With DC’s upcoming Man of Steel movie, the giants of the Superman comic books look set to rival Marvel’s on-screen activities with the formation of a live-action superhero team of their own. The Justice League are DC’s answer to Marvel’s Avengers, and include such heroes as the Man of Steel himself, Batman, the Flash, Green Lantern and Wonder Woman.
Now, if Wonder Woman was to be cast on the big screen, who would be suitable for the role? This isn’t the first time WhatCulture has published an article on this subject. Jordan LaRue offered his opinion last September with an article about the same topic and came up with some great choices, so feel free to check that out. However, I wanted to throw in my two cents, without overlapping or copying any ideas from that previous article.
So, without further ado, let’s take a look at 5 more actresses who could pull off the role of Wonder Woman in a live action Justice League adaptation…
5. Hayden Panettiere
The very gorgeous Hayden Panettiere (who has rocked dark hair before, incidentally) would make a great young Wonder Woman, if that’s the way DC/Warner Bros. wanted to go with the character.
She’s beautiful – we’ve covered that already – she’s in great shape, she’s demonstrated the ability to play a brave and heroic character in the aptly named Heroes and, whilst her name is a big draw, she’s not at that level that would take the limelight away from the likes of Christian Bale (should he continue his role as Batman, as has recently been rumoured, in a team-up movie).
She’d also look great in the Amazonian getup. That’s the main focal point of this little argument, the be honest.
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53 Comments
I fully stick by Nicholas Winding Refn taking the gig and making Christina Hendricks the next Wonder Woman. I’m extremely biased, but damnit she’d work!
She’s certainly amply built!
So to speak.
The following actresses will NEVER be acceptable to play Wonder Woman for the very simple reason that they are TOO short.
Hayden Panettiere is 5’2
Lizzy Caplan is 5’4
Katharine Isabelle is 5’4
Eliza Dushku is 5’5
When you think Amazon you think of someone at least 5’7”. ERICA DURANCE (5’8) is a real possibility but at 34 I think she is approaching a point of no return age wise especially when you consider that they would want someone who could play the part for the next ten years. I personally think the best options are in order of preference: AMBER HEARD (5’8) – is an established actress who has been in physical performances and has some name recognition. EVE TORRES – Former WWE wrestler who in my opinion embodies the look of Wonder Woman more than anyone I can think of. She has built a career on performing physical activities specifically fighting. The question is…can she act? Finally Adrianne Palicki (5’11) – I think she got a bum rap from the WW pilot and deserves another chance. The only thing with her is she may be too tall and come across as lanky moreso than powerful. All of these actresses are at the time of this writing under 30.
Honestly, I don’t see height as an issue. I would also stress however that, depending on where you look online, all those actresses heights vary massively. I’ve seen all of them apart from Panettiere listed as 5’6″ in at least a couple of places, so I’d take Wikipedia etc with a pinch of salt (not that I’m saying they’re definitely 5’6″ or higher, but I wouldn’t necessarily trust that they’re 5’4″ either).
I can see where you’re coming from though, but I personally think that as long as the actress is prepared to bulk up a little bit in terms of their *build*, height’s not that big an issue.
Tom Cruise has been getting away with looking taller than he is on screen for years, so the camera can lie too. And there’s always the aid of Wonder Woman style platform boots to bear in mind for that extra oomph in the height department.
You are absolutely correct. They could use camera tricks to make a short woman look imposing but I am not sure why they would. Tom Cruise has gotten away with not being tall…BUT the difference is that Wonder Woman already has a defined look. The one time Cruise tried to play someone with a defined look, the movie’s producers took all kind of criticism…just google (Reacher Cruise)and two of the first three entries decry his choice as the main protagonist Jack Reacher in the movie by that name.
Height is a total issue. Wonder Woman is iconic, and her boots can’t and shouldn’t be filled by just anyone. Adrianne Palicki is a GREAT choice. She should get another shot. But they need to make WW as intense and dark as the new Superman and Spider-Man movies and not make it a farce.
We are totally on the same page about Eve Torres.
I’d go Gemma Arterton at this point. I’d say build is more of an issue over height (though the height thing is a factor). Gemma Arterton is the right age,the right build and potentially has the right essence about her too. She also needs a hit movie real bad!
Yeah I can see where you’re going with that. My main issue would be that she might be a bit too quintessentially English. I’ve not really been convinced by her non-English accents.
