Interesting article on WW movie

[leagueofone]

You must also accept that the only way Wonder Woman is going to get more series is if the sales increase. And despite having top quality writing and art, that is not happening now. So by cross-promoting the character in other media, you might bring in new readers.

If WW were to appear in films, an animated tv series and say some videogames, you increase her visibility. Throw in some merchandising and before you know it kids are talking about her and asking their parents about her. Books start to sell.

[drewr15]

I agree Spark, I think movies (at least well done ones) can help erase the perception that comics are always campy and low quality and it could help bring in new interest for the character.

Not only that, if done well the movies are fun. The last two batmans and first two spidermans were excellent movies, I would love to see a proper treatment of Diana.

[spark627]

I agree Spark, I think movies (at least well done ones) can help erase the perception that comics are always campy and low quality and it could help bring in new interest for the character.

Not only that, if done well the movies are fun. The last two batmans and first two spidermans were excellent movies, I would love to see a proper treatment of Diana.

Yea, if they make WW film without sexualizing it like Catwoman and don't soften her and turn it into a love story like Elektra... it could be great!

[americanwonder]

Why do we need a WW movie? Well, the short answer is simple: I think it has the potential to be a really good movie.

Wonder Woman, imo, is a fascinating character with a rich mythos; it also lends itself to big, cgi, cinematic action and has a positive, feel-good message, too. Sounds great to me. Why wouldn't I want to see that on the big screen? Why would anyone want to limit WW to just one medium?

Here's hoping the powers that be put together something wonderful for us to enjoy.

Oh, and I also want "Wonder Woman: The Animated Series;" "Themyscira," a Smallville spin-off; and video games "Wonder Woman v. the God of War" and "Lego Wonder Woman." I don't think that's too much to ask.

[Donna M.]

Again, these are well-stated arguments but I'm still not convinced. Ever since the comic-movie boom began, retailers have not reported a significant increase in sales of said comics the movies are based on, although Watchmen did prove the exception (which is funny when you consider that it was deemed a flop by Hollywood standards).
Yes, there is still the basement-dweller stigma attached to comics, but that won't be eliminated with movies, it will be eliminated with better distribution of comics and increasing the quality of said comics. Gail's run on Wonder Woman is a great example of what I mean by upping the quality.
But really, to say that putting effort into breaking through the boundaries and stereotypes with the comics themselves isn't worth trouble sounds like quittin' talk to me. I should probably also point out that as a comic book artist I am completely married to this medium and I have a personal stake in seeing it succeed. Maybe if I were a film maker I'd be all about comic book movies, but I'm not.
Also bear in mind that right now, the industry is poised for dramatic changes, hopefully this will cure comics of their low-self esteem.

[americanwonder]

Ever since the comic-movie boom began, retailers have not reported a significant increase in sales of said comics the movies are based on, ...

What about the boom in sales for the collected editions (tpbs/gn)? All accounts I've seen report those sales, on the whole, going up.

While there's no really good way to measure this, don't you think that the Batman animated series, the good Batman movies and video games help contribute to building and solidifying the fanbase? The same goes for Spidey, Supes, and the X-Men.

More importantly, I don't see why this has to be and "either/or" situation. A quality WW movie isn't going to stop DC from making quality WW comics or hurt sales, is it?

[Donna M.]

More importantly, I don't see why this has to be and "either/or" situation. A quality WW movie isn't going to stop DC from making quality WW comics or hurt sales, is it?

I think GN sales are up because they've become more readily available to the public via bookstores and libraries. Also having a GN as Time's Book of the Year probably helped ('Fun Home' by Alison Bechdel, a must read!). But you're exactly right when you say that a Wonder flick won't hinder Wonder comics. Sometimes I think people lose sight of this in their zeal for a movie.
All commentary aside, I realise that I have no control over the situation at all and a Wonder Woman movie will probably get made at some point. All I can hope for is that it doesn't turn into the disaster that say, the Last Airbender movie has turned into.

[CaptainCanada]

I'd really rather they not ask Whedon back; his take on the character never sounded very good to me.

Nevertheless, having a good movie made is probably the single-most important thing that could happen for Wonder Woman today. Imagine where Batman would be if there hadn't been any major media projects since the 60s TV series; that's were Wondy is now, with the only work of hers in the public memory being that godawful campy 70s show.

