Could a Wonder Woman movie work?

[MegaMonster54]

Hello! It's no secret that I love comicbooks and movies and Comicbook movies. It's played a huge part in my life writing wise and story telling wise. So, let me ask you a question. Can a Wonder Woman movie work?

 

People have said for years that a Wonder Woman movie would be to difficult (Diane Nelson) to boring (Joss Whedon) or to odd (Christopher Nolan) to make. All these arguments would hold up if not for this little gem

 

 

This is a Full Length animated Wonder Woman movie that DC made in 2009, and, ya know what? It's really good! So why can't DC make a live action Wonder Woman Movie if they have shown that they can make a pretty good animated movie?

 

Now don't get me wrong, I know that making movies is hard, believe me I know, especially animated movies. But why is Wonder Woman that only one in the Trinity to not get her own movie?!

 

Superman has had 6 movies 

 

Batman has had 9 

 

So why can't Wonder Woman be in that mix?

 

Well, I think it's because DC comics tends to hold characters they know will make money really close. Also, everything except Wonder Woman at DC comics is Batman. That dark and gritty tone of "My parents are deeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaad" Over dramatic BS that batman is all about. DC seems to think that is the reason we buy their comics or watch their movies. But the reason we watch Batman is because he's a nice change of tone from the bright world of DC comics. 

 

I'm getting off track.

 

I think DC is afraid that if they made a Wonder Woman movie, no one would see it.

 

And that's the truth, DC (Really every studio) is afraid that if they make a movie about an empowered woman, than audiences will shoot that movie down. 

 

I don't think that's the case, I think that the world is ready for a Wonder Woman movie. 

 

What about you? Would you watch a Wonder Woman Movie? Do you think it would work? What do you think a WW movie needs to be successful?

 

What I think a Wonder Woman movie needs to be successful.

1. NO JOSS WHEDON! Seriously, NO! STOP! NO MORE! HE DOES NOT READ COMICS! He is lame! The only good think he's ever made was Firefly, and the rest was with his Brother Zach who I think has real talent. No Joss Whedon!

2. Keep Christopher Nolan away from this film as much as humanly possible! He only understands and likes Batman. Wonder Woman is not Batman!

3. Get someone who gives a shit about Wonder Woman. Like Gail Simone, or that woman who wrote the animated movie!

4. Please put some pants on her. DC, it's not 1946 you don't have to worry about men coming to your movies because of sex appeal. Pants! Or at least a longer battle skirt.

5. remember that SHE IS NOT BATMAN! She's not OK? OK?! She's not Batman...

6. Make it be fun! DC needs some fun in their movies! Like the Reeve Superman movies. Fun! F-U-N FUN! 

and finally 7. Don't let Feminazis write the script... Please... Don't let them... they will ruin her... and also, Feminazis aren't fun to work with... Just trust me on this... 

[Solkia]

 7. Don't let Feminazis write the script... Please... Don't let them... they will ruin her... and also, Feminazis aren't fun to work with... Just trust me on this... 

 

God forbid the movie not suck ass.

[MegaMonster54]

God forbid the movie not suck ass.

Whats that suppose to mean? If these people where to write the script Wonder Woman wouldn't even be Wonder Woman. WW has never said that she was a Feminist, nor was it ever implied. She was a hero who could kick ass and be awesome! She does not need to be am excuse for people to write out what they think the Patriarchy is or the injustices we face in a male dominant society. She needs to be Wonder Woman, a leader of Truth and Justice. That fact that she is a Woman should not be important.

[Solkia]

okay

 

The movie would either have to have a decent writer or become Ass and Titties 526: Rebirth.

[MegaMonster54]

okay

 

The movie would either have to have a decent writer or become Ass and Titties 526: Rebirth.

#3 on my list

[Linkabel]

No, not really. Even that animated movie you showed was not that good to begin with. The thing about Wonder Woman is that she really doesn't have any iconic stories like Batman or Superman (though she does have good story arcs), and sadly she is more well known because she is the "girl' in the Justice League.

