Wonder Woman, comics, jla, joel silver, movies

Wonder Woman Movie Resurrected in the Wake of JLA Movie Death?

Set your "I'm ambivalent about that upcoming comic book movie" settings from Justice League of America to Wonder Woman. Producer Joel Silver told journalists that the JLA movie is officially dead, but that he's now interested in reviving the troubled Wonder Woman movie, whose original script was was written by Firefly creator Joss Whedon and then scrapped last year. Silver says he wants to make the flick into an origin story, which is a tall order. How do you get kickass out of Wonder Woman's first home, the ultra-campy Paradise Island, where scantily-clad Amazons live in harmony with nature? Silver thinks he has a way.

According to Sci-Fi Wire, Silver said:

Maybe after I saw Spider-Man or whatever, I thought that it should be a genesis story. And then I had to kind of go back to the drawing board, because I had a version that the studio wanted to make that was not a genesis story . . . [But] I've got to find a way to tell it. Because whenever I got into the stuff, you know, Paradise Island and stuff, it was kind of goofy. But I've got to find a way to do it where it's effective. I mean, I thought some of the stuff they did in 300 was great. I don't know if I want to make it that way, but, I mean, I think there's a way to do this where the audience is going to accept it. But I've got to figure it out.

Looking to the frenetic stylings of 300 is a good start. But we have another suggestion for you, Silver. Try taking us on a detour to Tranformation Island, the prison rehabilitation facility just off the coast of Paradise Island. During the Golden Age of the comic book, Wonder Woman took a lot of her enemies there to get rehabbed, often while wearing chains and other Hot Topic-style outfits. The whole thing could look sort of like Madonna's "Express Yourself" video, except without the music. If you want cool not camp, Transformation Island is the way to our hearts.

Silver Wants Wonder Genesis Film [Sci-Fi Wire]

1:03 PM on Mon Apr 21 2008
By Annalee Newitz
3,116 views
44 comments

Comments

braak at 01:10 PM on 04/21/08
Reply by Email
*
Connectedness Index: 990

Why is it important to tell another origin story?

I god-damn hate origin stories.
braak at 01:13 PM on 04/21/08
Reply by Email
*
Connectedness Index: 990

Also, that picture makes no bones about what is marketable about Wonder Woman.
92BuickLeSabre at 01:17 PM on 04/21/08
Reply by Email
*
Connectedness Index: 558

@braak: The bling?
tetracycloide at 01:18 PM on 04/21/08
Reply by Email
*
Connectedness Index: 114

@braak: boobs and wrist irons?
DeepFriar at 01:19 PM on 04/21/08
Reply by Email
*

@braak: don't forget the most memorable shorts since Daisy Duke's. Star-spangled fabulousness
Annalee Newitz at 01:19 PM on 04/21/08
Reply by Email
*
Connectedness Index: 344

@92BuickLeSabre: The bullet-proof bracelets?
DeepFriar at 01:20 PM on 04/21/08
Reply by Email
*

@braak: could be worse, could be Donna Troy.
teen > married> dead > reborn > goddess > huh?
DeepFriar at 01:20 PM on 04/21/08
Reply by Email
*

@Annalee Newitz: no love for the lasso?
beercheck at 01:21 PM on 04/21/08
Reply by Email
*
Connectedness Index: 133

No, really, I was just staring at my reflection.
Tiwa Face Kontrol at 01:24 PM on 04/21/08
Reply by Email
*

That is the weirdest comic book art composition I've ever seen. Clearly, the artist is a minimalist.
Macloserboy at 01:28 PM on 04/21/08
Reply by Email
*
Connectedness Index: 616

You know there's something wrong when Joel Silver has the best idea. Yes, Wonder Woman and the 300 Spartans come from the same Greeks. Treat Themysceria (not Paradise Island) like an island of warrior Amazons and less like some dude's masturbatory dream and you'll have something.
extracrispy at 01:29 PM on 04/21/08
Reply by Email
*

That sound you hear is 1,000 drag queens all purring "Fahhhhhbulous" at once.
learned_hands at 01:38 PM on 04/21/08
Reply by Email
*

Didn't Byrne or Wolfman retcon the bracelets into reminders of the Amazon's enslavement (living in chains and all of that)? Why not start in Acient Greece and have the gods and goddesses take whatever's left of the Amazon nation/tribe to the magical island for 3,000 years. You can get into they why's and wherefores of Princess Diana (made of clay or whatever) and her discovery of the "world of men" as the second act.
Daveinva at 01:39 PM on 04/21/08
Reply by Email
*

@Macloserboy: But dude's masturbatory dreams happen to *make money*.
goldfarb at 01:44 PM on 04/21/08
Reply by Email
*

for anyone who wonders why Joel Silver's movies are almost always such shit...just read that paragraph(?)...this is the guy deciding how movies are made...can you inaging being in a story meeting with this guy?
I could come up with a Wonder Woman origin story that deals with all the needed stuff and isn't totally stupid in about an hour...
Shagohod at 01:49 PM on 04/21/08
Reply by Email
*

So is Joss Whedon's script being resurrected too? If so, that would be awesome.
edosan at 01:49 PM on 04/21/08
Reply by Email
*

This just in: Hollywood is running out of superhero properties that the average Joe has heard of...
Shagohod at 01:51 PM on 04/21/08
Reply by Email
*

[www.eyrie.org]
Priam at 01:54 PM on 04/21/08
Reply by Email
*

bleh, another DC movie.
Macloserboy at 02:00 PM on 04/21/08
Reply by Email
*
Connectedness Index: 616

@goldfarb: I don't know what you read, but it actually makes sense, which is the wonder of it all. He wasn't going to waste time with an origin story when Spider-man showed you could do it successfully. Then he was also worried that things like Paradise Island come across as silly, which is a valid fear and finally thought maybe if they went the Greek warrior route of 300 it might be better. I'm having trouble believing this is actually Joel Silver.
aspiringexpatriate at 02:01 PM on 04/21/08
Reply by Email
*
Connectedness Index: 167

@Daveinva: Yes, because naked Spartans are every dude's masturbatory dream.