Agree 100% about build though (as you’ll see from my comment above). I don’t think age is an issue though – I think DC want to fast-track this project (and I think they’ll have to if Bale’s returning, because he’s not ageing as well as say… Robert Downey Jr in the MCU. And most Hollywood actresses stay looking great well in to their 40s (Charlize Theron, for instance, is 37 and the only reason I didn’t put her on the list is because Jordan LaRue put her on his, in the list I referenced in my opening page).
I just think ultimately, particularly at this early stage, size doesn’t matter. You only have to look at the size of Christian Bale when he was fresh out of The Machinist when he was cast as Bruce Wayne.
Is the author of this article aware that Wonder Woman is an Amazon? Not a waif or an underwear model. Haden Panetierre is like 5 ft tall. That’s like casting a midget for Thor. These are all fine actresses, but not a one is even 5’10″. Whoever plays Diana has to look like she could be a decathlete on top of having acting chops and looking like a Greek goddess.
Very aware, as already discussed, but merely of the personal *opinion* that height isn’t a massively relevant factor due to a) the boots, b) the camera lying and c) build being a much more important factor – and build is something that can be worked on.
I’m rooting for an unknown actress. Wonder Woman is such an iconic role that Linda Carter, who hasn’t played the part in nearly 40 years, is still considered the definitive live action Wonder Woman. None of these woman would look right in a tiara or those damn cool bracelets in my humbly biased opinion.
Opinion totally respected.
How about Alexandra D’addario, who was in the Percy Jackson movie? She’s pretty tall (about 5’8″), very pretty, and a more than decent actress. Take a look at her on IMDB, and see if you agree that she would be perfect.
Yeah I certainly think that’s the maximum sort of height people should be thinking about. And she could do the role, certainly.
At that kind of height, in boots, she’s gonna be the same height as Henry Cavill (he’s 6’1″). And I do personally think that, ideally, Wonder Woman should be about shoulder height to Superman whilst wearing her boots. So I think 5’4″ is ideal.
I look at this picture here:
http://images4.fanpop.com/image/photos/16100000/WWSM-superman-and-wonder-woman-16161668-395-609.jpg
And I think that if Superman’s 6’1″, she’s about 5’9″ whilst wearing her boots, and that looks about right to me. So that’s my input on the matter, just to try to stem the flow of comments with height issues.
Wonder Woman isn’t that tall without boots. And her boots should bring a 5’4″ actress up to an acceptable on-screen height.
My pick is Lynn Collins.
In my mind, Wonder Woman needs to have a significant screen presence and I think there are only a handfull of female actors that have that kind of presence.
I didn’t have a clue who you were talking about there, had to look her up.
But I recall her in True Blood and the Wolverine movie now that I’ve done that.
Good call.
Colbie Shoulders anyone?
*Schmulders
I thought of Cobie to be honest, but she’s attached to Marvel long-term, so I can’t see it happening.
She’d be good for WW though. If not a bit TOO tall, boots considered. Don’t think Cavill and particularly Bale (if he’s involved) would like WW to dwarf them.
I saw Lynn Collins who isnt bad…
Gina Cirrano or Mary Elizabeth Winstead are my top 2 though…
Yeah Gina was on Jordan’s list and another I probably would’ve suggested myself if he hadn’t already done so. Although, again, in Wonder Woman’s heeled boots she might look a bit TOO tall next to the 6’1″ Cavill.
Winstead’s an interesting choice though. Can’t decide what I make of that one. Food for thought.
Yeah with Winstead honestly I just think she looks like she could be imposing(I think I read she’s 5’8-5’9″) but also can be very pretty. If they had her hit the gym some I think she’d nail it, she’s just got a lot of on-screen charisma that I think would carry 2 hours better than a lot of current female stars… She’s a little old school.. and that does a lot in the way of personality.
I’m not great at these though… I once complained to a fanboy that Harry Connick Jr. Shoulda played Gambit…
Dushku I thionk was a solid call… She def looks the part but the last thing I saw her in was “the new guy…” Not exactly an oscar performance… What about Alexa Davalos?
Gwen Raiden? Interesting, interesting.
