Did Joss say anything about Wondy? I read that some were expecting him to say something about it.

eddy | March 21, 03:39 CET

I don't think he's been here as of late eddy, but I'm sure if he's around, he'll drop by and give us an update :)

MySerenity | March 21, 03:51 CET

I thought I'd add this since it's Wonder Woman Related... From PAGE 14 of the March 25, 2005 Issue of Entertainment Weekly.

MOVIES

A “Marvel boy,” Joss Whedon never really connected with rival house DC Comics’ Wonder Woman, but now the guy’s madly in love with her and is gonna write and direct Warner Bros.’ long delayed feature! “She represents something absolutely pure,” says the Buffy creator, who says his Amazon will not, repeat not, wear “star-spangled panties” a la Lynda Carter’s TV incarnation. Whedon now sees it as a match made in fanboy heaven. “When I was mulling this over, my friend said, ‘Joss, look at your freakin’ resume. You have two things on it: wonder and woman. That’s all you write!’”

Mack | March 21, 03:53 CET

Joss discussing Wonder Woman with Morena Baccarin at his side? Hmm...

Barry Woodward | March 21, 03:56 CET

Well the no star-spangled panties thing sucks. I know the costume is a bit cheesy but thats her look... thats who she has been for sixty years and the costume is iconic. If he ditches the costume its like ditching Superman's S logo and cape.

I've defended Joss a LOT on other boards cos most people do NOT want him on this... but now i'm officially ticked off.

Pimpernel | March 21, 04:39 CET

Just got back. I taped the Serenity Q & A, and will now work on transcribing the relevant interesting bits for y'all. There were no revelations as such, but as ever Joss, Nathan, Jewel, Sean, Morena, and Ron (who wasn't advertised, but was there) were highly amusing . . .

Oh, I got to the con at about 10:10, and the tickets for the signing were already gone. So if anyone had face time with Joss and company, I'd love to hear about that.

SoddingNancyTribe | March 21, 04:43 CET

We know nothing for sure of how he's going to approach the outfit, just because it may not be exactly star-spangled panties, doesn't mean that he may not create something that could tie to it. Just a thought. As of right now, I'm kind of waiting until it comes out of Joss's mouth rather than a writer's interpretation of it.

Mack | March 21, 04:44 CET

I know Mack it just makes me scared... this is a tricky character to get right and i wanna see him do well... i'd hate to see such a basic thing get screwed up. It shouldn't be altered at all... if people will buy Spider-Man's costume or some guy running round in a rubber Bat suit they will buy the classic WW costume.

Pimpernel | March 21, 04:56 CET

Pimpernel... I know how you feel, and for the most part, I agree with you. Wonder Woman is part of DC's Big Three. Taking huge creative liberties can backfire, but this is a film that, like you said, is tricky. 60 years of character evolution and a TV series, that's a tough act to follow, particuarly since Joss will have to create a world that not only gives aspects of WW justice, but to gear it towards a greater audience.

SoddingNancyTribe... looking forward to the transcript. Wish I could've been there. Watching past clips, the crowd seem to just get so into it. I'm jealous but happy you were there to witness it all.

Mack | March 21, 05:02 CET

No Star-Spangled panties? He musta been kidding. If they were good enough for George Perez when he rebooted the character, they should be good enough for Joss.

ZachsMind | March 21, 05:23 CET

Unlike the Wonder Woman panties, the costumes of Spiderman and Superman weren't designed for the sole purpose of fulfilling the sexual fantasies of teenage boys. Walk into a comic shop, and all the heroine figurines have fantastically sized boobs and cleavage the size of the Grand Canyon. Sorry, but some of this stuff isn't so much "mythology" as it's "the only way boys will be interested in reading about a girl with superpowers."

Ilana | March 21, 05:29 CET

There are some renditions of Wonder Woman where she is clad in a star-spangled skirt (admittedly, mostly Golden Age Wondy and when Hippolyta wore the costume). Putting her in full-length pants would be a miscalculation, but something leg-exposey that's not panty-esque could work.

TheJoyofZeppo | March 21, 05:38 CET

Here's a pic of Wonder Woman in a skirt. Not bad at all, but I prefer the panties. :)

Succatash | March 21, 06:01 CET

Here’s my report.

Joss and cast appeared in the upstairs ballroom – a smallish 900-seat or so space, - at the LB Convention Center. Since I got in the line at about 12:30, I was able to snag a nice seat in about the 4th or 5th row, and borrowed the wife’s digicorder to record the event. Wasn’t allowed to tape the 5 minute preview from Serenity – I imagine it was the same one that they showed in SF.

Joss came on to great acclaim and said “I have some bad news.” (Holds up new Capt. Mal action figure). “We shrunk Nathan.” (in tiny voice) “I love you all.” He then held up the Mal and Jayne figures, and teased “who wants to see it?”, then had them smooch.

