Wonder Woman Returns by Jennifer Stuller

Last week SciFi.com reported a delicious rumor that Joss Whedon, creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel and Firefly, is in talks to write and direct a Wonder Woman movie.

To say I'm tickled pink (or is it red, white and blue?) at this prospect would be an understatement. It's about time the superhero genre's own Princess Di had her feature-film debut. And if the Fates have their way, it's Whedon's destiny to bring this about.

Most people are familiar with the 1970's TV version of Wonder Woman. Personified by Lynda Carter, the theme song reminded us that our hero was "fighting for her rights, in her satin tights." But devoted geeks know that the Amazon princess has been around far longer than Carter's satin-wrapped legs.

Created in 1941 by psychologist William Moulton Marston, Wonder Woman was a contemporary of Batman and Superman in a time that historians now refer to as the "golden age" of comics.

Marston was a renaissance man; as a doctor, lawyer, writer, consultant and inventor of the lie detector test, he proved to be a savvy and unconventional intellectual. After paying tribute to Detective Comics (aka DC) executive M.C. Gaines in an article for the women's magazine Family Circle, Gaines hired the psychologist as an editorial advisor for DC -- a position that ultimately led to the birth of Wonder Woman.

The psychologist had fairly radical ideas about sex and gender -- ideas that were subversively expressed in the comic itself and overtly expressed in his other publications. Marston believed that women were the superior sex and that men should submit to what he called "their loving dominance."

"Frankly," he wrote in a letter to comic historian Coulton Waugh, "Wonder Woman is psychological propaganda for the new type of woman who should, I believe, rule the world."

Though the ideology was delightfully bizarre, he practiced what he preached. Marston willfully submitted to the women in his life and lived quite happily with his two wives and their four children until his death in 1947. Both "wives" claim to be the inspiration for Wonder Woman. They probably both were.

But beyond the unconventional nature of his personal life, Marston recognized the power of stories to influence children. He believed that the accessibility of the comic medium could be utilized as a method for building self-confidence in women -- and as a way of changing male ideas about societal roles for women.

His self-proclaimed formula for the Wonder Woman series consisted of a beautiful woman with both physical and emotional strength -- a woman who fought for the greater good of humanity through an altruistic love.

Marston wanted to show that any young girl could become a "Wonder Woman," but his peculiar social agenda makes a clear feminist reading of Wonder Woman difficult, at best. That does not mean, however, the icon can't be utilized as a role model in ways that are fitting for contemporary times or for feminist values. In fact, Gloria Steinem adopted the super heroine as a champion of the feminist movement, stressing the connection between modern feminist values and those the original Wonder Woman encouraged in her adventures with other women.

The values of strength, self-reliance, peacefulness and support are relevant for any age, and here is where Whedon comes in.

Few creators of popular culture seem to understand the female hero as well as he does. Whedon recognizes the cultural need for women and men to see a heroic female warrior on screen (just as Marston recognized a similar need for the comic medium). He also has an uncanny ability to reflect and refract our cultural ideas back at us through the various mediums of popular culture.

"Each generation makes the fictional heroes it needs," writes Danny Fingeroth in his book Superman on the Couch: What Superheroes Really Tell Us about Ourselves and Our Society.

Like Marston before him, Whedon had a social agenda for his generation with the creation of Buffy (though where Whedon's agenda is altruistic and empowering, Marston's bordered on kink). Both these brilliant men wished to create a heroic archetype that could upend constrictive and stereotypical views about women.

A return to the mother of feminine heroism -- especially as envisioned and directed by Whedon -- would be a welcome and empowering full- circle enterprise. Especially because it was the creation and intention of a Wonder Woman that enabled an evolution of the female superhero that resulted in a Buffy. Wonder Woman is a role model that can be re-imagined to fit with our time, to be relevant to changing attitudes about gender roles and female heroism. I can think of no one more capable of this endeavor than Whedon. I can also think of no one more worthy.

And hey, it's only taken 65 years to make it to the big screen.

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‘Two Days!’ WONDER WOMAN Producer Joel Silver Tells Herc!!

I am – Hercules!!