[joshmc]

Still not getting my hopes up. Interesting read though.

[joshmc]

Yea, if they make WW film without sexualizing it like Catwoman and don't soften her and turn it into a love story like Elektra... it could be great!

A WW movies needs to be epic, really epic, not just 'superhero-ish' or a T & A flick.

[pariah-1972]

There is also a lot of fans of Wonder Woman who don't read comics ( as strange as this may sound) so a Wonder Woman movie would be great for that.

[Alex Dragon]

I couldn't care less if a WW movie is ever made but I think the hardcore WW fans who are clamoring for a movie will all be disapointed for several reasons...

1) It seems every WW fan has their own version of the ideal WW in their head. They have their idea of what she looks like and quite frankly the suggstions of who should play her are all over the place. It's both strange and interesting the actresses/women some people see as a good choice to play the character. It's also surprising how "off" many of the picks are. It would seem that no matter who's chosen to play her most hardcore WW fans are going to hate the choice.

2) The expectations many of the fans have is so high, no movie will ever live up to their expectations. Just like picking the woman to play WW, the idea of what would make a good movie is all over the place. When Joss W. was connected with the movie, every idea and suggestion he had was dimissed by many fans as the worst ideas ever. The only thing the WW fans agree on is that it must be SERIOUS!!!!!

3) Too many fans are hung up on the costume. This all ties in the the it must be taken SERIOUS thing. If they stick with the comic's version apparently it's a bad thing in many people's mind but if you don't it's a bad thing in other people's mind. And again, the people who don't want the comics version are all over the place when it comes to what she should actually wear.

Even though Lynda Carter wore the comics version of the costume and every cartoon version of WW has the same easily recognized WW costume and most non comic fans seem perfectly okay with it (if they care at all). But the hardcore WW want sometime more "realistic/less sexual/less revealing/more serious". Apparently WW's costume undermines all the seriousness of a character who was made from clay, flies around in an invisible jet, stops bullets with bracelets and carries a magic lasso.

4) Action movies with female leads rarely if ever do well at the boxoffice. When is brought up someone always chimes in with the "because they're crap!" defense. But if we look at the boxoffice of well written movies vs "Crap" movies it would seem like the "crap" tends to mostly do okay but a lot of the good stuff struggles.
There's nothing about a WW movie that would suggest it would be a big money maker. It would take a lot of star power people to make a WW a hit and I don't hink that's good idea.

5) The hardcore WW fans will be disappointed if/when a WW movie is made and has absolutely no affect what non-comic people feel about comicbooks or comicbook fans. All the respect some of you are waiting for will never come. Sorry. The Batman and Spider-man movies broke records at the boxoffice and it did very little for comicbooks and the fans. Yeah, non-comic readers may like the characters but aren't too keen on comics and probably have no greater respect for comic fans. Put comicbook characters in movies, video games, tv shows, and tee-shirts and you've got the public's attention. Show them a comic and they have zero interest. It's not the characters they have a problem with it's the comicbook format.

I think so many WW fans are destined not like the WW movie they'd be better off not having a WW movie at all.

[West Mantooth]

I couldn't care less if a WW movie is ever made but I think the hardcore WW fans who are clamoring for a movie will all be disapointed for several reasons...

1) It seems every WW fan has their own version of the ideal WW in their head. They have their idea of what she looks like and quite frankly the suggstions of who should play her are all over the place. It's both strange and interesting the actresses/women some people see as a good choice to play the character. It's also surprising how "off" many of the picks are. It would seem that no matter who's chosen to play her most hardcore WW fans are going to hate the choice.

2) The expectations many of the fans have is so high, no movie will ever live up to their expectations. Just like picking the woman to play WW, the idea of what would make a good movie is all over the place. When Joss W. was connected with the movie, every idea and suggestion he had was dimissed by many fans as the worst ideas ever. The only thing the WW fans agree on is that it must be SERIOUS!!!!!].

Serious as opposed to what? Campy? Light-hearted? Joss wasn't dismissed for his attitude towards the project, but some of the changes being made. Wonder Woman needing to be corrected about her attitude towards the world.

Yeah. I agree about the actress. Heaven help her. The ghost of Lynda Carter on one side and the spectre of the idealized version on the other. I bet if there had been more WW versions since Lynda(like Bats has had), the task would have been less daunting.