He then introduced the cast, “in order of talent,” starting with Ron, then Morena (still with her stylish short ‘do), Sean, Jewel, and (“bringing up the rear, the baggage, the dead wood, the recently de-miniaturized”) Nathan last. Nathan proceeded to conduct the audience’s applause for a few minutes, then picked up the action figures, and said “it looks just like . . . David Duchovny.” Then they ran the preview, about which I will not speak right now.

Just as Joss was getting going again, Nathan held up the action figure again to show that he’d accidentally broken the arm off, and Ron symbolically said last rites over it.

Here are the more interesting answers to questions:
- Serenity will have a “regular-type” premiere, in Los Angeles in September.
- Joss repeated that David Newman will be scoring, and said that he is a “classical composer, a violinist, and an extraordinary talent.”
- Some relatively non-spoilery spoilers: The “Ballad of Serenity” will not be appearing in the movie. And neither Simon or Kaylee speak any Chinese in the movie (in response to a question for each cast member about what it was like to go back to speaking Chinese).
- Nathan informed us that Sean’s nickname on set is “Sean ‘The Bod’ Maher.”
- Re the focus groups’ reaction to the advance screening: Joss said that the main difficulty with people unfamiliar with the show was “how to get all the information out without making it sound like we were getting all the information out”, and that it was an “eye-opener” to see which parts people were getting. But he emphasized that the film was not being “simplified”: he just wanted to make sure it was as clear as possible without sacrificing the necessary elements they wanted to achieve.
- Re yesterday’s appearance with Stephen Sondheim: Joss said that SS had not seen OMWF, and “didn’t have the slightest idea who I was,” but that meeting him was still “AWESOME!”: “I got to meet an actual real genius yesterday.”
- Joss would like Serenity to be successful enough to make more FF movies (and after Nathan whispered in his ear, “oh, more movies with Nathan.”)
- Everyone applauded a question seeking more info about Wonder Woman. Joss said he “really liked” WW, and seemed totally happy about it. Both Jewel and Morena had their hands up, apparently wanting to be part of the movie. Jewel then said, ever so sweetly, “can I be in your Wonder Woman movie?” Joss, looking meaningfully at Morena, then proclaimed, “where will I find a dark-haired olive-skinned beauty?”

(Nathan and Morena then did a slightly bawdy riff on the Adam Baldwin action figures being “scratch n’ sniff”, which was followed by Joss mounting Nathan’s back. I can’t really do justice to this part . . . )

- The Serenity trailer will be appearing in the summer, “might be May,” and Joss had just seen a rough first cut, “and it’s coool . . . “
- Book’s “mysterious past” is "touched upon" in the movie.
- All of the cast said they would definitely do a Firefly TV show again if given the chance.
- Joss started writing the Firefly universe at the end of BtVS Season 3, after reading a book entitled “The Killer Angels” about the Battle of Gettysburg.
- Joss wasn’t a fan of the 70s Wonder Woman series (“although I wasn’t a non-fan”), but he didn’t think “she was as strong – as she’s going to be.”
- This should please many of you: “If people decide they’re interested in making a Spike movie, I think I’ll probably arrange to do that.”
- Re Joss’s input in the Angel comic – not huge, but he gives them boundaries of things they shouldn’t get into, themes they should stay away from, “because they’re mine.”
- Re Reavers: “the question was how much we could show and keep our PG-13 rating.” Some of the concept sketches for them were drawn by Bernie Wrightson (creator of Swamp Thing).

Well, that’s all I can do for now. It’s pretty much impossible to impart how warm and fuzzy, and funny, the cast and Joss are with each other, and how silly Nathan Fillion is. Good times.

SoddingNancyTribe | March 21, 06:01 CET

Thank you Ilana! My thoughts exactly. Now, I look forward to being jealous about all those who saw Joss and the rest today.
And SNT posts while I write. Thanks for the information SNT. It is great to read.

[ edited by Lioness on 2005-03-21 04:08 ]

Lioness | March 21, 06:03 CET

re:no star spangled panties.

Maybe thats why you can only see her chest and arm in the official teaser poster.

eddy | March 21, 06:04 CET

Nice! Thanks! I'm dying to see that 5-minute preview. Come on and come to Chicago, already.

Mack | March 21, 06:09 CET

I'm glad Joss isn' simplifing Serenity for the masses after those test screenings. Thanks for the report, SNT.

eddy | March 21, 06:11 CET

Yes Ilana, I heartily agree with you on that. At least some of my initial reservations about watching Buffy had to do with some of the promo material that seemed to accentuate SMG's cleavage (just look at the first North American VHS boxset) and I thought that that was all the show had going for it. How very, utterly, hopelessly wrong I was and I'm glad I turned out to be wrong. But quibbling over something like this is just useless - I seem to recall many folks pleased with the lack of yellow spandex in the X-Men films...

gorramit | March 21, 06:11 CET

“might be May,”

It sounds like the Serenity trailer is not attached to the HTTG movie after all. ?

Succatash | March 21, 06:12 CET

Succatash: Joss didn't say specifically which movie it'd be attached to. Someone shouted out "Stars Wars!", to which Joss replied that he wanted it run with a movie that would be "popular" and which had a "built-in fan base." He he.

