Could Beyonce be Wonder Woman?

[4PointOh]

I'm not opposed to casting a person of color in the role of Wonder Woman, but Beyonce is simply wrong for a million reasons.

Certainly, she's beautiful, but that's where it starts and stops.

I say to thee, Nay. Verily.

http://www.newsarama.com/film/110809-Beyonce-WW.html

[4thHorseman]

No. Just no.

[AndrewCrossett]

I'll never understand why Hollywood people assume being a successful singer means you'll be a good actor as well. I'm tired of watching singers elbow thousands of more qualified actors out of the way to get starring roles that they can't handle.

This casting would tell me that they're not interested in making the best movie possible...they just want to sell a lot of tickets to guys who want to watch Beyonce flounce around in a revealing costume for 2 hours.

[Agent Helix]

This casting would tell me that they're not interested in making the best movie possible...they just want to sell a lot of tickets to guys who want to watch Beyonce flounce around in a revealing costume for 2 hours.

Oh you sweet, naive little man.

[Mercurialblonde]

I have no problem with Beyonce being Wonder Woman. So long as they don't change the character like they did Catwoman for Halle Barry.

Wonder Woman is kind of an ideal, and Beyonce certainly fits that mold.

[scout1279]

I suppose she could, but I'd certainly rather she didn't.

[Red Jack]

I'm not opposed to casting a person of color in the role of Wonder Woman, but Beyonce is simply wrong for a million reasons.

Certainly, she's beautiful, but that's where it starts and stops.

I say to thee, Nay. Verily.

http://www.newsarama.com/film/110809-Beyonce-WW.html

dear god i hope not.

[Wonder Watcher]

Nice that she's into the character but she's not right to play her..

[Black Atom]

She could probably do it. Why not?

I actually am somewhat opposed to casting a black woman, though. WW has a certain iconography that's recognizeble. I know what WW is supposed to look like. The expectation is that she'll look like what I remember her looking like. I know she doesn't have blonde hair, or a cape, or green boots. Then, I'm a stickler for such things, I guess.

[heystacy]

If Wonder Woman came from Paradise Island to teach us to have a good time with song and dance, I think Beyonce might have the role. If not, then :frown:

[Red Jack]

Diana is Greek.

Unlike generic American characters like the FF or even Spider-Man whose ethnicity can be anything an American can be, Diana has a very specific heritage that has never been in dispute form day one. She's Greek. End of story.

Casting Beyonce in the role is ludicrous and the fact that she would seek the part says she knows pretty much nothing about the character.

It's a ridiculous thing to contemplate.

[Black Atom]

The post-Crisis Amazons are multi-racial. In fact, Philippus is black. So you could certainly get around that, I guess.

[KevinTBrown]

Umm, no.

No, no, no, no.. a thousand times NO.

I don't care who the actress is, as long as she looks like Wonder Woman. Beyonce doesn't look Greek to me.

Unless she's being courted to play Nubia, then ok.

[DungeonmasterJim]

She could probably do it. Why not?

I actually am somewhat opposed to casting a black woman, though. WW has a certain iconography that's recognizeble. I know what WW is supposed to look like. The expectation is that she'll look like what I remember her looking like. I know she doesn't have blonde hair, or a cape, or green boots. Then, I'm a stickler for such things, I guess.

I guess you haven't seen the Cathy Lee Crosby Wonder Woman disaster from the 1970's. :tongue:

DM Jim

[Black Atom]

I guess you haven't seen the Cathy Lee Crosby Wonder Woman disaster from the 1970's. :tongue:

DM Jim

Succinctly put.

[Crowforge]

I'm not opposed to casting a person of color in the role of Wonder Woman, but Beyonce is simply wrong for a million reasons.

Certainly, she's beautiful, but that's where it starts and stops.

I say to thee, Nay. Verily.

http://www.newsarama.com/film/110809-Beyonce-WW.html

Wait isn't WW a Greek (golem)? Thus already making her a 'person of color'? Anyway they should cast a Greek unknown, or a golem.

[Black Atom]

Yeah. Again, the current Amazons aren't explicitly Greek. They were created from the souls of anguished dead women from all over the world.

[Crowley]

I think Beyonce's a bad actress.

