Wonder Woman has a lasso of truth, a pair of indestructible bracelets (badass, yet feminine) and an invisible airplane. She has a wide range of superhuman powers, and major combat skills to boot. However, despite her awesome accessories and crime-fighting capabilities, the beloved DC comic and feminist icon has consistently faced one insurmountable challenge: bringing her super talents to the big screen. This isn’t to say that Wonder Woman, aka Diana Prince, hasn’t graced television sets over the years. Wonder Woman, which aired from 1975-1979, has been the most successful live-action rendering of the super heroine to date. The show, which starred Lynda Carter as Diana Prince, traced her story from World War II to the present day.
Following Wonder Woman’s cancellation, Diana Prince’s pop culture presence became just about as invisible as her airplane. Many attempted the superhuman feat of bringing her back into the zeitgeist, but few succeeded. Aside from a Wonder Woman themed Muppets episode, Diana Prince all but disappeared from the small screen. In 2010, Warner Bros. Television hired David E. Kelley to write and produce a series. The 2011 pilot starred Adrianne Palicki as a revamped Wonder Woman: a crime fighter, executive, and all-around modern woman. Warner Bros. shot the unaired pilot down, and CEO Peter Roth announced that whether or not Wonder Woman would ever be seen in another form was “to be determined.”
While Diana Prince has popped up on TV from time to time, she has yet to be featured in a live-action film. Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, Warner Bros. was said to be working on a movie version with Jennifer Aniston and Sandra Bullock both rumored to be up for the role, but the project was ultimately cancelled. In 2005, Joss Whedon was hired to direct a live-action Wonder Woman film, but found himself in constant battle with Warner Bros. He later told Entertainment Weekly, “It was a waste of my time. We [never] wanted to make the same movie.”
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But Wonder Woman will finally be making her film debut in 2015, in the as yet untitled Batman vs. Superman movie. The eagerly awaited film will feature Man of Steel star Henry Cavill reprising his role as Superman, and will introduce Ben Affleck as Batman. Amy Adams and Diane Lane are also set to lend their star power to the superhero flick. Rumors have long held that Warner Bros. will use the upcoming film as a DC Comics mega-franchise platform, featuring various members of the Justice League.
On Wednesday Variety fueled the flames, confirming that the film would in fact feature Wonder Woman, a justice league favorite. Gal Gadot, an Israeli actress and supermodel, has been charged with bringing the super heroine to the big screen. The 28-year-old Gadot is best known for playing Gisele in the last three Fast and Furious movies. She was also crowned Miss Israel in 2004, and served two years as a sports trainer in the Israeli Defense Force.
While Wonder Woman will definitely appear in the 2015 film, no one knows whether Gadot will have a significant role or a small cameo. Regardless, director Zack Snyder seems excited by the challenge of bringing Wonder Woman to life. He explained, “Wonder Woman is arguably one of the most powerful female characters of all time and a fan favorite in the DC Universe. Not only is Gal an amazing actress, but she also has that magical quality that makes her perfect for the role. We look forward to audiences discovering Gal in the first feature film incarnation of this beloved character.”