Granted, a movie will help improve that, but I don't really see someone being able to do it. Even if they marketed as a "phase 1" movie leading to the Justice League movie I really don't see it doing well.

[Old dead account]

I'd love to see one, but I'm paranoid that no matter what, it would become a very sexualized portrayal of her. Imagine if somebody like Michael Bay were to direct or write. If it isn't sexualized, and is even well written, I'm willing to bet that voices of the horny dudebro fratboy douchebag audience complaining about how there's no boobs, would overshadow the people actually praising it for being a masterpiece. Of course, that may just be the disillusioned side of me who has been reading too much of my college's confessions page speaking.

[Solkia]

Michael Bay directing a DC movie in general would be terrible.

[CrownSlayers Shadow]

Before I give my input,

7. Don't let Feminazis write the script... Please... Don't let them... they will ruin her... and also, Feminazis aren't fun to work with... Just trust me on this... 

This isn't blanketing all feminists as "feminazis" is it? Because this is gonna open up a huge can of worms in this topic. In fact, despite having writers give her straw feminist tendencies, having feminazis write it would likely piss off a lot of moderate feminists over the character.

 

That said, I'm skeptical of a WW movie working. We're certainly more progressive with female characters not having to rely on sexualizing them in order to get a decent or even massive audiences. But with WW I'm not sure, because she's not as big of a face in DC compared to the Big 2 of Superman and Batman. That's not saying she's not iconic, because she's certainly well known, but I'm more inclined to think she might have the same success as the Green Lantern as far as her movie would go.

 

I mean sure you can have decent writers and tone down her more fanservice-y design, and she might actually surprise us and have a bigger audience. But it has a lot of unknowns over whether it will succeed or not, and if anything it depends on the marketing and the writing. If the marketing can manage to draw in a large crowd, and the writing and narrative is top notch, I think WW can hold up to the same level of Batman and Superman.

 

Not that there won't be a vocal minority bitching about whatever it is they don't like, but that's always a given.

[Teoskaven]

I think it could work: first half should be the origin story about the amazons and Wonder Woman herself, and the rest a menace rapresented by Circe. Just don't Nolanize it and it will be fine.

 

May i remind you the statement "DC is like, "Wonder Woman is too simple for a movie." and Marvel is like "Here's a walking tree and a raccoon with a machine gun.""?

[Mega]

1. NO JOSS WHEDON! Seriously, NO! STOP! NO MORE! HE DOES NOT READ COMICS! He is lame! The only good think he's ever made was Firefly, and the rest was with his Brother Zach who I think has real talent. No Joss Whedon!

Excuse me, but Buffy is awesome and a fantastic example of a good female role model.

The problem with a Wonder Woman movie is that Hollywood in general is geared more towards "masculine" stories. Most films starring female leads have sexualization or are chick flicks. Not all, but a lot. The problem lies in the mentality that sex sells and the overall objectification of women in media that persists to this day as well as the way society continues to cling to dated gender roles for both men and women. I am not trying to start a huge "feminazi" argument, but sex equality simply does not exist, and not only do men and women both suffer for dfiferent reasons (like society shunning dudes who aren't 'tough'), but Hollywood is also typically run by execs who do not see characters like Wonder Woman as marketable. Sadly, marketability is key when it comes to big name films and companies such as DC.

Like others have said, Wonder Woman does not have a ton of super iconic story arcs. Honestly, I more often see her made fun of in media for her invisible jet, lasso, etc. A Wonder Woman film would need to make her relevant. It'd be nice to see, but challenging.

[Nintendoga]

No, because girls are icky and gross.

And Woman of Amazon or whatever they would call it would probably end up sucking. A Justice League film is the closest we'll ever get to a Wonder Woman film.

[MegaMonster54]

Before I give my input,

This isn't blanketing all feminists as "feminazis" is it? Because this is gonna open up a huge can of worms in this topic. In fact, despite having writers give her straw feminist tendencies, having feminazis write it would likely piss off a lot of moderate feminists over the character.