Megan Gale should be Wonder Woman.

[Your Imaginary Pal]

well beyonce has all the acting talent of a golem, so I guess that's a plus.

[section 8]

Beyonce COULD be Wonder Woman,

But Wonder Woman will NEVER be Beyonce!!!!

[Black Atom]

well beyonce has all the acting talent of a golem, so I guess that's a plus.

I thought she was okay in DreamGirls. But that's all I've seen her in.

[Sabrinaset]

You know, the pre stomach-staple Star Jones might make a good Etta Candy! WOO WOO!

[section 8]

well beyonce has all the acting talent of a golem, so I guess that's a plus.

She isn't Great at it, but then neither is Tom Cruise

[Your Imaginary Pal]

She isn't Great at it, but then neither is Tom Cruise

I wouldn't want him to play WW either.

[section 8]

Why not? He may not have the Vagina, but i am certain he has no testicals either

[DrewEdwards]

Based purely on that she'd look hot in the outfit? Sure.

Based on everything else? Not so much.

[KevinTBrown]

She isn't Great at it, but then neither is Tom Cruise

I wouldn't want him to play WW either.


No chance. He's way too short by at least 7 or 8 inches.

Wonder Woman is 5'11". :wink:

[Royal]

Nay!

This would be a total ego pick. It won't benfit the movie at all.

[Venom Melendez]

I would love a Black wonder woman i really would.



....Just not Betonce.



Though she is hot.

[Red Jack]

Yeah. Again, the current Amazons aren't explicitly Greek. They were created from the souls of anguished dead women from all over the world.

Hippolyta is greek. She is established in Myth as well as the comics. She is Diana's mother, having sculpted her herself. Diana is greek.

I'm all for black actors getting to play super heroic parts, even for cross "racial" casting, but, in this case, it's ludicrous. And clearly based upon someone's rampaging ego.

[Calvin Government]

While I think it's important that Wonder Woman be Greek, I'd be cool with just about anyone - as long as that anyone could pull off the role. I'm just not confident that Beyonce has the chops to do so.

[Sabrinaset]

Nay!

This would be a total ego pick. It won't benfit the movie at all.

What's next .... HHH as Thor? I mean, c'mon! :biggrin:

[Pink Bat Maxine]

Well, just cause 'she wants it' doesn't mean she'll get it.

[Black Atom]

Hippolyta is greek. She is established in Myth as well as the comics. She is Diana's mother, having sculpted her herself. Diana is greek.

I don't remember that being established in the comics or the myth (though I hardly claim to be an expert on that). Based on the area they supposedly inhabited, they were probably Persian (if not a completely magical, fantasy people).

In the comics, either WW or Hippolyta have only rarely been depicted as anything other than a generic-looking, dark-haired white woman.

I'm all for black actors getting to play super heroic parts, even for cross "racial" casting, but, in this case, it's ludicrous. And clearly based upon someone's rampaging ego.

No argument there.

[Venom Melendez]

Hippolyta is greek. She is established in Myth as well as the comics. She is Diana's mother, having sculpted her herself. Diana is greek.

I'm all for black actors getting to play super heroic parts, even for cross "racial" casting, but, in this case, it's ludicrous. And clearly based upon someone's rampaging ego.

They have shown Black Amazons though.


Just saying.

[CutterMike]

Boy, this just feels wrong on so many levels...

Acting ability aside, the thing that worries me -- and I don't know... maybe it's just the weird way that my mind works -- but it seems to me that a non-white Wonder Woman would collide with the mythos in uncomfortable ways. As more people learned of WW's backstory, I could actually see the religious right getting up in arms and causing Warners some problems

Consider Diana's creation.

For starters, outside of fandom, how many people know that she was modeled out of clay and brought to life by the Greek gods? How many of them, hearing of that origin, will consider it to be in bad taste, if not outright blasphemy?

Then, we have Beyoncé. A black woman playing a character made of clay...? Google "mud people" and see where this could go. Could someone twist the casting to claim it as a racial insult by some closeted "Christian Identity"-types at Warners?

As I said... maybe it's just my warped mind making these weird connections that no one else would make in a million years. I mean, there are days when Reality and I are on a first-name basis and days when we aren't even on speaking terms, so I don't honestly know whether I'm completely off-base here or not...

