Likelihood?:
With so many false starts and shelved projects it seems a big screen adaptation for the Amazonian Princess is far-fetched. Fan reception to the 2011 pilot for NBC was mixed at best with fans being critical of everything from the televised costume to the actor hired to portray Wonder Woman to the story itself. The reason the New 52 story is the best shot at this point is because it doesnt spend too much time on the Island of Themyscira or too much time on a convoluted origins story that tends to bog down super hero films in their first incarnations. Nothing, however, can help the fact that Wonder Woman is a dynamic character with many attributes that just make it difficult for a big screen story to do her justice. Shes a front-runner for the Justice League, almost certainly; because as part of an ensemble it will be easy to keep the focus off of those little things that would demand attention in a dedicated film. Still, as one of the earliest members of the Justice League and the first widely recognized female superhero, it would be a disservice to the character and her fans to relegate her to supporting player without letting her stand on her own.
Casting?:
In order to do such a dynamic character justice she will have to be played by a Woman, not a dark haired, dark eyed piece of eye candy from the pantheon of twenty somethings that Hollywood loves to parade around. Wonder Woman personifies feminine beauty as well as courage and strength. There is a very short list of people in Hollywood who can pull this off, in my opinion. In fact Wonder Woman may need to be discovered and appear as someone heretofore unknown. Still, wheres the fun in that? Speculation is the name of the game and so here are 3 actors I believe can play Wonder Woman and get it right.
In keeping with the links between
Wonder Woman and
Firefly the latters Morena Baccarin (known to
Firefly fans as Inara Serra) is ideal for the role and my top choice. Being Brazilian by birth gives her the exotic look that would be in keeping with being raised on an island. Having held her own with a rogue starship captain and his band of pirates while being a respectable space whore proves that she can play a part that is both feminine and strong and her time on board
Serenity proves she is no stranger to the genre. I cant take credit for the selection, however, Joss Whedons earlier involvement in a
Wonder Woman movie put Baccarin on the short list by association. Now that
House is over and Olivia Wilde is available, it would be a great time to snatch her up for this part. She has the dark hair and deameanor consistent with Wonder Woman and based on her performance in
Tron: Legacy shows that she can handle a sci-fi action role and playing a doctor is certain to give her a point of reference for a character full of knowledge and wisdom. This makes her an ideal candidate because she can embody Dianas allure as a sexy woman while still making use of her brains and being more than a bouncing body on screen. Next up---and most unlikely---is
Torchwoods Eve Myles. As Gwen Cooper she portrayed the quintessential female action hero toting a baby in one hand while firing a gun with the other---in the name of protecting her child. Gwen is, in many ways, already Wonder Woman. She is never intimidated by her male counterparts, has a mean left hook that can topple Jack Harkness himself to the ground and she isnt afraid to make the hard choices in order to do whats right. Eve Myles certainly has the background for the role, though traditionally it would be unusual for a non-American actor to portray Wonder Woman. Still, why shouldnt she? Shes qualified and Wonder Woman herself isnt from America, shes from a mythological island. If Hollywood is worried about the accent, Im sure a dialect coach could help out and it would satisfy a lot of genre fanboys and fangirls to see her again. Click "next" below to read the final part as we delve into who should direct...