Entertainment - Media News Watch originally published at Entertainment - Media News Watch
Whether it’s using her lasso to get the truth out of her enemies or her gauntlets capable of trapping energy and using it to her advantage, Wonder Woman has some pretty cool abilities. It’s hard to believe that she can jump and run so fast. While we may not have gotten her invisible jet, the other staples of Wonder Woman are all there, so join us on today’s DC Revisited as we dive into Patty Jenkins’ Wonder Woman.
While we may have finally received a Wonder Woman via Zack Snyder’s Batman v Superman, the project had actually been in development for quite some time. In 1996, comedy director Ivan Reitman became a producer on the film. In 1999, Joel Silver, now a producer, asked Jon Cohen to write the Wonder Woman script. He even wanted Sandra Bullock in the title role. Various others were hired, but the project could never gain enough momentum.
Then in 2005, Warner announced that Joss Whedon would write and direct the film. Whedon left the project after he failed to deliver a satisfactory script. The screenplay was released online and it is… rough. Steve Trevor was the narrator, and he took over the movie. After Whedon left, the closest Wonder Woman got to the big screen after he left was George Miller’s ill fated Justice League: Mortal. Megan Gale, an Australian model, was cast in the role. After multiple delays and budget concerns that film was scrapped. Warner Bros. announced the Wonder Woman movie in 2010, along with solo films for The Flash and Aquaman. Even then, there was no real progress on any of these projects until October 2013. It was a long road. Patti Jenkins joined the film in 2015 as director. This wasn’t her first foray into the superhero world as she actually served as the director of Thor: The Dark World before being replaced with Alan Taylor due to creative differences.
While many fans had grown tired of the origin story, Jenkins wasn’t deterred and felt it was the only way to go with the character. Jenkins was able to work with a draft that Allan Heinberg had already written. It had been drafted by Heinberg, Zack Snyder and Jason Fuchs. Geoff Johns did a lot of uncredited work with Jenkins on the screenplay. She embarks on a journey with Steve Trevor, a spy, to stop Ares. It’s a fun tale with elements that remind you of
Romancing The Stone. Gal Gadot
reclaimed the role of Diana Prince/Wonder Woman. Catherine Zeta Jones, Kate Beckinsale and Angelina Jolie were all considered over the years for the role. Megan Gale was even cast in the ill-fated Justice League Mortal. Gadot was able to beat out Elodie Yuung and Olga Kurylenko in the casting process, but her size ultimately led to skepticism. Gadot worked hard and gained 17 pounds to get in shape for the role. While she’s still not the Amazon she’s depicted in the comics, Gadot brings charm to the character.
For Diana’s love interest Steve Trevor, Chris Pine was Patti Jenkin’s only choice for the role. She met the actor at lunch and performed the script for him. He was immediately sold and excited to join DC Cinematic Universe. Pine barely missed out on the role as Hal Jordan in Ryan Reynolds’ Green Lantern. He’s probably relieved that he didn’t get the role. Gadot’s chemistry with Pine is one of the strongest in comic book films. Nicole kidman was initially in negotiations to play Diana’s mother, Queen Hippolyta. However, she was forced to leave the project due to scheduling conflicts for her tv series Big Little Lies. Charlize Theron, who was also approached for the role, declined. Connie Nielsen was chosen after a meeting between the director and Nielsen. Then, Robin Wright stepped up to replace Hippolyta’s sister Antiope. Wright was easily convinced when she was told that she would be Wonder Woman’s trainer in the movie. There were actually three different villains. Elena Anaya played Dr. Isabel Maru who is a chemical weapons expert who thrives off the pain of others. She wears a mask in order to hide her facial deformity, which is one of the most interesting character designs. She works for Erich Ludendorff played by Danny Huston. He’s more of a red-herring for the real villain Ares (David Thewlis). Sorry about a spoiler on a 6-year-old movie, but we have to talk about this twist as most of the film, Ludendorff is thought to be Ares, so when he’s defeated and Thewlis is revealed, it feels a little…underwhelming. This is especially true when compared to the emotional moment of Steve Trevor making his sacrifice. Oops. Another spoiler.Most humor in the movie comes from Diana’s mercenary friends. Said Taghmaoui portrayed Sameer, Eugene Brave Rock played The Chief, and Ewen Brimmer stole the show as Charlie. Lucy Davis also appears as Steve Trevor’s secretary Etta Candy, though she’s not in it nearly enough.
Without these characters, a lot of the levity in the film would be lost, so their inclusion is absolutely vital to the blockbuster.Lindy Hemming served as the costume designer on the film and brought a wonderful mix of period costumes and warrior outfits for the Amazons. Diana’s costume represents a more armor-based design, and the colors were brightened by her appearance.
Filming for Wonder Woman began on November 21st, 2015, and took place throughout Europe until finally wrapping principal photography in May 2016. Themyscira, Diana’s beautiful homeworld, was filmed in Southern Italy. Matthew Jensen, Director of Photography, wanted to do something different from the majority of World War 1 films which are often very drab. He bumped up the saturation instead and shot in a more traditional Hollywood style. This allowed the film’s blockbuster feel to be a reality in a time that was often devoid from fun. Gadot, who was five months pregnant, needed a green cloth on her stomach for the reshoots. This would be removed later. Rupert Gregson-Williams was brought aboard to compose the film’s score, providing plenty of high-intensity moments. Four other musicians joined him and provided additional music. Hans Zimmer and Junkie XL’s Wonder Woman theme “Is She with You” is what really stands out. It really allows Diana to make quite the entrance.
Wonder Woman
was released in the United States on June 2nd, 2017, and brought in over $103.3 Million on its opening weekend. The film’s run would end at over $822.8 Million, the highest grossing female director in history. Jenkins has had a career that has been polarizing. The film received a 93% Rotten Tomatoes rating. The critical consensus was that the film was
“Thrilling, earnest and buoyed with Gal Gadot’s charismatic performance. Wonder Woman succeeds spectacularly.”
Due this success, an
Wonder Woman
was immediately greenlit. Patty Jenkins and Gal Gadot were set to return. Gal Gadot would return to the role of Wonder Woman in future movies, but what about the rest of her cast? Chris Pine will voice Peter Parker in Spider-man Into the Spiderverse. Danny Huston played William Stryker as X-Men Origins Wolverine. David Thewlis played John Dee in Sandman, which is based on a comic. Otherwise, the field is barren of actors in other comic book properties.
To this day, Wonder Woman is considered one of DC’s best films. This film has a lot to offer, from its beautiful visuals to giving young girls someone to look up to. Jumping to the present, we are ready to mess up the timeline to see all the chaos that occurs in the multiverse. Next time, we’ll tell you about that story. Join us. Saaame movie time, saaaame movie channel.
Entertainment - Media News Watch originally published at Entertainment - Media News Watch