Opinions...? Are my concerns justifiable...? Should I consider seeking professional help...?

[MartinRedmond]

I think she'd be perfect.

[JKCarrier]

Frankly, it sounds like Beyonce is just spinning yarns to keep her name in the papers. Does the WW movie even have a script, or a director attached to it currently? Pure Hollywood hype.

That said, I can think of worse things than casting a woman of color as WW. I dunno if Beyonce has the chops for it, though. Unless they wanted to make it a musical... come to think of it, a big, splashy, campy musical would probably suit the character better than some Dark Knight-style angst-fest...

[MartinRedmond]

The character is so far removed from her origins anyway. When's the last time there was playful bondage? When's the last time she rode the invisible plane? When's the last time a WW comic had Etta Candy stuffing her face with much enthusiasm?

[bfrank]

She could probably do it. Why not?

the obvious reason is that she can't act.....

[scout1279]

There's reallyno point in worrying about Beyonce when there are rumors about that McG is going to direct. The prospect of McG directing is horrific, while the prospect of Beyonce playing Diana is only mildly upsetting.

[suedenim]

Frankly, it sounds like Beyonce is just spinning yarns to keep her name in the papers. Does the WW movie even have a script, or a director attached to it currently? Pure Hollywood hype.


Exactly. It's Standard Publicist Gambit #4 for a starlet who needs exposure but doesn't have anything coming out and lacks a substance abuse problem and/or a messy celebrity relationship.

As noted, the real thing to worry about is this project being given to a jumped-up music video director....

[Eliseu Gouveia]

Amazons were not greek.
They could be anything from turkish to georgian to armenian since nobody knows for sure the region they inhabited- they could come from anywhere in the ancient eurasia except Greece..

I roll my eyes everytime I see WW´s amazons dressed in greek attire (yes, I know that WW´s amazons and the amazons of myth are not the same).
The whole point behind the greeks fascination with them comes from this idea of these alien, these other women who lived in another land and were ruled by other costumes and other traditions and other way of life.

It´s as if 3,000 years from now someone decided to write a story about a native american superhero and dressed him in a General Custer-inspired costume.

[kingdom2000]

A lot of this is to help promote Beyonce's new album that is coming out tomorrow (i think).

But assuming there is teeth to this (big no considering no script, no director, no budget), then the answer is nope. Would she look good in the WW outfit? Sure, I doubt there is very little she wouldn't look good in.

The problem is to sell a role like that will a) require acting skills (to avoid it looking like a farce or retread of the TV series and b) it needs to be someone without baggage. By baggage I mean being assigned a certain role in the minds of most people. When people watch it all they are going to wonder the whole time is when she will break out in song. Realisitically their best bet is a complete unknown but with geniuine acting skills.

Considering how poorly DC properties are managed though, I doubt we will ever see a WW movie much less any of the others being tossed around. Just way too many cooks in the kitchen for them to get their crap together.

[Crowforge]

She does have the eyebrows for it but she carries too much fatso she'd need to diet and work out to not look ridiclous in fights.

[Royal]

What's next .... HHH as Thor? I mean, c'mon! :biggrin:

That's mental inefficiancy on Avi Arad's part to realize the scope of the character to the point of trying to shoehorn illogical choices.

Totally different things.

[ShaunN]

Dear Friends,

I'd have to say that I would be totally opposed to Beyonce as WW. Put simply, I think that it really does matter that the actors they get to portray comic characters look like the characters. Diana is a dark-haired, Greek-looking woman.

I will certainly disagree with the earlier poster who said that Beyonce is "fat". Where did that come from? She's a lovely woman, but she just is not WW.

Sincerely,

Shaun

[Black Atom]

the obvious reason is that she can't act.....

I thought she was okay in the one thing I saw her in. You don't need Meryl Streep for this.

By the by, the article only says Beyonce was interested in playing the role, not that she's going to be cast or even considered. Or, for that matter, that the movie's out of production limbo.

[Black Atom]

Amazons were not greek.
They could be anything from turkish to georgian to armenian since nobody knows for sure the region they inhabited- they could come from anywhere in the ancient eurasia except Greece..

