New Info on WW TV series on CW

[Don-Jack]

Why would she have to have the same age as the comic book Diana? Do you really think the CW cares about what goes on in the comic book universe over what they can create themselves?

Eh... would, not should.
(Even if I think she should, or even older)

[Lafanboy]

More details emerge, including Diana having a When Harry Met Sally moment eating ice cream. Lol!

The CW has put out a casting call for the lucky actor who will play Diana, aka Wonder Woman, in its brand new origins show. And the other day, a description of the character came out: she's "a fierce warrior with the innocent heart of a romantic." But what does that mean, exactly?

We got hold of the script pages that are being used for Diana's auditions, and found out a bit more about how Wonder Woman will be portrayed this time around.
First off, a couple caveats: 1) The script for the pilot isn't even written, according to the report the other day. So these casting pages can't be from the script, because it doesn't exist yet. 2) Even if there was a script, it would probably be massively rewritten before and during filming. And in general, you can't form much of a judgment about something by looking at an early piece of material. Except to get some vague hints about the direction the creative people — in this case writer Allan Heinberg — are going in. And the kind of Wonder Woman they're hoping to create.

Still, there are possible spoilers for the pilot below. Be warned!

So... the script pages consist of two scenes between Diana (who's called "Iris," to disguise her true identity) and Steve Trevor (who's called "Pete," for probably the same reason.)

In the first, Steve Trevor has crash-landed on Diana's island and she's angrily interrogating him, with his hands and feet cuffed to a chair. She thinks he's a terrorist attacker, or the vanguard of an invasion, or maybe a spy. But "Pete" keeps pointing out that he's alone, "one guy with a broken plane and a handgun," and not really what the U.S. government would send if they were invading. Steve Trevor is super charming, and snarky in a "CW guy" kind of way — sort of Damon from Vampire Diaries crossed with Tommy from Arrow. Suave.

In the second scene, Steve Trevor and Diana are in America, and she's in a diner having eaten a ginormous meal. Steve is astonished that she still wants more food — and she explains that where she comes from, they don't have any of this luxury or softness or french fries. Life on Diana's island was hard and forbidding. And here, she explains that her people were slaves until they rose up, and they're always aware that they must fight for their freedom. And then Diana tries ice cream for the first time. She "takes her first bite... and swoons. She WHIMPERS with pleasure." With her second spoonful, Diana's whimper becomes a moan. It gets into When Harry Met Sally territory, basically, as she experiences ice cream for the first time. The people in the diner are kind of freaked out.

So, all in all... it looks pretty decent, and feels very much like a CW show, with the sparky flirty chemistry between Steve and Diana. The ice cream-eating reminds me of David E. Kelley's ice cream-obsessed Wonder Woman, in kind of an uncomfortable way. I feel like there's some Hollywood script-writer thing that sees "eating dessert" as a shorthand for all sorts of stuff about female sensuality, and that's certainly the case here. (Think Troi/Crusher and their endless dessert dissertations on Star Trek: TNG.)

All in all, even based on a couple of casting sides, I can tell this is way better than the Kelley pilot — Wonder Woman has a core to her that she never had in Kelley's version, including the awareness that her people were slaves. And apparently we're keeping the "Steve Trevor crashes on Themyscira" origin story — unless they just concocted that for the casting sides and decide to toss it out. But I'd bet it's in. And I'm kind of glad they're dragging Diana back to her roots, at least somewhat.

[Don-Jack]

Life on Diana's island was hard and forbidding. And here, she explains that her people were slaves until they rose up, and they're always aware that they must fight for their freedom.

Wow, wow, wow. That's intriguing.

And one more wow: there is a lot of rage going on about the ice cream stuff.
Sour people.

[pippl]

In the first, Steve Trevor has crash-landed on Diana's island and she's angrily interrogating him, with his hands and feet cuffed to a chair.

Bondage in Scene One. Bill Marston approves!