Of course not, I am talking about extremists.

[CrownSlayers Shadow]

And Woman of Amazon or whatever they would call it would probably end up sucking.

And you can verify that beyond a gut feeling?

[MegaMonster54]

Excuse me, but Buffy is awesome and a fantastic example of a good female role model.

No... No honey no... Re watch Alien 4 and then the Buffy movie...

Also 

Different

[Nintendoga]

And you can verify that beyond a gut feeling?

I can verify that my gut feeling was right when I went to see Green Lantern, Superman Returns, And Man of Steel.

Beyond the first two Superman films and the Nolan Batman trilogy, I can't think of a single DC theatrical film that was good or even worked tbh.

And the batman films were only good because of Nolan's involvement in them, so unless he's deeply involved in a Wonder Woman film, I just can't see it being working out well.

Of course I'd love to be wrong, but considering DC's track record in the movie industry, I'm pessimistic against the idea of a good Wonder Woman film.

It's also why I'm not really looking forward to World's Finest or the alleged Justice League film in development.

[CrownSlayers Shadow]

I can verify that my gut feeling was right when I went to see Green Lantern, Superman Returns, And Man of Steel.

Beyond the first two Superman films and the Nolan Batman trilogy, I can't think of a single DC theatrical film that was good or even worked tbh.

And the batman films were only good because of Nolan's involvement in them, so unless he's deeply involved in a Wonder Woman film, I just can't see it being working out well.

Of course I'd love to be wrong, but considering DC's track record in the movie industry, I'm pessimistic against the idea of a good Wonder Woman film.

It's also why I'm not really looking forward to World's Finest or the alleged Justice League film in development.

 

I was actually talking about more than just yourself, since anyone can just up and say the Man of Steel was good for them and I couldn't care less about individual thoughts on their own.

 

Not that DC hasn't had bad eggs in live action films to justify pessimism, but it's rather quick to speculate anything straight out of a vacuum when you have nothing but the idea of it and no knowledge of who will direct it, what it would be about, who would be acting in it and so forth, and any other details like marketing to make that assessment.

[Pelly <3's U]

To me it really comes down to the fact that it's sad that when we want a female super hero movie, the only option is Wonder Woman.

 

Like I'll be honest, I hardly even know who Wonder Woman is, and I don't think I'm alone. She's pretty much popular in the mainstream only because she's like the headlining female of DC comics (I wouldn't even say Marvel has one). Beyond that though, like I don't even really know a thing about Wonder Woman. 

 

Like with Batman I know the world, and with Superman I can at least name some things. I literally can't even think of a single Wonder Woman villain, let alone a love interest. It's Batman and the Joker, Superman and Lex Luther, and Woman Woman and who?

 

I guess in some ways that opens up the possibilities with the movie to define the character for a generation, but honestly I just think it's just lame she's our only hope. I'm not saying she's a bad character, it's just a depressing state of affairs all around. 

[CrownSlayers Shadow]

Like I'll be honest, I hardly even know who Wonder Woman is, and I don't think I'm alone. She's pretty much popular in the mainstream only because she's like the headlining female of DC comics (I wouldn't even say Marvel has one).

Mainly because Marvel is a bit more diverse with it's characters and places them together (which, unfortunately, is still male-dominated, but it gives more opportunity with it's cast than DC even with female characters).

 

Most you'll ever find with female characters in Marvel is X-Men.

[Mauro Fonseca]

It could be done. Would have potential, even. Maybe base it on the current ongoing with the plot about Zeus' bastards.

 

Of course this is assuming DC wouldn't be the ones doing it. It'd just be shite then.

[SnipSnap]

I don't actually care about Wonder Woman, and I don't think a theatrical film wouldn't do good.

P.S., my Mom really dislikes superhero women, so she might go like "HHHAAEeeeeuuughh" if a movie of Wonder Woman was made.