I roll my eyes everytime I see WW´s amazons dressed in greek attire (yes, I know that WW´s amazons and the amazons of myth are not the same).
The whole point behind the greeks fascination with them comes from this idea of these alien, these other women who lived in another land and were ruled by other costumes and other traditions and other way of life.

It´s as if 3,000 years from now someone decided to write a story about a native american superhero and dressed him in a General Custer-inspired costume.

Yeah, Perez's Amazons were the first I remember being depicted as heavily Greek influenced in both clothing and architecture.

[Venom Melendez]

What's next .... HHH as Thor? I mean, c'mon! :biggrin:




Someone actually suggested that though.

[Wonder Watcher]

I don't remember that being established in the comics or the myth (though I hardly claim to be an expert on that). Based on the area they supposedly inhabited, they were probably Persian (if not a completely magical, fantasy people).

In the comics, either WW or Hippolyta have only rarely been depicted as anything other than a generic-looking, dark-haired white woman.
Hippolyta died saving Athens which I think established her provenance as well as anything else.

Wonder Woman should be raven haired and have an olive skinned South Med type of beauty.

[Your Imaginary Pal]

So, get Shakira to dye her hair black...
but she probably can't act either.

[Black Atom]

Hippolyta died saving Athens which I think established her provenance as well as anything else.

Never heard that version, myself. The closest I can think of is one legend she bore a child to the King of Athens, but she was still established as a foreign queen.

Wonder Woman should be raven haired and have an olive skinned South Med type of beauty.

I wouldn't object to that, but I don't WW appearing Grecian is required to make the movie "work".

[Crowley]

Megan Gale as Wonder Woman.
Lizzy Caplan as Circe.
Christina Hendricks as Giganta.

[Tobias March]

I think Beyonce's a bad actress.

Megan Gale should be Wonder Woman.

Megan's appearing in a series of David Jones Christmas commercials with bubbly children. So she's busy. Apparently.

[KevinTBrown]

Megan Gale as Wonder Woman.
Lizzy Caplan as Circe.
Christina Hendricks as Giganta.

We got ourselves a winnah!

[sk716]

I would love a Black wonder woman i really would.



....Just not Betonce.



Though she is hot.

Angela Bassett 10 years ago. Now that's a Wonder Woman.

[J. Morgan (Bat) Neal]

I thought she was okay in the one thing I saw her in. You don't need Meryl Streep for this.

By the by, the article only says Beyonce was interested in playing the role, not that she's going to be cast or even considered. Or, for that matter, that the movie's out of production limbo.

I disagree. A major reason for the success and quality of the Spider-Man films, Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk and the Batman movies are the actors. All very serious, very talented, critically acclaimed thespians.

I would hate for any comic book movie, much less Wonder Woman, to get sloppy with casting. Beyonce is a gorgeous woman with a great voice. Lord knows why that isn't enough.

But she shouldn't be Wonder Woman.

As for casting. I always favored Melina Kanakaredes myself. But I guess she would be considered too old now. A pity.

http://www.etoday.ru/uploads/2008/02/13/melina_kanakaredes.jpg

If we want a mostly unknown but talented actress Patrica Velasquez certainly would look great in the role.
http://www.zarabeth.com/galleries/albums_n-s/patriciav/Patricia_Velasquez_004.jpg

But if we need a star there is certainly someone who has the more classic looks of the character and certainly has the body and talent.

http://jennifer-connelly.topwomen.org/images/jennifer-connelly.jpg

[Tobias March]

I remember the talk of pitching Jack Black for the Green Lantern role. This is the WB's problem - they're running up against Marvel Entertainment, which is looking to translate comics-into-film and their response is to fashion comic movies that work in terms they understand. What movies are generally acceptable to a large cross-section of the community? Comedies.

So when Beyonce Knowles is mentioned you can see the dollar signs in their eyes - but I'm not sure they have a thought in their brains.

[Wonder Watcher]

Never heard that version, myself. The closest I can think of is one legend she bore a child to the King of Athens, but she was still established as a foreign queen.Sorry, crossed wires, I'm simply talking about the DCU version of Hippolyta. I don't know much about the Hippolyta of legend. Weren't the Amazons supposed to be from the Black Sea area ?. In Greek art Hippolyta and the Amazons do not appear ethnically different from how the Greeks represented themselves. But who really knows ?.