SoddingNancyTribe | March 21, 06:14 CET

It does kind of sound like Morena has a shot at Wonder Woman, then again, with the purity, I still think maybe Michelle Trachtenberg and young. And I'm betting on Star Wars for the trailer - hard to type with crossed fingers.

cmbackshane | March 21, 06:33 CET

“where will I find a dark-haired olive-skinned beauty?”

That's a pretty telling statement don't you think? If Joss is going with more of a Mediterranean look that would let out almost all those actresses on that TV Guide poll.

IMMORTAL | March 21, 06:48 CET

Spike movie? Yes, please.

Reddygirl | March 21, 06:49 CET

I was there too. The Jayne action figure comments had me laughing so hard I couldn't breathe. I'd pay good money for a weekly Joss & Nathan half-hour chat show.

And the clip from the movie looked way cool, and I say this as someone who was not a huge fan of "Firefly".

Alison | March 21, 07:20 CET

We know what we have to do. Send cards to Universal about the Spike movie.

charisma | March 21, 07:24 CET

That is an amazing thing to say publically in front of MB. If he isn't nearly committed to signing her, that would be a pretty cruel thing to say in front of her. Joss has never struck me as cruel, so I'd take that as good indication that she is his choice.

I'm not surprised Sondheim did not know Joss. I was smiling when Sondheim was talking about how the only way he would write movies was if he could direct them and how there had been a few writers that did that, and then named a few. By the way, a much higher percentage of folks in the line outside Wall to Wall Sondeim seemed to have an idea of who Joss was tthan I am used to, and he got a pretty good ovation from the gathered crowd outside when he was introduced. Did anybody catch the movie that Sondheim said was a favorite that Joss agreed was a favorite of his too?

And what Reddygirl said.

newcj | March 21, 07:30 CET

Thanks for the reports, I love that I can always count on a good description of these events.

Very interesting public comment to MB. If he's teasing about arranging a Spike movie, that's just mean. :)

Angela | March 21, 07:43 CET

More Spike? Well... alright, I guess. Aslong as we can have some appearances from other Buffyverse characters? And I'm REALLY hoping that Joss goes for MB. She's a beautiful and graceful woman who I think could pull it off.

Christopher | March 21, 07:59 CET

I'm pretty sure any tv movie would include other characters with Spike being the title character. I would love to see James reprise the role of Spike. I'd love to see James do lots and lots of different roles too. Basically, I'm in the "I want to see more James" camp.

killinj | March 21, 08:27 CET

First, I'm kinda relieved about the "no star-spangled panties" announcement. To me, that was the most challenging aspect of adapting Wonder Woman to the big screen, how do you make that costume not look silly? Judging by the poster, she's still got the same top and she's still got the bracelets, so that works for me. I do have a feeling the hardcore fanboys will be outraged until they actually see the new costume. And even then, who knows? Many of them hated those X-Men costumes when the first photos of those were released. I saw countless comments on different message boards reading something like this (just with more spelling/grammar mistakes): "They don't look like the X-Men, they look like they're in the f---in' Matrix!" Some people seem to forget that now because the movies were such a huge success and it seems almost laughable there was any outrage about not using something resembling colorful spandex.

Second, great recap SNT!

Third, I really thought Joss would go with an unknown, but that comment directed towards Morena definitely contradicts my theory. I'm going to have to ponder Morena in that Wonder Woman costume for a while, try to let it sink in.

WindTheFrog | March 21, 08:28 CET

If Morena is a candidate, I can actually believe her in the role. She's beautiful, exotic, and talented. As she played Inara, she exudes a confidence that would be appropriate for WW. Plus, she looks very healthy, so yeah, I'm pro-MB. Question though, how tall is she? I figured the role of WW would have a height limitation or something.

Mack | March 21, 08:31 CET

As far as the rest of the world is concerned, Morena IS an unknown. She will be more known after "Serenity" is released, but probably not yet a major star.

Plus Wonder Woman doesn't have to be tall. Or Joss could cast a bunch of short actors around her, so if she is short, it wouldn't be evident.

[ edited by Nebula1400 on 2005-03-21 06:38 ]

Nebula1400 | March 21, 08:37 CET

I'm confused, where did Joss say he was casting Morena? I thought it was just friendly banter. Sure she'll probably ge to audition, but as he said(not exact words) when questioned on wehther any Buffy alum were in Serenity, he's making a movie. Not inviting his friends over to a party.

eddy | March 21, 08:47 CET

This is true, though someone in Joss's position - writer and director - has considerable say in who gets cast. Of course we have to wait to find out who actually does get cast.

Nebula1400 | March 21, 08:53 CET

A question for the costume purists: just out of curiosity, were you guys also upset about the Batman and X-men films? And did you freak out at the organic webs in "Spider-Man"?

IMHO, most of the above changes were absolutely necessary to make the characters work in a movie. ("Catwoman" is another story entirely ...) While it's important to respect the core of the character, film and comics are two very different media. It's called an "adaptation" for a reason. And if it sucks (which it *won't*), the comics are still there.

bobothebrave | March 21, 08:56 CET

My choice of the word "meaningfully," in "looking meaningfully at Morena," may have inadvertently started a brushfire of "Morena is being cast as WW."