I just got back from the Museum of Television and Radio’s Monday night “Veronica Mars” event. They screened the March 29 episode, which has lots of stuff with Veronica’s mom, Veronica’s parentage, what Leann was doing with Jake in that hotel, and it’s all great. Rob Thomas revealed what 1.21 is about. I'm confident "Moonshine" will have a full recap on all this for the TV side of the site presently.

So anyway, at the end of the event, as dozens of teenyboppers rushed Kristin Bell and Teddy Dunn, I had a really brief chat with Joel Silver, who produces the show.

Now to understand this stupid conversation, you have to know that on Dec. 14 Ain’t It Cool broke the news Silver was pursuing Joss Whedon to write and direct a “Wonder Woman” movie. Silver finally confirmed as much to SciFi Wire on Feb. 20. "I'm trying to work a deal with Joss,” he told SciFi. “I don't know if I could work that out. It's a complicated deal to do, but I would love him to do it. It would be great if he could do it."

Cut to tonight:

HERC: Joel Silver!!! (Silver hears me and leaps from his seat. I wave him over. Shockingly, he wanders over and shakes hands.) I’m with Ain’t It Cool News.

JOEL SILVER: (all smiles): Oh yeah!

HERC: I want to ask you what’s going on with Whedon!

JOEL SILVER: (smile vanishes; pulls away hand; he begins to retreat to backstage): Two days!

HERC: You’re announcing something in two days? (Silver stops, nods, continues toward the backstage area.) Do you want to say anything about what’s holding things up?

JOEL SILVER: Two days!

HERC: This week? (Silver nods and disappears backstage.)

Lame, right? Maybe Silver just says “two days” to any stranger who asks him about something he doesn’t want to talk about.

So I get home and what’s the first thing I see on Ain’t It Cool? Moriarty’s story about the “Layer Cake” guy getting the “X3” directing job that every X-Men fan on this planet thought Whedon should get.

Stay with me. Here’s the exact words the guy – the guy who first gave us the Whedon Wonder Woman scoop - used way back on Dec. 14:

Remember now: prior to AICN getting this missive, we hadn’t heard anything about any Whedon involvement in Wonder Woman. Nobody had.

“Two days.”

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Whoop, There It Is!! Joss Whedon Officially Writing And Directing WONDER WOMAN!!

I am – Hercules!!

The Hollywood trade papers report Thursday morning that it’s a done deal, though no start date has yet been set, and no one has been cast. AICN sources have long maintained that Warner Bros. hopes to have its big-screen "Wonder Woman" in the cinemas by summer 2006.

"Wonder Woman is the most iconic female heroine of our time, but in a way, no one has met her yet," Whedon said in a statement. "What I love most about icons is finding out what's behind them, exploring the price of their power. When ["Wonder Woman" producer Joel Silver] and I began discussing the character, I realized there is a woman behind the legend who is very fascinating, very uncompromising and in her own way almost vulnerable. She's someone who doesn't belong in this world, and since everyone I know feels that way about themselves, the character clicked for me."

For those new to the site, Whedon masterminded "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," "Angel" and "Firefly," three of the finest entertainments ever televised. He made his feature directorial debut last summer with "Serenity," the big-screen sequel to "Firefly," which hits movie screens in September. He also co-wrote "Toy Story" and created a really great script called "Alien: Resurrection," which was directed by a guy who didn't speak much English and the movie itself didn't turn out so good.

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IT'S OFFICIAL: WONDER WHEDON

Joss Whedon will be following up this fall's Serenity by writing and directing Wonder Woman for Joel Silver and Warner Bros.

"Wonder Woman is the most iconic female heroine of our time, but in a way, no one has met her yet," Whedon said. "What I love most about icons is finding out what's behind them, exploring the price of their power. When Joel and I began discussing the character, I realized there is a woman behind the legend who is very fascinating, very uncompromising and in her own way almost vulnerable. She's someone who doesn't belong in this world, and since everyone I know feels that way about themselves, the character clicked for me."

As you may know, Wonder Woman is an Amazon princess who comes from the all-chick Paradise Island to Man's World to teach the ways of peace through copious ass kicking. She was created by William Moulton Marston, a bondage pervert and the inventor of the lie detector, in 1941.