I wouldn't object to that, but I don't WW appearing Grecian is required to make the movie "work".Might well work financially but In my view the film Diana needs to be statuesque (said without irony) and have a classical South Mediterranean beauty. Obviously that is not Beyonce but I also can't actually think of a single Hollywood actress off the top of my head that fits the bill.

[Lester C.]

I agree with all of you. Here the thing though. All of us had incredible resistance to the casting of Iron Man's entire cast including Foggy as writer and directer and look how that turned out. We also had incredible resistance against Heath Ledger being the Joker and look how that turned out. The bottom line is we won't konw for sure until we get the finished product.

[Crowforge]

I'm willing to give it a chance as long as it's well done.
Note: I HATE the current batman movies.

[Christopher O]

I agree with all of you. Here the thing though. All of us had incredible resistance to the casting of Iron Man's entire cast including Foggy as writer and directer and look how that turned out. We also had incredible resistance against Heath Ledger being the Joker and look how that turned out. The bottom line is we won't konw for sure until we get the finished product.
Well, the big difference in Ledger and Beyonce is that he could act, and she can't. I don't need to wait to know that. I've seen her non-acting in action in gems like Goldmember and Dreamgirls. It would take some serious training to get her up to par--years of training. She'd be too old to play Wonder Woman by the time she was good enough.

Honestly, I am sick to death of strong characters like Storm, Wonder Woman, and Lois freakin Lane being given to these cute little acting lightweights. These characters are strong women who need to be played by strong women. They need to be played by actors who can bring it. Halle Berry, Kate Bosworth, and Beyonce are not on that list. Thanks but no.

[Michael P]

I agree with all of you. Here the thing though. All of us had incredible resistance to the casting of Iron Man's entire cast including Foggy as writer and directer and look how that turned out.

Speak for yourself, Kemo Sabe. I was behind them every step of the way.

[Michael P]

Megan's appearing in a series of David Jones Christmas commercials with bubbly children. So she's busy. Apparently.

Unless those commercials are running live, I doubt that would be much of a hindrance.

[Agent Helix]

Speak for yourself, Kemo Sabe. I was behind them every step of the way.

No Michael, everyone in the whole wide world agreed that it was a bad idea! EVERYONE! EVERYONE EVERYWHERE EVER!

[Red Jack]

Sorry, crossed wires, I'm simply talking about the DCU version of Hippolyta. I don't know much about the Hippolyta of legend. Weren't the Amazons supposed to be from the Black Sea area ?. In Greek art Hippolyta and the Amazons do not appear ethnically different from how the Greeks represented themselves. But who really knows ?.


The ancient greeks.

Since she didn't actually exist, we have to go with the earliest depictions of her in fiction. She's greek (meaning of Mediterranean origin) that lets out Asians, South, Central and North Americans, Scandians, Mid Europeans, Polynesians, Aborigines and Africans.

Might well work financially but In my view the film Diana needs to be statuesque (said without irony) and have a classical South Mediterranean beauty. Obviously that is not Beyonce but I also can't actually think of a single Hollywood actress off the top of my head that fits the bill.

I think they should use the James Bond approach. Find a talented and hot looking actress (because there are so FEW of those running around) who hasn't been heard of and launch her career with the film. Chris Reeve and Brandon Routh are precedents.

It's ridiculous to think of Beyonce as WW. The soundtrack alone would undercut any attempt to make the thing anything more than a pop culture joke along the lines of BEWITCHED or the STEPFORD WIVES. No thank-you.

Too bad Ms. Lawless is too old for the part.
http://couchslobs.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/lucy-lawless-xena-samurai.jpg

But she can be Hippolyta.

[Rev. Calibos]

'Could Beyonce be Wonder Woman?'

Oh, Jesus no.....no she can't.

I guess that she COULD play Wonder Woman.....but then Nicholas Cage COULD have played Superman (as was the intention for Kevin Smith's Superman treatment back in the day).

Would it be a good idea? Not really. At that point the movie isn't about Wonder Woman, the movie is about Beyonce.

What made the first Superman movies work so well was the fact that they DID have big names (Hackman, Beatty, Brando) but the main focus of the film was on Superman, portrayed by Christopher Reeve a then unknown actor.