[Johnny Boy]

It could work if done right, but making it like the reeve Superman movies? Dear lord no. Leave all that campy stuff in the Silver Age where it belongs. Besides the DCCU is going with a serious and realistic tone to differentiate itself with the flashy popcorn movie style of the MCU.

[Mauro Fonseca]

... and is only succeeding in looking like a 12-year-old trying to be mature, to be honest.

[Jix Hedgehog]

X

Edited August 14, 2015 by Jix Hedgehog

[SIXTH-RATE SOMA]

Alright, I'm gonna side-step the gender debate and say that, woman or no, Wonder Woman lacks three essential facets of a superhero, that being an permanent orgin and source of drive, a well-rounded rogue's gallery, and an overall lack of cohesion, that prevents an easy transition to the screen.

 

The first, the lack of permanent origin or source of drive, sounds like a strange one, and may need elaboration. Let's take Batman for example. No matter the later tone and subject matter Batman stories may tackle, Batman's past remains mostly the same in all incarnations. Why? Because it is what provides the character's specific outlook. If, instead of having his parents killed in front of him, Batman grew up relatively normal, we might not have Batman at all, but Iron Man. The drive of the super hero, born from their origin story, is what acts as an anchor for each interpretation of the superhero. This is why Batman can stay definable as such, even if the story in question is a complete anomaly in tone or setting. Wonder Woman has not had the luxury of a consistent origin story, and thus lacks a consistent outlook the writers and readers can really latch on to. It's the whole "build your house on the sand" phenomena, and I see this as definitely the biggest problem Wonder Woman faces in becoming one of the great superheroes. Yet, it is not the only problem.

 

The second issue, that being a lack of good rogue's gallery, is a lesser issue, but deserves to be addressed. Again, we might consider the example of Bats. Even when not as well-defined, the core rogue's gallery for Batman stands an iconic and firmly rooted gaggle of freaks thanks to a multitude of factors, though here we'll only mention the major two; those being their roles as dark reflections of the hero (where particular reflections might be in ideology, social status, origin, and so on), and their ties to the world and life of the hero (The Penguin is a crime boss in Gotham City, home of Batman; Two-Face is a former colleague of Bruce Wayne, etc.). In short, a good villain needs both psychological as well as practical ties to the hero. This need not be strenuous; not everyone needs to be Batman's secret best friend from childhood. However, the connection does still need to be there for any sort of meaningful dynamic to emerge. Wonder Woman sort of has this kind of villain in Circe or Ares, but for the most part her rogue's gallery lacks any strong ties to the Amazon herself. Heck, most of her villains eventually get transplanted to heroes that are more fitting for them, e.g. Giganta went to Ant Man's book and Angular Man to Catwoman's. There needs to be a stronger push to make Wonder Woman's rogue's gallery deeper in their dynamics, else the audience loses interest in a battle between two people who don't have much of anything to do with each other.

 

The final point worth addressing is the problem of cohesion, and I'm afraid this particular problem has been around mostly from the beginning. Wonder Woman at times seems to be in two entirely different comic worlds: one of Greek myth and familial dynamics, and one of pulp sci-fi and invisible jets. Both of these settings are fine on their own, and indeed elements from the one may certainly enrich the other. However, at the end of the day one of them has to give. Either this is a world of Greek myth that has some slight pulp sci-fi, or this is a world of pulp sci-fi that happens to have some Greek myth. Having both elements at the forefront of a characters setting, without any attempt to truly marry them, will simply compromise both, and lead to a schizophrenic world for your character to inhabit. Cupcakes and rib-eye steak are both excellent things, but you can't just blend them together and expect everything to work out fine.

 

Those are some of the issues I hit hard across when trying to define Wonder Woman, as I too was toying with the idea of a re-imagined Wonder Woman book, just for fun. Can a writer make good stories out of the current setting and characters? Certainly, but these problems will keep Wonder Woman's future popularity uncertain.

 

ow my hands