On that note – Amy Acker? Nah, TOO skinny a frame to work with an nowhere near imposing enough. Although she did OK as Illyria…
I never really saw Acker as a lead though she’s always a great sidekick… I will say… She looked GOOD in Cabin in the Woods though… She just strikes me as more of an attractive desk jockey though… You know she’s too old for the role now and she was never a strong actor but I remember reading Whedon wanted Charisma Carpentar for the role when he was set to make the movie a while back… She would have looked the part, but like I said not anymore and she was never one to be compared to Meryl Streep… Someone doesn’t have to be oscar worthy to be wonder woman but they gotta have the personality to carry a 2 hour flick… That’s the tough part…
Yeah into her 40s now isn’t she! Unbelievable. She was still playing a high school cheerleader less than 15 years ago.
Would certainly have been a good call back then.
Last one I’ll throw out there is Gemma Arterton…. She’s not a bad actress, is very pretty, and wouldn’t be hard to believe in action scenes… I also throw out that Emily Blount is an obvious candidate…
I think who ever plays Wonder Woman should be fairly unknown. Also I think she needs to be tall. Find somebody who is tall, brunette, real blue eyes and real breasts. This is how WW has always been. Find somebody who fits. Don’t try to fake it. Lynda Carter was all of these things. They did it once they can do it again.
I suppose that IS a solid way of looking at it. But it depends entirely on your viewpoint.
Do you just go for someone who is big to start with who might not have the personality/acting prowess for it, which also limits the pool from which you can pick? Or do you look at the acting first and think ‘we can make her look the part with some work’?
I’ve personally gone for the latter, but I’m perfectly fine with people preferring the former.
I feel they need to find someone with both looks a acting ability. Nothing has been done with WW since the 70′s. The character deserves the time, effort, and respect that needs to go into this project. The right person is out there. They need to take the time and search for her. When you try to make someone look the part, it really does look contrived. People are naming off all of these established actresses. NO! Get a fresh face like Lynda Carter was and go from there. It worked back then. It will work now.
Why does everyone keep associating boots with high heels?
That would be because Wonder Woman’s classic boots… they have high heels.
My Pick for Wonder Woman would be…
1. Jessical brown-Findlay she shoed her acting chops on MisFits, and Downton Abbey and Black Mirror… The two other heads are Brits (Bale and Cavill respectively) and she has the looks, acting chops and figure to do Diana Prince some “justice”> XD Or either Jessica Biel for the star power, or Gina Carano because as we saw in hay fire she has the bod and fighting skill to make Wonder Woman a beast on-screen!
My top choice is Jaimie Alexander who played Sif in Thor. If Chris Evans and Ryan Reynolds can play multiple comic book characters then so should she. She’s beautiful but as seen in Thor, she’s believable as a warrior. I really need Wonder Woman to be about the strength and the fighting aspect first and looks second because I feel like a Wonder Woman movie can either become very pro feminist or very sexist and I would largely prefer the former.
It’s none of these women. You saw her, at the Superbowl, her name is Beyonce!
Terrible list. Just terrible. Better list:
Olga Kurylenko age 33, Gina Carano age 30, Megan Gale age 37, Bridget Regan age 30 (fan favorite), Gemma Arterton 26, or Caterina Murino age 35 (honorable mentions: Coby Smoulders [Avengers makes casting her next to impossible], Lake Bell [expressed interest], Odette Annable)
By including a couple of those, I see you’ve neither read the article, or the older article that used some of those ideas that meant I couldn’t, or the comments!
Yeah I did read both articles and my opinion still stands that this was a terrible list of candidates that you chose to play Wonder Woman. None of them embody anything that screams “Wonder Woman!” Maybe “wonder” and then “woman”, but not together. I don’t care if there’s a thousand lists that have some of the names that I’ve chosen. I’d rather see lists that show what Wonder Woman should look, feel, and act like on screen than one list full of fan-fic, teeny-bopper, b.s. Nothing personal against you or your list but I think it’s a waste of time to try and fit Erica Durance (Why because she was on Smallville and wore a WW costume a couple times?) and Hayden Panettiere (Really?) in the same breath as Wonder Woman. The ONLY one I MIGHT give a pass is Eliza Dushku… but she’s 5’5″.
Oh and here’s a new one: Bérénice Marlohe
Keys’s to a successful ‘Wonder Woman casting list’- Look, screen presence, acting skills, extra skills.
Wonder Woman shouldn’t look like some former Disney actress. She’s a warrior woman with god-like abilities. Your list doesn’t mirror that at all.
silly thing to say mr wayne…..
does chris hemsworth look like a thunder god? or does scralet johansen look lie a russian spy? does mark ruffalo look like a puny scientist? did eric bana for that matter? did heath ledger look like a scarred maniac? did lynda carter look like an amazonian warrior? does tom hiddlestan look like a dwarf frost giant? does anthony hopkins look like santa claus on steroids with the ability to smash galaxies as collateral damage of his fights? does nicolas cage look like a young blonde stunt driver? does kevin spacy look like a slaphead tycoon with a grudge?
forget stereotypes. hollywood has forgotten them for years.
