Hey all,
I enjoyed writing my World's Finest fancast/fan fic and seeing the reception a few weeks ago so much (if you missed it, click HERE to check it out), I decided to continue and move onto what I believe should be another pre-Justice League DC Comics film. It's a massive shame that Wonder Woman has yet to get a big screen adaptation, and as a part of the DC Trinity, she deserves her chance to shine. Unlike World's Finest, I didn't really write my own original story for Wonder Woman. I would base it heavily on the 2009 animated Wonder Woman feature, which was a great origin story for Diana of Themiscyra. However, I would make the following changes:
-Alexa is not in this version of the story. When Diana disguises herself and enters the contest to return Steve to man's world, she asks Persephone to guard Ares' prison cell, not knowing her feelings toward him. Persephone had been on the island for a long time, but despite earning the trust of many, she ended up falling in love with the God of War. After Persephone frees and escapes with him, Diana also sought to defeat Ares, realizing that his escape was her fault and that this was her responsibility.
-Diana will accompany Steve to Washington DC instead of New York City, as that city has already been used frequently in CBMs. The two are moved into an apartment in the DC area by the film's end.
-Cheetah does not make an actual appearance at the end. Instead, the final scene will show Diana in Steve's apartment, and she sees a news report on TV about a cheetah-like woman terrorizing downtown. She smiles, and she flies out of the building suited up as Wonder Woman.
-The US president will not launch a nuclear missile against Themiscyra. This is similar to The Avengers' inclusion of a nuke. Instead, he sends a US army to combat Ares' forces, but ultimately lost. However, the tide turns when Artemis and her Themiscyran army emerge after Diana sent them the coordinates.
-DC references/easter eggs include a prior invasion in Metropolis, John Stewart (as both he and Steve Trevor serve in the US Marines), and a Daily Planet newspaper with Lex Luthor on the cover.
-Post-Credits Scene: Steve Trevor is at his computer late one night in his office, sometime after the events of the Washington DC battle. The screen had a world map on it. Suddenly, a red dot next to the Earth started beeping, indicating that something intergalactic is coming.
Now, onto the fancast for the film's key characters and who should write, direct and compose.
Director: Rupert Wyatt - In delivering the excellent
Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes in 2011, Wyatt immediately became one of the directors I most want to see tackle a comic book movie. With
Apes having a somewhat exotic feel, I can see his applying that style to
Wonder Woman very well. He knows how to direct action, as well as make you care for the characters (which is what every CBM needs). Plus, as well as he breathed new life into a long-running franchise, I believe that he can bring similar magic in kick starting a new one.
Screenwriters: Ashley Miller & Zak Stentz - This writing duo previously worked on both
X-Men: First Class and
Thor, two of the best CBMs of the past couple years. I'd loved to see them work on a DC Comics adaptation.
Wonder Woman would be a good fit, as such a film could be very similar to
Thor in terms of scale and characterization (if not improved upon it). *Note: Michael Goldenberg was hired to write a
Wonder Woman movie as of June 2012. However, Miller and Stentz would be my choices for new writers if/when needed.
Composer: James Newton Howard - Not the greatest of modern film composers, but Howard always gets the job done. He has plenty of DC experience after his work on
Green Lantern and the first two installments of
The Dark Knight Trilogy (the latter of which he worked on with Hans Zimmer), and his score for
The Hunger Games was surprisingly really good. I think he would do
Wonder Woman very well.
Producers: Charles Roven, Zack Snyder, Deborah Snyder
A Legendary Pictures/DC Entertainment production, distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures
Diana Prince/Wonder Woman - Gina Carano (
Haywire)
Character Bio: The daughter of Queen Hippolyta of Themiscyra, Diana is one of many inhabitants of the all-female island. However, she decides to go out into the world of man when a US pilot crash lands on their home land and an enemy from her mother's past re-emerges.