If you place a big name in the title role then at that point the audience will be focused on the name compared to the character they're bringing to life on screen.

[Black Atom]

Sorry, crossed wires, I'm simply talking about the DCU version of Hippolyta. I don't know much about the Hippolyta of legend. Weren't the Amazons supposed to be from the Black Sea area ?. In Greek art Hippolyta and the Amazons do not appear ethnically different from how the Greeks represented themselves. But who really knows ?.

When did DCU Hippolyta do that? She, like the rest of the Amazons, was created from the spirits of dead women and made from clay. She has no ethnic/national ties to any place but Themyscira.

Might well work financially but In my view the film Diana needs to be statuesque (said without irony) and have a classical South Mediterranean beauty. Obviously that is not Beyonce but I also can't actually think of a single Hollywood actress off the top of my head that fits the bill.

I guess so. She's only rarely been depicted that way in the comics. I agree in general that Beyonce shouldn't take the role, though.

[scout1279]

I agree with all of you. Here the thing though. All of us had incredible resistance to the casting of Iron Man's entire cast including Foggy as writer and directer and look how that turned out. We also had incredible resistance against Heath Ledger being the Joker and look how that turned out. The bottom line is we won't konw for sure until we get the finished product.

Personally, I thought Robert Downey, Jr. and Heath Ledger would be perfect as Tony Stark and The Joker, respectively, since the moment the announcements were made.

[Rev. Calibos]

Personally, I thought Robert Downey, Jr. and Heath Ledger would be perfect as Tony Stark and The Joker, respectively, since the moment the announcements were made.



Any doubts I had about Ledger portraying the Joker were instantly erased when we saw that first image from Dark Knight and were permanently banished when we heard that first cackle from the teaser trailer.

Robert Downey....well, that was a tougher sell but on the surface to be a good fit considering his past 'ahem' heroic intake of certain substances. but once we saw the trailer, clips from the film we knew that the movie was going to do well and that his portrayal of Stark would be spot on.

I doubt that there's a director out there who would be able to get that kind of a performance out of her.

[Black Atom]

The ancient greeks.

Since she didn't actually exist, we have to go with the earliest depictions of her in fiction. She's greek (meaning of Mediterranean origin) that lets out Asians, South, Central and North Americans, Scandians, Mid Europeans, Polynesians, Aborigines and Africans.

If we go by those depictions, though, she's decidedly not Greek. The Amazons warred with the Greeks on several occasions, even coming to the aid of the Trojans (another non-Greek nation-state people, for some reason, tend to remember as Greek). As Zeu pointed out, we may not have known what the Amazons were, but it was constantly made a point that they were not-Greek.

I think they should use the James Bond approach. Find a talented and hot looking actress (because there are so FEW of those running around) who hasn't been heard of and launch her career with the film. Chris Reeve and Brandon Routh are precedents.

It's ridiculous to think of Beyonce as WW. The soundtrack alone would undercut any attempt to make the thing anything more than a pop culture joke along the lines of BEWITCHED or the STEPFORD WIVES. No thank-you.

Agreed on both points.

Too bad Ms. Lawless is too old for the part.
http://couchslobs.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/lucy-lawless-xena-samurai.jpg

But she can be Hippolyta.

She still looks good. In fact, I think she looks better now. If they did a "jump forward" WW movie, where it begins with her already having been WW for a few years and filling in the origin as flashbacks, she could pull it off.

[AndrewCrossett]

Given that "McG" is now apparently the front-runner to direct this, I think the best we can hope for is to put a bullet through the head of this project.

The only way movies like this get made without sucking is if they go quickly and smoothly enough that the coke-addled morons who populate every Hollywood studio don't have a chance to start "weighing in" and "contributing their thoughts." When that happens, it's like watching a school of piranha catching up to a slow swimmer.

I'm just going to close my eyes now and think back to those early, innocent days when Joss Whedon was going to write and direct Morena Baccarin as Diana, and everything would be OK.

[carabas]

Given that "McG" is now apparently the front-runner to direct this, I think the best we can hope for is to put a bullet through the head of this project.Oh gods, no.

Seconded :mad: .