Gina Carano (Haywire movie)
She’s gorgeous, and is an actual MMA fighter.
Not to mention she doesn’t look like a twig.
Yeah she was in the other list, so I couldn’t include her. I’ve explained that a few times and I linked to it in the opening lines of the article.
Think of it as an alternative list, based on what’s left after the obvious picks.
And what is it with all this demand for obvious typecasting? I thought those days were long gone.
Who would’ve thought the 5’8″ Jeremy Renner would be Hawkeye, the 5’8″ Downey Jr would be Iron Man, the 5’3″ Scarlett Johansson would be Black Widow, the chunky Mark Ruffalo would be Bruce Banner or the then 120lb Christian Bale would be pumped to play Batman 6 months later?
You have to look past appearance.
I am aware that wonderwoman in supposed to sexy, but come on! She is a total badass, not just eye candy. If she is just a piece of ass in the movie I will be so pissed. I know that sex sells but at least make her useful.
You saying the likes of Buffy’s Faith Lehane, Smallville’s Lois Lane and American Mary’s Mary Mason weren’t badass?! For shame! :P
Even Nashville’s Juliette Barnes and Mean Girls’ Janis Ian/Cloverfield’s Marlena Diamond were complete bitches!
I like the list, but as i saw some of you where talking about the height issue, gotta remember just coz Cavill is 6’1 doesnt mean he will be in the film. Superman is 6’4/5 so they will make him taller coz its only a couple of inches. An average height actress (5’5-5’9) would still be fine to be cast as WW. Also we dont even know if this WW will wear ‘boots’ as such. With the revamp of costumes its impossible to know what the costume will look like. Who wudda thought the new Superman suit would look like it does? My choice physically wise would be Gemma Arterton, but i have to agree with Kev shes waaaay too english. Apart from her, theres no other ‘stand out’ choice. Its going to be an interesting year regarding the JL…..
I love the top 3 ideas especially E Dushku.
Don’t think H Panettiere would work though (see what you mean about the costume though) and have never heard of Katherine Isabelle.
Hayden Panettiere as young Wonder Woman could work, but she’s not gonna grow any more so she won’t grow into the older version if you understand me?
Eliza Dushku was always my choice though so well done for putting her number 1.
Olivia Wilde any one? she is HOT and she is not a bad actor and has done some action movies.
I would vote for a newcomer. If you’ve watched Lost Girl out of Canada, Anna Silk would do a killer job of it. Tall, brunette, fighter… she has it all. Oh yeah, and would look HOT as WW.
Hi, Anna would be great if she was 10 years younger and 5″ taller. She is hot, but has a very hard look to her. I don’t think she could pass with Greek Amazon goddess.
She looks Iranian/Turkish to me.
Since the Justice league movie will have younger members( sort of )like Henry cavill I would suggest a wonder woman that looks cavill’s age. For example,bridget rena for wonder woman. chris pine for GL Hal Jordan. Matt bomer for Batman (seeing as how he and henry cavill look alike and so do bruce and supes)
As for the comments on her not being hispanic.. Where do you think the Amazon IS?? After seeing how fine she looks, and how well she performs in action flicks (zorro) ….I think Catherine Zeta Jones would be a fine wonderwoman. You could use the younger chicks as supporting amazonians.
What about Alexis Knapp? She’s young, good height, gorgeous, and has a great presence on screen. She’s a newcomer and a strong actress.
The best choice both in terms of appearance and acting ability is Natasha Henstridge. Dye her hair brunette and she has the height, physique, toughness and sex appeal needed for the role. She is overlooked because is on the wrong side of 30 for most movie producers but she would more than fill out WW’s costume, literally and figureatively. And more importantly, we need her to look like an Amazon warrior, not a high school cheerleader.
If movie producers want to make Lois Lane look like college freshman rather than seasoned journalist, fine, but this is supposed to be Wonder Woman, not Wonder Girl.
Most of the names put forth on this list and in the comments are actresses who made a name for themselves as teens or playing daughters. Oliva Wilde may have gravitas for role but she is more super thin supermodel than superpowerful superheroine.