3) Too many fans are hung up on the costume. This all ties in the the it must be taken SERIOUS thing. If they stick with the comic's version apparently it's a bad thing in many people's mind but if you don't it's a bad thing in other people's mind. And again, the people who don't want the comics version are all over the place when it comes to what she should actually wear.

Even though Lynda Carter wore the comics version of the costume and every cartoon version of WW has the same easily recognized WW costume and most non comic fans seem perfectly okay with it (if they care at all). But the hardcore WW want sometime more "realistic/less sexual/less revealing/more serious". Apparently WW's costume undermines all the seriousness of a character who was made from clay, flies around in an invisible jet, stops bullets with bracelets and carries a magic lasso.

Well when you put it like that it sounds stupid.

4) Action movies with female leads rarely if ever do well at the boxoffice. When is brought up someone always chimes in with the "because they're crap!" defense. But if we look at the boxoffice of well written movies vs "Crap" movies it would seem like the "crap" tends to mostly do okay but a lot of the good stuff struggles.
There's nothing about a WW movie that would suggest it would be a big money maker. It would take a lot of star power people to make a WW a hit and I don't hink that's good idea..

Yeah. It's a toss-up. I do think if there's any female with enough name recognition to beat the stigma it's WW.

5) The hardcore WW fans will be disappointed if/when a WW movie is made and has absolutely no affect what non-comic people feel about comicbooks or comicbook fans. All the respect some of you are waiting for will never come. Sorry. The Batman and Spider-man movies broke records at the boxoffice and it did very little for comicbooks and the fans. Yeah, non-comic readers may like the characters but aren't too keen on comics and probably have no greater respect for comic fans. Put comicbook characters in movies, video games, tv shows, and tee-shirts and you've got the public's attention. Show them a comic and they have zero interest. It's not the characters they have a problem with it's the comicbook format..

That I agree with. It's like there's some magic number the comic sales need to reach to be respected. I don't get it.

I think so many WW fans are destined not like the WW movie they'd be better off not having a WW movie at all.

I guess most fans would rather cross that bridge than not.

[joshmc]

I think there's an element of truth that everyone has their own idea of how WW should be portrayed on screen, this probably boils down to the character being inconsistently dealt with over the years. The issue is the character has to appeal to the general public first, in that case I think some tough decisions have to be made that may in fact tick a lot of people off, especially if it's going to be an origin story. I gave the Gods and Mortals origin recently to someone who doesn't know the character and their response was that it lacks punch, and to be honest I couldn't disagree for certain parts. They did feel the animated film was an improvement but still needed more to it. So I guess the question is are fans willing to compromise on certain things? What alterations/sacrifices/additions are fans willing to accept?

[Alex Dragon]

Serious as opposed to what? Campy? Light-hearted? Joss wasn't dismissed for his attitude towards the project, but some of the changes being made. Wonder Woman needing to be corrected about her attitude towards the world.

If someone wrote a very well written but light-hearted or even humorous WW movie do you think that woul be an automatically bad thing? Should it be a "SERIOUS" movie or none at all? I think many WW fans feel it has to "SERIOUS" or not be made at all. Some have said that a WW movie needs to be serious to erase the tv show from people's mind and to give her "proper respect" and all that stuff.

Personally, I'd just like to see an entertaining movie. If it's light-hearted, comedy, action, or thriller it doesn't matter to me. In fact, if it's terrible it wouldn't matter much to me. I'll just chalk it up as another bad movie I've seen and move on. Too many WW fans seem to think a WW movie is incredibly important and the fate of the character hangs in the balance. That once the general public sees this wonderful character she'll get the resect she's always deserved. Eh...I think she'll sell a bit more merchandise and that's about it.

Yeah. I agree about the actress. Heaven help her. The ghost of Lynda Carter on one side and the spectre of the idealized version on the other. I bet if there had been more WW versions since Lynda(like Bats has had), the task would have been less daunting.

The thing is that you sometimes you can't tell with an actor/actress until they actually play the part. I'm sure if today's fans were around and able to post their opinions on a messageboard back in the 70s they'd say Lynda C. wasn't right for the part. Remember all the flack Michael Keaton got before the first Batman movie? But he actually made it work. Seeing (and hearing) Hugh Jackman before he played the part of Wolverine seemed like not the best choice for the character but look at what he's done with the character.