Editorial content follows: Wonder Woman is a fine character who keeps getting her own comic book because she's always had her own comic book. She's like the Silver Surfer that way. She's the weird top tier superhero who nobody reads. When she's most interesting she's dealing with her mythological background, but I doubt the movie will deal much with that.

Honestly, I'm not all that excited about this project, but I wish Joss well. I've made my thoughts on female superheroes clear - fanboys don't like them and their solo books don't sell, but at least America on the whole is a touch more comfortable with female action characters.

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Whedon lassos 'Wonder' helm for Warners

By Borys Kit
Joss Whedon is preparing to bring to life another formidable female character in his latest movie endeavor.

The creator of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" has signed to write and direct "Wonder Woman," a live-action film adaptation of the DC Comics character for Warner Bros. Pictures. Joel Silver and Leonard Goldberg are producing.

"Wonder Woman is the most iconic female heroine of our time, but in a way, no one has met her yet," Whedon said in a statement. "What I love most about icons is finding out what's behind them, exploring the price of their power. When Joel and I began discussing the character, I realized there is a woman behind the legend who is very fascinating, very uncompromising and in her own way almost vulnerable. She's someone who doesn't belong in this world, and since everyone I know feels that way about themselves, the character clicked for me."

According to the lore of the comic book, Wonder Woman is the superhero name of Diana, an Amazonian princess from Paradise Island, an uncharted island to which the Amazons fled to escape domination by the ancient Greeks and Romans. She has super strength, bracelets that deflect bullets and a golden lasso that ensnares victims and forces them to tell the truth. She has, at times, even had her own super vehicle, an invisible plane.

"There's no one better than Joss to adapt the legendary Wonder Woman comic book character created in the 1940s into a dynamic feature film for 21st century audiences," Silver said. "Wonder Woman was the first great female superhero to emerge from comic books and later inspire millions of fans in her television incarnation, but unlike her counterparts Batman and Superman, this groundbreaking heroine has yet to be reinvented for the feature film arena."

Wonder Woman was created by educational consultant William Moulton Marston and first appeared in All Star Comics in 1941. Because of her popularity, she got her own self-titled series six months later. The heroine was played by Lynda Carter in the TV series that ran on ABC and CBS from 1976-79.

Warner Bros. is known to have been eyeing a Wonder Woman feature for some time.

"We are excited about working with Joss," Warner Bros. Pictures president Jeff Robinov said. "He brings great energy and creativity to the process. His work on 'Buffy' makes him uniquely qualified to handle the Wonder Woman character."

Whedon created the influential WB Network/UPN drama series "Buffy" and its spinoff, "Angel." He is in postproduction on the Universal Pictures feature "Serenity," which he wrote and directed based on his short-lived Fox drama series "Firefly." His other writing credits include "Toy Story" and "Alien: Resurrection."

Whedon, who also is penning the Marvel comic "Astonishing X-Men," is repped by CAA and attorney Sam Fischer.

An Open Letter To 'Wonder Woman' Director Joss Whedon
Just a few words of advice ... from a fan.

To: Joss Whedon
From: Larry Carroll, MTV News
Re: The new gig

Joss,

Congratulations on your recent selection as the director of Warner Bros./DC Comics' next superhero flick, "Wonder Woman". After a lengthy courtship, producer Joel Silver took one last look at your "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Firefly" genre credentials and decided to make you his date for the prom. Sit back, put your feet up, and feel free to pat yourself on the back.

Done? Good, because now it's time to panic. Have you ever heard of Rob Bowman, Rachel Talalay, Jeannot Szwarc, Pitof or David Hogan? No, of course not, because they directed "Elektra," "Tank Girl," "Supergirl," "Catwoman" and "Barb Wire," respectively. If you want to seek out their advice, they can probably be found pumping gas at your local Chevron or, worse, directing television. The sad fact is that female superheroes have never worked on the silver screen, and many believe that they never will.

