I wake today, PopWatchers, with an odd feeling in the pit of my stomach — an odd feeling only partially related to the 12-layer nacho plate I consumed last night. (The Super Bowl? No, I didn’t watch — who won? The Pacers? Hooray!)
It’s with profound ambivalence that I digest this latest gob of movie news: As you probably know, Joss Whedon, the world’s leading male expert on female superheroes, has bowed out of Wonder Woman. I was kinda looking forward to this flick, I’ll admit, and not because I’m a huge fan of the character. (The current comics conception of her as an authoritarian figure just underlines all that’s kinky and male-gazey about this amusingly crude "protofeminist" icon. Plus… an invisible jet? A truth lasso? This isn’t comic-book fantasy. This is Condi Rice’s rec room.)
Really, I just wanted to see how Whedon, the most sincere ironist on the planet (or maybe the most ironic sap? either way, a man after my own cheese-clogged heart), would tackle this most troublesome of comic book properties — how he would walk the tonal line, get his winks in, and then return some dignity to a character born into instant camp. I’ll never know: He’s gone. Probably because what he was proposing sounded too risky. And maybe because it wouldn’t have worked.
So who takes over now?
SHOULD TAKE OVER: How about, I dunno, a woman (for a change)? Could it be time for the rehabilitation of Kathryn Bigelow? Sure, why not! I mean, K-19: The Widowmaker wasn’t THAT bad. I mean, yes it was, but Point Break is still a cornball classic. Apply some of that magic to Wonder Woman, and you’ve at least got something fun on your hands. I don’t know about “good,” but certainly fun.
Failing that, I advise drastic measures: First, assemble a writing team consisting of comic-book wunderkind Brian K. Vaughn (Y: The Last Man) and a yet-to-be-named professor of classics, preferably female. Then give the whole shebang to newbie director-choreographer Anne Fletcher, who helmed the handsomely assembled Step Up. I have no idea if this will work. But I would like hundreds of millions gambled on it.
WILL TAKE OVER: Brett Ratner. Yeah. That’s right. Think about it: Who’s the most recent director to hit the box office jackpot with a superhero property? Ratner! Who started to direct a Superman movie for Warner Bros. before getting the fanboy boot — only to see his X-Men 3 outearn Superman Returns? Ratner! Who will make a big, dumb golden retriever of a blockbuster out of Wonder Woman, without any bellyaching about tone or content or story logic? Ratner! (Re: the retriever thing — I’m not saying WW’s a dog. Imagine a sexy golden retriever, in a spangled bathing suit and tiara.)
Hey, did you know that “Ratner” anagrams to “Re-rant”? Well, you’ve ranted before — now re-rant below!
After they killed off Cyclops in X3, I found a new reason to think Rattner’s okay. Then I saw who they cast as the Beast and the hate filled me all over again. Funny how that happens.
Oooh, Kathryn Bigelow! Or how about Mary Harron? C’mon, she did “American Psycho” and “I Shot Andy Warhol” … no one skews authoritarian and male-gazey like her.
I guess with Whedon gone, we won’t get to see a Morena Baccarin Wonder Woman film.
This basically articulates all my fears about what will happen to Wonder Woman now. They will most certainly put someone like Ratner in the director’s chair. I know some Wonder Woman fans had fears about Whedon’s talk of redesigning the costume (which he actually never said, just that there wouldn’t be any granny panties but there might be a little skirt) and that he wasn’t going to use a member of her rogue’s gallery, but Whedon was really my only hope that the character would be treated as more than just an excuse for T&A.
Man, I really hope it’s not Ratner. I hate him. He has yet to make a movie I have found remotely watchable. Also, he killed Cyclops, my favorite X-Man.
Give it to Christopher Nolan. If there’s a guy that can make this WW into a top notch hero it’s him. He can juggle it…
Oh well, I was only interested in it because of Whedon’s warped sense of humor. No need to waste money now on it.
I’m actually relieved it won’t be Whedon. His stuff just gets weirder and weirder; after the bizarre last seasons of “Buffy” and the “Serenity” movie, I really don’t trust him anymore.
Word is that the studio bought a spec script that sets all the action in WWII, i.e., during the character’s original origins. That sounds interesting to me, if they get the right person to do it.
It’s not a very interesting character to me, so go ahead and give it to Michael Bay and let him ruin that for everyone, instead of ruining things I loved from my childhood, like the Transformers.
You know, you’re right. The current incarnation of Wonder Woman is all wrong. Let’s take it back to basics, the way the creator intended, with all the weird pseudo-BDSM, spanking, and Wonder Woman tied up every other issue. Here’s a great starting point:
http://absorbascon.blogspot.com/2006/11/and-hits-keep-coming.html
Yay feminist icon!
I second the vote for Christopher Nolan, particularly if they set the film in WWII. It could be moody and dark and sexy without being exploitive. Also: Christopher Bale as Steve Trevor = love.
Whedon is OUT!?!?!?!?! Well then, I know the answer to your question……WHO CARES!
As a comic book fan, and basically loving super-heroes & comics for years this is actually a tough call. Joss Whedon does spectacular work on Buffy (I’m So looking forward to the new comic) and has continued to improve the X-men in his Astonishing X-Men title because Joss is a true fanboy & appreciates character history & sensibilities. The current incarnation of Wonder Woman is difficult to tackle with the entire Infinite Crisis storyline running rampant through the DC universe, but it doesn’t help matters that even the Wonder Woman brought to life on the Cartoon Network’s JUSTICE LEAGUE cartoon didn’t mirror the comic book incarnation of Princess Diana either. The capture the perfect “version” one needs to wade through tons of print, television and comic histories, & unfortunately I see the only way anyone will be satisfied will be if a TRUE fanboy like Whedon took on the impossible task. I mean, maybe Kevin Smith can help out, but otherwise I just don’t see this being successful now
If anyone was suited to write and direct the Wonder Woman movie is it Joss Whedon. It is obvious he love female action (Buffy) and is a comic book fanboy.
Too bad….now they will most likely get Joel Schumacher to ruin it.
PS to whoever: Serenity was one of the best movies of 05, possibly the best sci fi in the last five years.
Perfect Writers: Gail Simone (DC’s “Birds of Prey”), with either Jane Espenson or Amy Sherman Palladino
Perfect Directors: Speilberg (for spectacle) or Alfonso Couran (for floruish and heart) or Christopher Nolan (for unexpected depth)
I agree with Scott, Mark, Phil, and Nick. If Joss isn’t doing it, I’m not interested. The character hasn’t been clear or compelling in anyone’s iteration, and it really needed to be rethought (intelligently).
On his site, Joss mentions Cobie Smulders as his (now defunct) casting choice. Nice coloring, right age? Tall enough?