Thing with Joss, as you all are aware, is that it's often hard to tell the kidding apart from the knowing. He did look straight at her for a few seconds before saying "where on earth . . . ", but that could have been (a) an on-the-spot riff (with perhaps cruel effect); (b) an in-joke between him and Morena (maybe they've talked about how *wrong* M would be for the part in the past; I don't know, obviously, but it's a possibility;) (c) confirmation that she is in his mind for the role; or (d) one of another million possibilities fueled by the electrical generator that is JW's brain.

Anyhow, there was a moment between the two of them, my heart did miss a couple of crazy beats when he said it, but - I was just trying to report the facts, and the "meaningful" part was my own spin. Sorry to raise hopes where there may be none . . .

SoddingNancyTribe | March 21, 09:00 CET

Off topic..but the organic webs were not neccessary for Spider-Man. If anything they took away story opportunities(that were fixed in SM2 when he started losing his powers).

eddy | March 21, 09:03 CET

Maybe MB is in consideration, or maybe Joss is deliberately screwing with us. The man is a master of misdirection.

Yay for no spangled-panties. They have no superpowers, they are not important to the plot. And I WOULD NOT go see a movie with a costume like that unless it was a spoof. I mean, Bejebus, why not just make a WitchBlade movie and be done with it? Some of us are old enough to buy porno and don't need it in our pop culture.

pixxelpuss | March 21, 09:52 CET

Oh, and thanks for the uber-considerate spoiler hiding. I accidentally read one elsewhere and I was SO disappointed.

pixxelpuss | March 21, 09:52 CET

I add another yay for no starry panties. Nothing could make the movie work with those. I'm sure there will be a throw-away reference to them, and that's as it should be.

I really can't see MB as WW. She just doesn't seem like an action hero at all. Then again, I've only seen her in the one role.

Andarcel | March 21, 11:26 CET

Thanks for your report SoddingNancyTribe, very much appreciated.

And here's a tidbit from Kevin Smith's panel discussion at Wizard World (via Comic Book Resources):

Simon | March 21, 11:32 CET

Great report, SNT. I'm sure that exchange between Joss and Morena Baccarin will spawn huge amounts of Internet rumor no matter what "spin" is put on it.

"If people decide they're interested in making a Spike movie..."
Was there anything in the question to indicate what people those would be?

dreamlogic | March 21, 12:35 CET

Miramax is going through some tangled webs nowadays. I don't have a lot of faith in Clerks 2 ever happening, but I STILL have the stock maxed out at HSX.com. Vain hope that may still be. I'm very concerned about Miramax's future, owned by Disney without the brothers that started her. It'd be like doing an adventure about the ship Serenity without any of the crew we know. Sure, you could do it, but why would you?

The affirmation that the cast of Firefly is still willing to entertain returning to the small screen is good to hear. I just wish there were a network around today to which they could sell the rejuvenated series. A look at recent tv rankings gives me cause for alarm. American Idol recently took three of the top five slots, and only CSI Vegas was higher in rankings than a Sunday night ABC made-for-TV movie. Survivor outdid Lost. Extreme Makeover Home Edition outdid Law & Order. The Simple Life was still in the top twenty-five. People who claim the reality television is on its way out aren't looking at the numbers. Alleged "reality" television is cheaper to produce than something like Firefly. If Fear Factor got a low rating, it can still grant more profit than most any actual drama.

I'm watching an episode of Firefly right now. I'm trying to see Morena Baccarin as Diana Prince. I can see it, but I have to squint. She's just.. thin. I'm sure she'd do well if given the chance. An actor's job is to act, in whatever role given. Just because we're blinded by the wardrobe given her in Firefly doesn't mean Baccarin couldn't rise above that. However, my heart still says Gina Torres is the woman for the job, but my brain knows better. She's got the figure to wear the outfit. She's got the acting chops and a powerful presence on screen. The fact that she's black would bother some but I believe her talent would rise above any criticism. ...woah. Darken the hair and take her out of Kaylee's outfit, I could see Jewel Staite in the role. She'd have to lose some weight and go through a strict exercise regimen for six weeks to three months, but it's very possible. I mean heck if Tobey Maguire can be Spidey, Jewel Staite could surely pull off the Amazon.

Ideally, Whedon will seek an unknown, but if he's confident in working with any Mutant Enemy alumni, that's half the battle for a director - to work with someone familiar with his style of direction.

...of course, no one's mentioned the obvious possibility. Whedon may have purposefully looked at Morena Baccarin to keep everyone from considering a little dancer who's recently proven her... Well. I can't say further without having to figure out how to blacken my text. We'll just wait until September, see the movie Serenity, then YOU can tell ME who you think would be the best woman for the job.