And here, she explains that her people were slaves until they rose up, and they're always aware that they must fight for their freedom.

Bill Marston approves!

The ice cream-eating reminds me of David E. Kelley's ice cream-obsessed Wonder Woman, in kind of an uncomfortable way. I feel like there's some Hollywood script-writer thing that sees "eating dessert" as a shorthand for all sorts of stuff about female sensuality, and that's certainly the case here. (Think Troi/Crusher and their endless dessert dissertations on Star Trek: TNG.)

Agreed about the trope, but, actually, this bit reminds me more of Debra Winger as the ice cream-obsessed Wonder Girl from the 1970s TV series, which is almost certainly an influence on Heinberg.

... they're dragging Diana back to her roots, at least somewhat.

"Strap yourself to the tree with roots,
You ain't goin' nowhere..."
--Bob Dylan

[Don-Jack]

I'm taking a guess that the Amazons will not be immortal. That means Lynda Carter could be Hippolyta without any problems.

[slvn]

If this succeeds and the ice cream motif stays in, maybe Ben and Jerry or someone could make an Amazing Amazon ice cream flavor.

[AlfredIslas]

If this succeeds and the ice cream motif stays in, maybe Ben and Jerry or someone could make an Amazing Amazon ice cream flavor.

Getting that product placement money so they can pull off some big budget stunts, genius! I've come to enjoy product placement in TV. It's pretty funny and I love looking back on some of the hilarious product placements in The Vampire Diaries. Very memorable moments.

[Haephestus]

Re: Themyscira

It sounds like it will be very different in the TV show than it is in the comic books.

I wonder who their captors were. The Greek gods? Mythological creatures? Another tribe of Amazons?

[Don-Jack]

Re: Themyscira

It sounds like it will be very different in the TV show than it is in the comic books.

I wonder who their captors were. The Greek gods? Mythological creatures? Another tribe of Amazons?

Heracles? We don't know how long they have been free.

[slvn]

Getting that product placement money so they can pull off some big budget stunts, genius!

Not to mention the money from every pint of "Amazing Amazon" ice cream sold under a licensing agreement.

Or maybe it would be "Paradise Islands" ice cream--islands of golden caramel in a rich sea of blah blah blah, with a golden "lasso" running through in the form of a peanut butter ripple? Delicious! :)

[pitbull in a skirt]

I hope they use the Azzarello WW comic as a template for the TV Show. Strife would be great as a recurring troll who annoys everyone.

I hope they look at the 2009 WW animated movie as well.

[RealWonderman]

The visuals of the lasso and bullets and bracelets were two things Kelley got VERY right. I think they should keep these in mind!!


Check out this video on YouTube:

http://youtu.be/F1cDmZeHIY4

[LSM]

I don't know... she came off more like Mortal Kombat's Scorpion in that, spamming the "Get over here!" move, then what I imagine using the lasso would be like.

That's also the first time I've watched anything from the failed pilot, and that was... not so good. They really need to keep the powers low key in the newer take. If you try to emphasize them... the TV budget just isn't big enough for them to be so "look at me!"... 'cause you do, and you're unimpressed.

[Gaelforce]

I don't know... she came off more like Mortal Kombat's Scorpion in that, spamming the "Get over here!" move, then what I imagine using the lasso would be like.

That's also the first time I've watched anything from the failed pilot, and that was... not so good. They really need to keep the powers low key in the newer take. If you try to emphasize them... the TV budget just isn't big enough for them to be so "look at me!"... 'cause you do, and you're unimpressed.

I think the worst part about the pilot for me was that you could *see* the potential in front of you while watching them flush it down the toilet :/

I did think they got the combat scenes right, tho' I hated how murderous she was (I think she killed at least three people), but the very casual way she kicked a shipping cargo container was spot on. That there were a couple of guys *between* the containers? No thank you.

[Don-Jack]

The way she used the bracelets was very cool. The only thing they should repeat.