Wonder Woman Returning To TV As Series Written And Produced By David
E. Kelley
By NELLIE ANDREEVA
This has to be the highest-profile effort to bring Wonder Woman to
television: One of TV's best-known creators, David E. Kelley, has come
on board to write and produce a new series project about the female
superhero. The project, from Warner Bros. Television where Kelley is
based, and Warner Bros.' DC Entertainment, will be taken out to the
networks shortly. Kelley, who has created several female-centered
shows, most notably Ally McBeal, had been interested in tackling a
contemporary take on the World War II-era Amazon. He recently met with
the DC team who also have been looking for ways to launch a new Wonder
Woman TV franchise. Details on the reboot are being kept under wraps,
and it is not clear if the new Wonder Woman aka Diana Prince will keep
her signature powers and weapons, including her Lasso of Truth, her
indestructible bracelets, her tiara and her invisible airplane. In the
comic books, the Wonder Woman character has evolved significantly
since she first appeared in a 1941 issue of All Star Comics and
recently underwent a controversial makeover.
Warner Bros. TV has brought DC characters to the small screen before,
most recently with the CW's Superman-themed Smallville, which is in
its 10th and final season, and Fox's Human Target, which returned for
a second season. But Wonder Woman has presented a challenge both for
feature and TV creators. That's probably because she is the most
famous female superhero in the testosterone-dominated comic world. And
because she also is a big feminist icon. (Reps for Warner Bros. TV and
Kelley declined to comment for this story.)
The most successful screen adaptation of the Wonder Woman comic books
was the TV series The New Adventures of Wonder Woman starring Lynda
Carter in the title role, which aired from 1975-1979, first on ABC and
then on CBS. Carter has since become synonymous with the character.
That will certainly present a challenge in casting the role if the
project goes to pilot. A notable recent effort to launch a new Wonder
Woman series came a decade ago with Lois & Clark: The New Adventures
of Superman creator Deborah Joy LeVine as the writer.
On the feature side, a Wonder Woman film has been in development hell
for a decade at Warner Bros., with Joss Whedon at one point attached
to write and direct for producer Joel Silver. In May, Warner chairman
and CEO Barry Meyer confirmed that a new Wonder Woman feature is in
development. There has been a concerted effort on part of Time Warner
lately to better mine the DC properties across different platforms.
The film division is expected to announce a slate of DC movies by the
end of the year that would probably include Wonder Woman.
Until then, here is a classic clip from the Wonder Woman series
starring Lynda Carter.
RWG (unless it ends up on a cable network, it's dead in the water IMO)
Rather see a big budget WW movie first.
"T987654321" <qwrt...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:4d3ead3c-76b7-44f8...@e22g2000prj.googlegroups.com...
> Hmmmm.... I have my doubts based on what's passed for SH shows
> recently. Sure hope it's not a Smallville copy.
>
> Rather see a big budget WW movie first.
We've been waiting for one for over 10 years.
"Syvyn11" <robhor...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:Tu6dnc5Fc66iXDvR...@earthlink.com...
It's not even light-years close to rocket science to come up with a movie
treatment. Even rank amateurs have been posting stuff online that could
work.
http://groups.google.com/group/rec.arts.tv/msg/896ef286046b7184?hl=en
http://groups.google.com/group/rec.arts.comics.dc.universe/msg/8f36539c8be918f1?hl=en
http://groups.google.com/group/rec.arts.comics.dc.universe/msg/2b12a67868d4daa9?hl=en
-- Ken from Chicago
--
"There's something that doesn't make sense. Let's go and poke it with a
stick."
John Savard
I wouldn't call myself a huge fan, but I can certainly see why he finds
work. He's had a fair amount of success.
And what's wrong with using Boston for a setting? Not enough of NY and LA
for you?
"Dimensional Traveler" <dtr...@sonic.net> wrote in message
news:4ca76a19$0$1615$742e...@news.sonic.net...
Superman works out of Manhattan (there was a movie).
Batman works out of Chicago (with an eL in the movie).
Wonder Woman needs her own city (Boston will do).
-- Ken from Chicago (who'd prefer Joss or JMS or JJ Abrams for writing
strong female characters)
> Batman works out of Chicago (with an eL in the movie).
I would have preferred putting Batman in Boston. That would fit nicely
with Bruce Wayne being an old-money millionaire.