The role of Wonder Woman is a very hard one to fill, to say the least. You need an actress who is not only beautiful, but can kick anyone's butt like a true superhero. One of those who fits into this description wonderfully is Carano. She was pretty good in
Haywire, and as that was her first acting gig, I'm sure she'll improve in future projects. She has the appearance and beauty needed for Diana, and her fighting skills are also greatly welcome. Even her voice reminds me of the character. Not to mention that she's dating Superman himself, Henry Cavill, in real life. I'm not sure if she's the best choice possible (especially with Jaimie Alexander working with Marvel for now), but Carano would certainly be a great Wonder Woman.
Queen Hippolyta - Charlize Theron (
Snow White & The Huntsman)
Character Bio: The ruler of a race of warrior women, Hippolyta is the sole leader in Themiscyra, a land which saw eternally young females. She defeated Ares, the God of War, many years ago, but it now appears that he's returning for vengeance.
Theron is a proven actress, having delivered solid performances throughout her career. She even played a (albeit wicked) queen in
Snow White & The Huntsman. You need a strong, beautiful actress to fill the role of Hippolyta, and Theron is just that. Additionally, I said in the past that DC can go the Marvel route of surrounding mostly unknown lead actors with A-listers, and Carano/Theron would most definitely work in that regard.
Steve Trevor - Bradley Cooper (
The Silver Linings Playbook)
Character Bio: A pilot for the US Marines, Trevor is cocky, brave, and occasionally stubborn. However, his life changes when he crash lands on the mysterious island Themiscyra and meets Diana, who accompanies him to Washington DC.
Cooper is a great actor, and one of those who needs to be in a CBM someday. He has been connected to the roles of Green Lantern and especially Flash in the past, but with his recent filmography (and especially his Oscar nomination for
The Silver Linings Playbook), he may not want to go into heavily comedic roles as frequently as he has in the past. Steve Trevor is a good fit for him, and one that he could have plenty of fun with. However, with his lining up several projects for the next few years, this is probably my most unrealistic choice in this cast.
Ares - Jason Momoa (
Conan The Barbarian)
Character Bio: The God of War, Ares was imprisoned centuries ago by Hippolyta. However, he finally manages to break out and escape into the United States, which is where Diana is located at the time.
Momoa is certainly a physical/well-built actor, and does a good job playing aggressive characters. He was easily one of the very few bright spots in the awful
Conan The Barbarian reboot two years ago. It'd be great to see him in a big villain role like this, as I better see him as an antagonist than a protagonist. Plus, he may not work with Marvel in the near future after negotiations (apparently) unpleasantly broke down for
Guardians Of The Galaxy, which increases the possibility of his going over to DC at some point.
Artemis - Gemma Arterton (
Prince Of Persia: The Sands Of Time)
Character Bio: The leader of the Themiscyran army, Artemis is also one of the island's toughest soldiers.
Arterton is one of my top picks to play Wonder Woman, but if she doesn't get that role, she can go for Artemis. She certainly has blockbuster experience, after working on films such as
Clash Of The Titans (a Warner Bros. fantasy epic, something like what
Wonder Woman should be - but with a far superior story/script of course) and
Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters. The tough role of Artemis would be a little different, but Arterton could easily pull it off.
Hades - Rhys Ifans (
The Amazing Spider-Man)
Character Bio: Ruler of the Underworld, Hades is the uncle of Ares. He gives him permission to use an army of undead soldiers to take out Diana in the US, before moving onto Themiscyra.
Ifans recently played a comic book movie villain in last year's
The Amazing Spider-Man, in which he delivered a fantastic performance as Curt Connors/Lizard. However, I feel like he can be just as good in the role of Hades. He plays evil characters well, and can deliver the right amount of intensity when needed. In this film, I would have Hades only appear in a handful of scenes, but he would be heavily featured in a sequel.
Persephone - Katie Cassidy (
Arrow)
Character Bio: One of the inhabitants of Themiscyra, Persephone falls in love with Ares and ends up betraying those who trusted her in breaking him out of prison.
Cassidy is a decent actress, having CBM experience with her current role as Laurel Lance on the hit TV series
Arrow. A more sinister role like Persephone would be a little different, but I think she could do quite well with it, given the right script/direction of course.
Well, that's a wrap. Share your thoughts, comments and constructive criticisms below. I'm currently putting the final touches on my new
Justice League plot outline, so expect that along with a fancast within the next several weeks.