Now that the dotted line has been signed, you've inherited the most iconic of female heroes, a character that has captured the imagination of comic-book fans ever since she was suggested by a psychiatrist concerned with the unbalanced messages that male-dominated comics send. We already think of Wonder Woman as the female Superman, a member of the Super Friends who spawned a classic live-action show in the '70s and came to embody the feminist movement to the point where she appeared on the cover of the first issue of Ms. Magazine. It's a lot of pressure, but don't sweat it: As a fan of the movies and of comics, I've made a list of ways you can make the Golden Lassoed goddess work:

Cast Wonder Woman, Not Just A Famous Woman - Halle Berry, Alicia Silverstone and Jennifer Garner may have been riding red-hot careers when they were cast, but they were all woefully inappropriate for the suits they inhabited. True Elektra fans knew that she was an olive-skinned Greek woman who would most likely possess an accent. Catwoman geeks knew that the name Patience Phillips meant nothing to them, and that her back story would probably mean even less. Batman loyalists are still rubbing their eyes to try and erase the image of Silverstone shoehorned into that Batgirl suit. Casting an actress who is physically appropriate and then holding on for dear life to the character details shows the fans that you intend to take seriously that which means so much to them.

Don't Waste All Your Creativity On The Uniform - Pam Anderson looked great in that Barb Wire outfit; Halle Berry was every bit as sizzling in that ripped-apart cat suit. If either had been simply selling something in a magazine, we surely would have bought it. But an actress needs to deliver lines, emote, and it sure would be nice if she could make us care about her character. Give the character a soul-baring monologue, a revealing moment of self-doubt, maybe some clashes with the everyday world that surrounds us. Don't be afraid to think outside the box, but just be sure that you always ...

Take The Legend Seriously - Spider-Man's Aunt May making an off-the-cuff reference to Superman? Funny stuff. Richard Pryor upstaging our hero with slapstick? Disrespectful. Comic books are our modern-day mythologies, permitting us to dream about powerful derivations of ourselves who will protect, amaze and point us in the direction of virtue most of the time. When we buy a movie ticket, we want to be immersed in a superhero's story while feeling as though that hero could be walking among us. Humor is welcomed as long as it is appropriate. Many of our favorite heroes (Wolverine, Flash) have gotten us through tough times with their senses of humor. Putting nipples on the Batsuit, or throwing in Rob Schneider as a smart-mouthed sidekick, is the modern-day equivalent of an ancient Greek writing a play that has Zeus passing gas on his Mount Olympus throne.

Keep Your Wits (And Your Roots) About You - You were hired, Joss, because your "Buffy" so brilliantly walked the tightrope between camp humor and credibility for seven memorable seasons. With the exception of that musical episode, you can simply glance back at those old formulas to achieve that "X-Men"-type combination of not veering too far toward the camp that sank "Batman & Robin" or the self-importance that dragged down "Hulk."

Treat Your Woman Like A Man - As an icon of feminism, all Wonder Woman has ever wanted is equal opportunities. Don't pander to the Oprah crowd to get women into the theater; but don't skank her out for the "Maxim" readers, either. Ignore her gender and concentrate on making a great superhero movie.

Listen To The Woman Who Nearly Was Wonder Woman - "I talked about it at the beginning with Joel Silver, before the script was even written," Sandra Bullock said recently. "I said if it goes in this direction I'd like to do it, if it goes in this direction I don't feel comfortable doing it. It's more interesting when the superheroes are human. You see the antihero and you see the cracks in the veneer. I don't think, as human beings, we can relate to a true superhero, that's why Spider-Man does so well, that's why Batman does so well, because they're fraught with pain and insecurities and human elements rather than being invincible. Being invincible is uninteresting — who can identify with that?" Make her bleed. 'Nuff said.

When In Doubt, Go To The Source - One of the "Catwoman" writers toiled on Bill Cosby's sitcom ... the lame one from the '90s. At the time of "Barb Wire," one of its writers was best known for the Charlie Sheen clunker "Navy SEALS." You have 60-plus years of classic Wonder Woman plotlines to plunder as you see fit — if somebody suggests hiring the writer of "Cheaper by the Dozen 2" to do a script polish, run away as fast as you can. There are at least two comic book shops on the same street as the Warner Bros. lot — let me know if you want me to MapQuest directions for you.

Best of luck, Joss — a lot of us fans are hoping you can deliver an instant classic and bring us all to Paradise Island. Oh, and please, give your security guards a headshot of Sharon Stone and tell them to tackle her if she gets anywhere near your set.

— Larry Carroll

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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?”