[ edited by ZachsMind on 2005-03-21 10:45 ]

ZachsMind | March 21, 12:41 CET

You people living in the US are so lucky. Here in Finland we do not have cons where Joss Whedon mounts Nathan Fillion (or his back, anyways). Come to think of it, we do not even have cons with Joss Whedon or Nathan Fillion. That seem right to you?

But I do enjoy reading the con reports. So, thank you, and keep them coming, please.

dreameling | March 21, 12:41 CET

Finland? Don't know about that, but I've heard Greenland's full of ice and Iceland's full of green. That seem right to you? =)

ZachsMind | March 21, 12:46 CET

pixxelpuss said:
Yay for no spangled-panties. They have no superpowers, they are not important to the plot. And I WOULD NOT go see a movie with a costume like that unless it was a spoof. I mean, Bejebus, why not just make a WitchBlade movie and be done with it? Some of us are old enough to buy porno and don't need it in our pop culture.

They already made a Witchblade TV series and managed not to resort to having the weapon/armor tear up the main character's clothing and leave her nearly naked every time she used it (mostly due to budget constraints, ie the witchblade didn't act as it did in the comics, all sharp, jagged, and tendril-y). Plus the comic had flashes of greatness every so often. It was decently-written fantasy in the beginning. The TV series was more of a cop drama with fantasy influences (and occasional cheese, unfortunately). Sorry, I get kinda defensive of it when people refer to it as porny "bad girl/action-chick" material, used to be a fan of it. It's not nearly as cheap and B-movie-ish as a lot of other bad girl comics from the `90s (most of which failed and were cancelled, it's kind of a wonder the Witchblade comic is still running), which more fairly deserve picking on.

Glad the Wonder Woman film won't feature the panties though. Besides looking ridiculous, as others have suggested they probably would, I think there might be a bigger reason for Joss to get rid of them. I really don't think he'd be into the cheerleading patriotism the character's look suggests. Nevermind how ridiculous it is to wear such a thing since she lives on some Amazonian island and from what I know about the comic, continued to be a citizen and even ruler of that country and never applied for U.S. citizenship (I could be wrong though. Never read an issue of it, seen quite a bit of the TV series when I was very young, but I'm familiar enough with the general mythology of DC Comics to know a bit about each of the major characters' histories). The only reason she has a star-spangled ass is for the kink appeal and because American writers/artists created her. The film's more internationally marketable without them, given all the hardcore anti-Americanism you can find worldwide.

Not that I had much doubt about it, but I'm so glad to hear that the entire Firefly cast would wanna do the series again if given the chance.

Not so enthused about a film with Spike as the lead, but glad Joss is still interested in the Buffyverse.

Sean ‘The Bod’ Maher

I'm taking that to mean...shirtless Sean! And possibly that he worked out a little between series cancellation and shooting the film. Would tie into what someone said (I think Adam Baldwin) about the cast hitting the gym too.

Can't wait to see the video of this convention appearance.

Kris | March 21, 14:35 CET

I did. I thought that (like the height problem I mentioned earlier with Wolverine) the lack of invented webshooters took something away from the character. A change I loved was making it a genetically-engineered spider instead of a radioactive spider. Keeping things current/relevant in that way is important, and I'm hoping to see something similar with Wonder Woman (I can imagine a world where the imperialism of some great nation is threatening Paradise Island, and Wonder Woman leaves and somehow there is some restoration of independence in this imperialistic nation - I think Joss is a true American patriot, I really do - meaning one who utterly believes in the importance of making one's own choices in life). Anyway - some changes add things and some take things away. I didn't care about the costumes in X-Men, but I don't even pretend that movie-Rogue and comic book Rogue have anything in common besides their accent and powers. I won't care about the costume in Wonder Woman, though I think it should somehow at least be a bit of a throwback to the original.

Kiba | March 21, 15:40 CET

I don't even pretend that movie-Rogue and comic book Rogue have anything in common besides their accent and powers.

Their accent? I don't remember Anna Paquin having even a hint of a southern belle sound to her voice. In fact, Wolverine found her as a runaway in Canada, so I figured the implication was that she might be Canadian in the films (as a nod to Paquin's heritage maybe). Maybe I need to re-watch the X-Men movies and listen more closely. And regarding her powers, I keep wondering if they'll have Rogue touch someone for so long that she permanently steals their powers and either puts them in a coma or kills them by holding onto them for so long (though I doubt it'd be Ms. Marvel as in the comics and animated series. More likely an established character or one developed for the specific sequel in which she performs the act).

Re-reading some of SoddingNancyTribe's report, I really want those action figures.

Kris | March 21, 15:56 CET

In "Objects in Space", I think Sean proved with his shirtless scene that he needed no time in the gym in order to be called "The Bod".

And another NO to star-spangled panties. I watched BtVS from the beginning in its earliest days, but I had major problems with the way they dressed Buffy in the first season. The tits and ass factor has often made me avoid stuff. Or at least made me ashamed of admitting to liking it.

I like Morena for the role. I'd like Gina better, I think, but only for the surface details: Gina has the look, the stature and the action-hero-ish aura. But I prefer Morena as an actress. She's wonderfully subtle as Inara and I would love to see WW played by a subtle actress, someone who's maybe only decent at stunts, but great at portraying emotion in her face and voice.