@Macloserboy: An island of Amazons would only have women with one breast, and well, that won't sell, even Xena knew that.
Dr. Futurity at 02:07 PM on 04/21/08
Reply by Email
*

We've already seen this. It was called Bionic Woman. But I forget how that one turned out...
Macloserboy at 02:08 PM on 04/21/08
Reply by Email
*
Connectedness Index: 616

@aspiringexpatriate: Well, you can only go so hardcore and the one-breast aspect really was never a part of the comics anyway. In the comics they're immortal and don't have kids.
TheGreat&PowerfulTurtle at 02:20 PM on 04/21/08
Reply by Email
*

Joel is a tool and always has been. Wasn't he the one who pushed the giant mechanical spider in Wild, Wild West and wanted a more metrosexual Brainiac in the Nicholas Cage Superman movie?
Aethyr at 02:22 PM on 04/21/08
Reply by Email
*
Connectedness Index: 357

I'm not looking forward to this for three reasons:

- Joss Whedon expressed interest in it
- How the hell are they gonna translate Wonder Woman's costume to real life?
- This is gonna be campy like whoa.
TheGreat&PowerfulTurtle at 02:24 PM on 04/21/08
Reply by Email
*

My mistake. I was confusing him with Jon Peters.
JennaW at 02:27 PM on 04/21/08
Reply by Email
*
Connectedness Index: 236

Well, if they did the origin story about how she tries to start her mission in "man's world" it could be good.

I'm all for a WW movie -- but I will cut them if they cast Jessica Biel to star.

No kidding. I will fuck their shit up.
Monsieur.Mind at 03:00 PM on 04/21/08
Reply by Email
*

Now if Silver could only get the Wachowskis to reinvent this like they did Speed Racer, we'd be onto something interesting.

Give a 10-minute opening "War of the Ring" type sequence that has an epic Greek mythology feel and 300/LOTR look to it. Get WW to Man's World by the end of Act 1. Make her a warrior, like WW in the JL New Frontier. Establish she exists in the same world as Superman and other powerful, crazy costumes. Establish her as someone who does not need men, and maybe even give us a scene with Superman, where she tells him to fuck off, like in New Frontier. And then... well, that's the writers' job, not mine.

But get Megan Gale to be WW!! She was cast as WW in the Justice League movie, and she is perfect!
Dunny0 at 03:06 PM on 04/21/08
Reply by Email
*

@Aethyr:
Sadly, those are the same reasons why I was looking forward to it.

That and the rumors of exploding wolverines.
X: The Eliminator at 03:17 PM on 04/21/08
Reply by Email
*

"experience the 'phallic' wonder?"

wonder woman clearly has junk.
Rasselas at 03:22 PM on 04/21/08
Reply by Email
*

@Aethyr:

How the hell are they gonna translate Wonder Woman's costume to real life?

There's an invention called "the corset":
Every ladies' man must know it.
It presses in, boned,
Pushes up, enthroned,
And in general is built to show it.
Sharpless at 03:40 PM on 04/21/08
Reply by Email
*

I'm so glad the JLA movie is dead. That thing was turning into a fail buffet more and more, with every update and rumor.
braak at 03:53 PM on 04/21/08
Reply by Email
*
Connectedness Index: 990

@aspiringexpatriate: This is not necessarily true! There remains a fair amount of debate as to whether "Amazon" means "One-breasted" or "Large breasted."
braak at 03:54 PM on 04/21/08
Reply by Email
*
Connectedness Index: 990

@Monsieur.Mind: Megan Gale is pretty skinny. How tall is she?
Westender at 04:14 PM on 04/21/08
Reply by Email
*

@JennaW: No, Jennifer Garner should play the part. After all she did such a great job playing a tall, dark haired, Greek woman in Elektra.
Bob_of_Mars at 06:03 PM on 04/21/08
Reply by Email
*

@braak: Oh dear god please be the latter!!
Bob_of_Mars at 06:04 PM on 04/21/08
Reply by Email
*

@Westender: Why don't they get a real Greek woman to play WW? 'Twould make more sense, aye?
JennaW at 07:29 PM on 04/21/08
Reply by Email
*
Connectedness Index: 236

@Bob_of_Mars: Bob? What have we told you about applying logic to Hollywood casting decisions?

Really, you're going to hurt yourself if you keep this up.
pkittie at 08:01 PM on 04/21/08
Reply by Email
*

Get Jennifer Connolly to her "Requiem" weight.

Or Megan Fox.
Westender at 08:14 PM on 04/21/08
Reply by Email
*

@Bob_of_Mars: I've wondered the very same thing.
@JennaW: Hollywood logic be damned!
Final at 09:23 PM on 04/21/08
Reply by Email
*

I want to see Josh Whedon's script. But if it's not going in that direction make it campy and for the love of God give Olivia Munn the role.
Princess Stacey at 07:02 AM on 04/22/08
Reply by Email
*

because the public would rather see the origin explained than actually see the hero having an adventure.

Except, you know, that they wouldn't.
strangrnstranglnd at 08:31 AM on 04/22/08
Reply by Email
*

Get a real Greek woman to play her? How absurd! The daily body waxing alone would cost the studio millions of dollars!
Monsieur.Mind at 12:25 PM on 04/22/08
Reply by Email
*

@braak:
nearly 5'11" according to IMDB. Tall. Plus, she could buff up if needed, I'm sure.