The fine folks over at Warner Brothers have been rushing their next DC comics based property, The Green Lantern, into production with an eye on a release date in December of next year, and they already have an idea as to who the next film should be based upon. Word is that there has been a lot of talk about a live action Wonder Woman project! That’s right, the Amazonian Princess is in the early stages right now, but it seems to be on the fast track. Warner Brothers are working with Silver pictures on the proposed project. Maybe they are feeling pressure from Marvel and their upcoming slate of comic based films. Maybe they want to maintain the momentum they received from the massive success of The Dark Knight. Maybe they are just confident in their abilities to handle producing two major projects so close together. Who knows. But the message is clear: “We need to churn out a steady stream of comic based films!” Sources within the studio say that people are genuinely excited about this project, and that they are eager to get started. People at WB’s have been actively searching for writers and taking pitches for “the last few weeks.” Nothing is imminent, but it’s clear that WB would love to get started on their big name heroine. Anything could happen with the project, as there have been several well publicized attempts to make a Wonder Woman feature film, so there is history working against Diana. But if WB has their way, this project WILL happen. It’s only a matter of time. Now, I’m sure a good number of you out there know a thing or two about the Amazonian Princess, but for those who don’t, here’s a little knowledge for you:
“Wonder Woman is a member of a fictional, all-female tribe of Amazons (based on the Amazons of Greek mythology) who is sent to “man’s world” as an ambassador of peace, charged with the mission of imparting the Amazonian ideals of peace and harmony to “Patriarch’s World.” Among the Amazons she is known as Princess Diana (being the daughter of Amazon queen Hippolyta); in “man’s world” she takes the secret identity of Diana Prince. Her powers include super strength, enhanced speed and stamina, and (more recently) flight. She is highly proficient in hand-to-hand combat and in the art of tactical warfare. She also possesses an animal-like cunning and a natural rapport with animals, which has in the past been presented as an actual ability to communicate with the animal kingdom. She also makes use of her Lasso of Truth (which forces those bound by it to tell the truth), a pair of indestructible bracelets, and an invisible plane. Created during World War II, the character was initially depicted fighting the Axis military forces, as well as an assortment of super villains and super villainesses. In later decades, some writers and their editors preferred to retain the World War II setting, while others updated the series to reflect an ongoing “present day.” Wonder Woman has also regularly appeared in the team books Justice Society and Justice League. She is arguably the most popular and iconic super heroine in comics.”
Now, I have my doubts about a live action Wonder Woman film. Not that I’m not a fan of the character, just that it doesn’t feel like a character that would work on the big screen without some major changes to the character, her origins, and/or her weaponry. Imagine, if you will, a movie about a woman who could fly, but still chooses to travel the globe in an invisible jet. She has two indestructible bracelets that she uses to deflect incoming bullets. She also has super strength and a natural rapport with animals (a gift that has been portrayed as an actual ability to communicate with them). Oh, and the best part is that she uses a golden yellow colored lasso that forces anyone bound by it to speak the truth, and only the truth. Now, what would you initially think about that, if you didn’t know anything about Wonder Woman? I can’t speak for everyone, but I know I’d think it is lame. But we know about Wonder Woman. To me, that doesn’t make it any cooler.
I understand that watching a super hero film requires at least a basic acceptance that the impossible CAN happen; a hero like Wonder Woman could easily exist in the fictional world of the comics, and thus they’d work on film. I get it. But I don’t have to like it. I just don’t think it could possibly be taken seriously if Warner Brothers decides to stick to the source material completely. A lasso of truth and an invisible jet? I’m sorry, but Wonder Woman’s story is full of cheese. It works in the pages of a comic book, but it just doesn’t feel right for the big screen, in live action. Perhaps they could tweak her origin? Her weaponry? I’m not the biggest fan of Wonder Woman in the comics, so I don’t have a problem with some changes to her story, but I’m a big time comic geek and I understand how changing her story would offend her many fans. So I apologize in advance for suggesting this.
Big time changes need to happen. Sure, keep her skimpy outfit. It would get people in the seats, that’s for sure. They could easily keep her outfit in it’s most well known form. You could even keep her Amazonian origins, and use it to explain away her super abilities. I’m even down for some form of the indestructible bracelets, as long as she doesn’t use them to deflect bullets. I mean, come on! It would look totally lame! Anyway, keep the bracelets, maybe she could use them to protect herself from blade attacks? But the invisible jet and the lasso of truth NEED TO GO! I don’t think I need to explain why the jet needs to go. We all know how silly it would look. But the lasso, I’m certain, would receive a massive amount of backlash if changed. I’m prepared for that. I just don’t want to see it used in that sense. She could carry a lasso around, that’s fine, but don’t dare use it to force the truth out of criminals, or anyone else for that matter. It just reeks of cheese.
I want to see Diana on the big screen just as much as anyone else, but I want to see it done right. I want it to feel patriotic, heroic, and full of feminism. That’s what Wonder Woman has always been to me. But it’s the corny aspects of her comic book character that would drag down the film and make the message the film should have slightly less believable. Wonder Woman is supposed to inspire the best in women, and if the audience spent major parts of the film saying “Come on! Really?” then Wonder Woman wouldn’t inspire anyone. I guess I’m asking the people at Warner Brothers and Silver Pictures to add a touch of Nolan’s realism. Draw from Jon Favreau’s take on Iron Man. Make a Wonder Woman film that women everywhere could be proud of. That’s not too much to ask, is it?