You people living in the US are so lucky. Here in Finland we do not have cons where Joss Whedon mounts Nathan Fillion (or his back, anyways).

I never thought of it that way, but you're right.

dottikin | March 21, 16:05 CET

Thank you so much SNT for taking the time and trouble to transcribe. Totally tappreciated! (I have just taken the ‘alliteration for beginners class’, do you think it shows?)

And Wonder Woman, hmm, five minutes into the project and she has already lost her panties. What’s next? A friendly plumber who just happens to be there, working with his shirt off. A gush of water. Soapy bubbles. Uh, now she has to take her top off as well…

Yep, that solves the costume issues nicely :)


Kris wrote

To be serious for a moment, that is actually an important issue, because the “America is coming to save the world thing” is not going down so well just about everywhere else on the globe right now. I am not arguing the rights or wrongs of that or trying to upset you US folks, but how all these types of connotations are going to be handled in the film will be interesting to watch.

miranda | March 21, 16:11 CET

miranda - it is a delicate issue that you bring up but you are right that there are parts of the world where the stars and stripes have a different implication than I would guess they have to many Americans. Again, same as you, I don't mean offence by this but if the stars and stripes are too visible a part of the campaigning, that could be a major turn-off in some parts of the world. That said, a movie is often judged as a success or not on American box office figures before it even gets to the rest of the world. In that case, it may make little difference but I suppose it is something to consider.

catalyst2 | March 21, 16:55 CET

Just a costume question: when you look back at the really early comics of WW you see her in a skirt (and it isn't even all that short)...and I didn't think the stars & stripes were all over it, you don't think Joss might go back to the early look of the character?
I think Morena would be an exciting choice for WW, she has a beautiful timeless quality which could easily be Greek. She is small for an 'Amazon' but that is easily fixed by hiring other actors around her who are close to her height (which might exclude Adam Baldwin who towers over everyone).

Thank you for the reports! SNT: thank you for writing down so many fun and interesting things...and I would love to see a link to your video (eventually)!

I sure wish I lived in LA so I could join in on all the Joss Whedon fun there!
dreameling: I know it seems like the people in the US are lucky, but in fact it isn't like Joss travels the country. Only the Southern Californians are lucky!

embers | March 21, 17:31 CET

A big Yes to a Spike film.

WW - as far as WW goes my mind flies all over the place speculating. The stars and stripes are definitely one of many issues with WW. I will just wait and see what Joss does - I have faith he will handle everything tastefully.

Thanks SNT for keeping us informed with your report.

Passion | March 21, 17:36 CET

"Their accent? I don't remember Anna Paquin having even a hint of a southern belle sound to her voice. In fact, Wolverine found her as a runaway in Canada, so I figured the implication was that she might be Canadian in the films (as a nod to Paquin's heritage maybe). Maybe I need to re-watch the X-Men movies and listen more closely."

Yes. She has the accent in the movie. THe film starts off with her down south and she's talking about going to Canada with her boyfriend..

eddy | March 21, 19:28 CET

I think, but I am not sure, that Anna Paquin is from NZ isn't she?

catalyst2 | March 21, 19:36 CET

I am still not awake from this weekend. Yesterday was the most amazing and stressful day. Waking up at 4am to get to LB but 5am..3rd in line.......getting the tickets for the Q&A and signing and marching my butt up the stairs to sit in front of the ballroom doors and start the line. And start a line I did. I was in such a daze walking into that room, I still can not believe it happened. I took my seat sitting right in front of Nathans name sign(had to have the best seat in the house, of course). It was just wonderful!
Sodding Nancy Tribe said everything so much better than I could since I am still in a no sleep coma. The autograph line went well. We could get 2 things signed which is always nice. Nathan told me he saw me resting my head on my friends shoulder during the panel and I told him how early I got there......and he said "for this??" I said yes. He looked shocked.....I told Sean I saw a screening of the movie in Dec and he asked me how it was because he had not seen it yet. He told me he moved out of town and was not able to get back when Joss did the cast screening.

Yesterday was a GREAT day! I am sitting at work half asleep trying to not screw up anything important, but hell I got a BDM smile on my face. SHINY!

SillyD | March 21, 19:37 CET

eddy said:
She has the accent in the movie. THe film starts off with her down south and she's talking about going to Canada with her boyfriend...

Oh that's right, I forgot about the scene with the boyfriend (Cody was it? Not sure, but it's Cody in the cartoon. Not sure if he was from the comics). I still can't remember Anna Paquin having a southern accent, or at least a convincing one. Definitely have to re-watch the films.

catalyst

Paquin was born in Canada and moved to New Zealand in her mid-teens when her parents divorced.

Kris | March 21, 20:24 CET

Good news about Wonder Woman's costume. I honestly do think it would be impossible to have the film and it's central character taken seriously in the 21st century if you tried to recreate the outfit too closely. The movie costume needs to look like a close adaption of the comic version, most definately, but a few alterations won't matter too much. Just as long as you don't lose the basic iconic look, it should be fine.

