out what that judgment is). But I'd hope that said judgment was based upon the underlying *substance* of the character rather than whether the character was white or black, wore red, white, and blue versus gold, or other such stuff. Appearance clearly is part of a character, but it's not even close to the whole story. So, to take one example, I'm willing to listen to serious arguments about why Diana has to be caucasian, but "because she was white in the comic book" isn't one. IMHO.

SoddingNancyTribe | March 18, 00:08 CET

Male heroine? Pftt….and the Oscar goes to Hilary Swank in Boys Don’t Cry. Nice try Simon, but let’s keep this a strictly feminist thread, plus girl on girl action never hurt any film ;)

Ms Swank would be an awesome Wonder Woman.

miranda | March 18, 00:12 CET

I like the fact that the industry is presumedly excited enough about Serenity's prospects that they'll sign Joss to do the same thing (write and direct) with Wonder Woman. One assumes that WB and Silver had access to some part of Serenity and that that influenced their decision to hire Joss.

Biff Turkle | March 18, 00:14 CET

SNT, regarding why i believe that Wonder Woman needs to be played by a white actress, just in case anyone has misunderstood my previous comments, this has nothing to do with race at all. For me it's purely about being as true to the character as you possibly can be.

I don't remember anyone ever suggesting that it would be okay to have Will Smith play the role of Peter Parker in Spider-Man, or anyone suggest that Denzel Washington would be appropriate for the part of Reed Richards in the new Fantastic Four movie. The reason being that both Peter and Reed are, and always have been, white characters. The same applies for Wonder Woman.

I think it is fair to say that the one group of people who have really been waiting for this movie to happen are the readers of the comic series. Sure, other people who are less invested in the source material will go watch it but they aren't the ones who will really be looking forward to seeing it. In my mind the comic fans that have awaited this movie happening for a very long time will be devastated if, when it finally happens, the character is not recognisable to them.

I've been lucky so far as the movies that have been based on my favourite heroes have all been fairly accurate and, within certain realistic restraints, told stories that were true to the source material. However if the makers of the movies had had so little respect for the comics that they started tinkering with fundamental details like skin colour that would have ruined it for me. I don't want to see a black Wolverine any more than i want a white Storm.

Basically, if a movie about Wonder Woman is going to be made then it should be as true to the comic as is possible. Otherwise you may as well not bother using the name Wonder Woman at all.

Kaine | March 18, 00:41 CET

I imagine, as someone said upthread, that every brunette in h'wood between the age of 20 and 30 will be touted as being "under consideration" for this role. Bear in mind that she must be TALL, buxom, preferably with a mediterrannean look to her. Some of these suggestions are hilarious. Lauren Graham? I don't think I'm insulting her when I say this because she cultivates and probably works very hard to obtain this look, but she is just flat all 'round. No boobs or butt! Plus, isn't she too old?

I'm trying to think who might be good for the role, but can't come up with anyone perfect. There must be some unknown out there who would be great, though. I mean, who knew Lucy Lawless before Xena? Aside from the Aussies, that is. Anyone know if Joss has say-so on the actress? His instincts about such things, historically, have been pretty right on. Just please, no more Jessica Alba.

Willowy | March 18, 00:42 CET

Telltale, I guess I trying to make the same sort of point as SNT. Joss is a comic book fan himself, so I have trust he's not going to screw with conventions. He'll respect the character.

But I still say fandom has little to do with success. A good comic movie usually respects the source material. A bad one, well, that's CATWOMAN. I know in fandom, it seems like we are talking so loud, everyone must notice us. But really, we're just talking loudly to ourselves. :)

Dizzy | March 18, 00:55 CET

Dr. Frankenfurter?

I'll agree to that. So long as I can see Tony Head playing him...mmmm....FrankenGiles....um...nevermind me.

Rogue Slayer | March 18, 01:19 CET

Well, based on the teaser poster and knowing what Hollywood is like, the studio will be more concerned with the boobs than the skin color of its lead actress. I can just imagine entire meetings where studio execs argue over the relative merits of one set of boobs over another. Of course, nowadays even pre-pregnancy Julia Roberts was made to have cleavage courtesy of the costumer's magic (for "Erin Brockovich").

While I like Lauren Graham on Gilmore Girls, I'm not sure she's statuesque enough for the role. You need somebody who is ridiculously gorgeous yet physically imposing enough to be convincing as an asskicker. Personally, I'd love to see Gina Torres in the role, as unlikely as that may be. She's gorgeous, a good actress with range, and she projects an aura of strength and confidence. Besides, she could totally kick the derrieres of most of these Hollywood stick figure actresses.

punkinpuss | March 18, 01:30 CET

After giving it some thought there is actually one actress who i would love to see in the role and would make me look forward to seeing the film just as much as Joss's involvement will.

I don't know how many people here are also fans of the Highlander television series but there was a character on there called Amanda played by Elizabeth Gracen. I think she could pull off the role quite well and also has most of the physical attributes needed as well.

I also should mention that she was a major crush of mine during my teen years so i'm a little biased here. Any reason to see more of the lovely Miss Gracen is good enough for me! :)

Kaine | March 18, 01:42 CET

Man, how do you make wonder woman cool? We have a wonder woman calender in the kitchen and it's the funniest damn thing. I have great faith in teh Joss though.

Also, WW is an amazon and SMG was great for Buffy because she was so non-amazon. Get yerself a large woman Mr. Whedon.

Man she has the cheesiest costume ever. How do you work with that?

smog | March 18, 01:43 CET

Willowy, Lucy Lawless isn't exactly huge in the chest area but the Xena costume made her look bigger so I don't think a contender necessarily needs to be big there, they can always make the costume accommodate that area to look bigger. I actually think Lucy Lawless would've been great for this part but she is way to associated with Xena and that's too close an association with Xena being a warrior woman.

I think Rena Sofer (I think that's her name) has the right face for the role. Now, whether or not she can lose that Brooklyn accent is another story. Plus she's in her mid 30's so I don't know if that would be too old.

I agree that Lauren Graham is totally wrong for the part and also too old too.

I'm guessing the role will go to a relatively unknown actress and maybe supporting roles will go to actors and actresses with bigger names.

Firefly Flanatic | March 18, 01:48 CET

Warlock, I loved Elizabeth Gracen as Amanda, but have to say a big "no" for her as WW. Too skinny and as much as I loved her, she never was convincing with a sword. I just did not believe the physical stuff unless it was beddy-bye time. ;-)

newcj | March 18, 01:53 CET

Y'know, in the comics, Wonder Woman has a black sister named Nubia. Maybe Gina can play her someday. Personally I'd rather see a traditional interpretation but if Joss casts Gina (or any other non-white actress) I'd still want to see his vision.

batmarlowe | March 18, 01:54 CET

Well, I rather like the idea of WW not being a dewey eyed young thing. The maturity (physical as well as mental)an older woman might bring to the role might be just the thing for this character.
She would look a little sillier (if possible) in the costume though.

Lioness | March 18, 01:57 CET

March 17 2005

Morena Baccarin for Wonder Woman!