The Spike news is fantastic. I seriously doubt Joss would make this semi-promise if he didn't see it as a ninety percent certainty that he would be able to fulfill it. James has already said he will be onboard, Kristin is almost certainly about to get in touch with Joss concerning a poll result massively in favour of Spike (assumption admittedly but a fair one). This is all looking very good!

So, all you "Joss won't return to the slayerverse anytime soon" naysayers! What have you got to say for yourselves now? Huh? Huh? ;)

Technopagan | March 21, 20:56 CET

Warlock, I don't think people were being "naysayers" I think we were just pointing out that if Joss wasn't ready to come back or never wanted to comeback to the 'verse we could live with that and enjoy what else he had to offer.

And Joss has always said he'd be interested in these movies, but, and unless this has changed, the WB just seemed to be saying what they thought the fans wanted to hear and not what they were seriously considering doing.

[ edited by Firefly Flanatic on 2005-03-21 19:08 ]

Firefly Flanatic | March 21, 21:08 CET

Firefly Flanatic, don't worry, that was just me having a bit of a grin, no harm meant. :)

Just one thing though, who said anything about the WB? I seriously hope that whatever Joss has in mind for the Spike movies that he won't let the WB benefit from them at all. After all this messing him and us around they really don't deserve it.

Besides, Spike belongs on HBO!

Technopagan | March 21, 21:13 CET

Well, it would be great if it happens if it isn't on the WB. I don't have HBO but I'd be willing to sign up for it just to see a Spike movie.

And wouldn't that be a testament to the verse if it was on HBO and they suddenly had all these new subscribers (and if it happens, we should mention that we're signing up because of the Spike movie when we call)!

Firefly Flanatic | March 21, 21:17 CET

"If he ditches the costume its like ditching Superman's S logo and cape."
Although Smallville for example is still true to the Superman franchise even though Clark doesn't wear the costume.

"Nathan informed us that Sean’s nickname on set is “Sean ‘The Bod’ Maher.”"
What does that mean?

I also hope Serenity's first preview is with Star Wars. That would be an amazing advertising opportunity. Star Wars has a large fan base and also a lot of people who will go to see it anyway, as this one will probably have more to live up to than any of the previous films, having been preceeded by two disappointing installments, people will expect it to have corrected the problems with Menace and Clones.
Also, the audience is very similar, Star Wars is an epic tale of love, betrayal, heroism and such, set in space, with a lot of action and humor. Just like Serenity! While they are still different in many ways they are alike. And if Star Wars is a disappointment people may want to check out Serenity.

Razor | March 21, 21:19 CET

R.E.: The Spike Movie

Bloody fantastic!

Apocalypse | March 21, 21:19 CET

Absolutely! Clearly it is more than possible to do television series of extreme quality on HBO, you only have to see Carnivale and Deadwood to know that, so if Joss was to take a Spike movie there can you imagine the end result?

I'm hopeful that wherever the movie does end up, not including the WB i should point out, that it will get good enough ratings for the channel to want more, or better yet a series. If it was to end up on HBO and there was a sudden spike (pun intended) in the new subscriber numbers, that could only be good news for us seeing more.

Technopagan | March 21, 21:33 CET

Just one to add on more plaudit for SNT here and his fine work for this here site. I also had the pleasure of chatting with him there and he's a heckuva nice guy!

bobster | March 21, 21:54 CET

I've added another link to the subject line, it goes to IESB's photo gallery of the Serenity panel.

I like this one the best.

Simon | March 21, 22:37 CET

RE: WW costume: No starlit panties - a good thing. Coming from an American, I for one would like the costume to tone down the constant "I love USA" I get constantly thrown in my face everyday. Sorry if that offends other Americans. Also coming from a woman, less degrading. Joss won't let me down.

RE: Spike movie: So, Joss is for it. James is for it. All we need now is a network. Or hell, let's bug Universal and put this on the big screen. Either way, it's a step, and I'm happy. I love the idea of having it on HBO. I could just hear Spike now, "fucking stake the vamp already".

RE: Wizard World: THANK YOU SNT!!!! You always come through for us!

Harmalicious | March 21, 23:19 CET

Thank you Simon!

And SNT, could you maybe go into a little detail as to why Joss was on Nathan's back? Now that I've seen the pictures, I just have to wonder!

[ edited by Lioness on 2005-03-21 23:34 ]

Lioness | March 22, 00:13 CET

Yes SNT, that would be something I'd like to know too. And as always, thoroughly enjoyed your report! You make one feel like they are there!

Firefly Flanatic | March 22, 02:12 CET

Oh, just wanted to comment on what great pictures those are! And I like Simon's choice for the best picture!

Firefly Flanatic | March 22, 02:14 CET

The very nice folk at IESB who sent me the link have promised that they will be posting a video (broken up into five 10 minute segments) of the panel discussion later on today. There won't be any footage of the movie in the video for obvious reasons.

So please feel free to link to it on the front page once it goes up.

Simon | March 22, 02:19 CET

In fact, the very nice man at IESB who interviewed Joss and Morena, and who shot a video of the panel, was sitting right in front of me. We had a little chat after the Q & A, and he told me that the video would be posted and the link made available to us. Which is my long-winded explanation for why I'm not going to work out how to put my own vid up. (And he had a bigger camera and everything - hey, no envy here . . . )

Lioness, Firefly Flanatic, my memory is already hazing over. So maybe bobster (hey bobster!) or SillyD have better recall. But the set-up was Nathan taking a question, then very ostentatiously standing up, searching for and then very pointedly gazing at a particular female fan sitting somewhere in the first few rows to my left (his right), doing a whole suave George Clooney-kind of routine, flicking over Joss's nameplate to get a clearer view of the lady (and for her to get a clearer view of him) . . . and something was said that I've completely forgotten. At which point, Joss clambered onto his back and hung there, and then said something like "I'm always finding myself sleeping on Nathan's back, and when I wake up there's a whole audience there watching. It's very embarrassing." or something. But you'll see it all for yourself when the nice man's vid goes up. Probably worth the wait.

SoddingNancyTribe | March 22, 02:33 CET

Does anyone remember in the early days of the series some of the actors said they had never done cons and didn't they they would? I can't remember which of them said that. But anyway, look at 'em now. Doing cons and apparently enjoying them. 's Funny.

Caroline | March 22, 02:37 CET

Yeah, they seem to have a wonderful time at these things and they seem to really enjoy each others company. Thanks for that description SNT. Again, having a wonderful time picturing it all in my head! And I just love Nathan Fillion so much!! He is just such a clown (and gorgeous on top of that)!

Firefly Flanatic | March 22, 04:01 CET

Sorry, SNT, my memories are even more fogged over of the back-leaping incident. Must be the Post Traumatic Stress.

bobster | March 22, 04:08 CET

Well thanks for what you can remember. Say, you weren't all taking drugs now were you? (with apologies to Willow);-)

Lioness | March 22, 06:49 CET

It was very light. It wasn't bad, just barely there. I assumed this was so she wouldn't get ripped apart for having a crappy one. Rogue's accent mostly only comes out in the comics on lengthened vowels ("Ah" and "Mah") and dropped r's anyway ("Sugah"). I played a role where I had a Southern accent once and I kept it very toned down because I was afraid of it coming out incredibly crappy, so I assumed Anna Paquin was doing the same. (I have a bad habit of assuming everyone is just like me.)

As for WW, I think Morena would be fine, but I'd have to see her bulk up a little bit before I bought her. She could easily achieve a more Wonder-Womanish look with a little strength training, I think.

I can't decide what my opinion is on the costume. I don't want to put people off, but I do think the traditional costume is of some importance. I like my idea of having Wonder Woman as a bastion of individual liberty or somesuch, which I think would strike a fine balance between American patriotism and the less American-friendly sentiments of some people/places. I could easily see Wonder Woman saving the US from itself. Knowing Joss's political sentiments, I can't imagine he would make Wonder Woman a propaganda film for the US gov't (at least, not the current administration, though I like to trust he wouldn't do it even with an administration of which he approved). I think it'll be very interesting to see if Joss and his crew come at this film with a historical approach (setting it in WWII) or an update (setting it now) or something in between (setting it in the time of Vietnam/Korea/the Gulf War). I think international conflict has to be an element, or there's no reason for Wonder Woman to leave Themyscira.

One of the reasons I think Smallville can do without the traditional costume is that they have the television time frame. In a shorter medium like film, I think iconic images become more important.

Kiba | March 22, 09:33 CET

Also, with regards to Smallville, the show deals with Clark's pre-Superman life, that is the basic concept of the series. Therefore you go into it expecting to see him without his iconic (there's that word again) costume.

With Wonder Woman it is a different deal. It is telling a more straightforward superhero story and so people are going to be wanting to see the costume, preferably one they recognise.

Technopagan | March 22, 13:56 CET

Warlock, yes. And that brings up the question of what would they DO if they were making it a pre-Wonder Woman life story? Diana prancing about Themyscira with the other Amazons might be fun to watch, but not a particularly compelling story.

Kiba | March 22, 15:34 CET

Exactly. With a television show like Smallville you have the luxury of time to tell a fuller story but with Wonder Woman things will need to be that much more immediate, for obvious reasons.

Knowing Joss i would imagine that there will be a small portion of the movie dedicated to her life back home before becoming a superhero, whether that be in a short prequel to the main action or told in flashback form throughout the movie, but the core of the film will need to be centred around the action, costume and all.

Technopagan | March 22, 16:28 CET

And I'd just like to say how absolutely stunning Jewel looks in this pic.

Simon | March 22, 20:50 CET

I for one would LOVE to see Morena as Wonder Woman.

I would also love to see a new Spike movie.

When are those Serenity action figures coming out?!

And Sean Maher is incredibly sexy and deserves the nickname... that is all ;)

PurpleYoshi | March 31, 03:47 CET