John Savard
So would this new series be about the old wonder woman or post-reboot
issue #600 wonder woman in the comics where she walks around with a
leather jacket? If it's the latter, she looks young enough for
Selena Gomez to play her.
"IAPW" <lk...@my-deja.com> wrote in message
news:7483e6cc-5e7a-4432...@g21g2000prn.googlegroups.com...
Selena Whomez? Is she one of those actress/pop singers from from Nickelodeon
or Disney Channel?
-- Ken from Chicago (who's yet to see an Amanda Byrnes show or movie nor
understands her appeal from any movie trailer)
That's what I hope. Back to the Silver Age - because that's what would
be most familiar to the general public, the Lynda Carter series being
based on that. Back when it was being drawn by Andru and Esposito
(like Metal Men).
John Savard
> Selena Whomez? Is she one of those actress/pop singers from from Nickelodeon
> or Disney Channel?
You got it - Wikipedia records her as having as her chief claim to
fame being on "The Wizards of Waverly Place" on the Disney Channel.
> -- Ken from Chicago (who's yet to see an Amanda Byrnes show or movie nor
> understands her appeal from any movie trailer)
There's an Amanda Bynes... she was on several successful TV shows.
She's blonde, and has a good figure, so that would provide her with a
certain amount of appeal right there. However, she appears to have
moved on from acting to being a fashion designer. Oh, no; she's a
movie star now, so she must be appealing.
John Savard
> On Oct 2, 2:14Â pm, "Ken from Chicago" <kwicker1b nos...@comcast.net>
> wrote:
>
> > Batman works out of Chicago (with an eL in the movie).
>
> I would have preferred putting Batman in Boston. That would fit nicely
> with Bruce Wayne being an old-money millionaire.
>
> John Savard
Is Bruce an old-money millionaire? (billionaire these days)
His dad was a filthy rich doctor, but I have no idea what his
grandparents did, or who built Stately Wayne manor.
--
Learn all about September 19
International Talk Like A Pirate Day!
http://www.talklikeapirate.com/piratehome.html
Open wide and say "Arrrrrrrrrrrr"
Why not LA since that's where they would probably be filming it? ;)
Joss would be good. He could even get JMS to write some eps since he's
working on the reboot.
>>>Batman works out of Chicago (with an eL in the movie).
>>I would have preferred putting Batman in Boston. That would fit nicely
>>with Bruce Wayne being an old-money millionaire.
>>John Savard
>Is Bruce an old-money millionaire? (billionaire these days)
Damn. Inflation.
>His dad was a filthy rich doctor, but I have no idea what his
>grandparents did, or who built Stately Wayne manor.
Is he a Rockefeller, a Morgan, or an Astor?
"Quadibloc" <jsa...@ecn.ab.ca> wrote in message
news:98bf0191-03fd-4be9...@j18g2000yqd.googlegroups.com...
People remember the visuals. The mainstream haven't a clue what her story is
other than being from a female-only island. Then again many comic book
readers don't know what her current situation is--beyond a new costume.
-- Ken from Chicago
"shawn" <nanof...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:k6nfa6hofn2jjdoj3...@4ax.com...
Are there any superheroes based in Los Angeles?
The closest is Green Lantern who was based in Coast City near
Seattle--before it was destroyed and Hal went psycho.
-- Ken from Chicago
West Coast Avengers. But that's Marvel.
--
My friends are wondering What you're thinking
And your friends probably Think the same thing
Well it doesn't Matter If we change their minds
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oS-D-Qn6Beo
>
>
> "IAPW" <lk...@my-deja.com> wrote in message
> news:7483e6cc-5e7a-4432...@g21g2000prn.googlegroups.com...
> > Quadibloc wrote:
> >>I hope they get an actress who looks more like the Wonder Woman in the
> >>classic comic books, and less like Lynda Carter. She was a lovely lady
> >>and all that, but I think that this time they should really try to
> >>make an effort to make a series that can be *taken seriously*.
> >
> > So would this new series be about the old wonder woman or post-reboot
> > issue #600 wonder woman in the comics where she walks around with a
> > leather jacket? If it's the latter, she looks young enough for
> > Selena Gomez to play her.
>
> Selena Whomez? Is she one of those actress/pop singers from from Nickelodeon
> or Disney Channel?
Disney. Wizards of Waverly Place. She just turned 18, but still looks
14.
We don't really know if he is old money - and, indeed, I wouldn't be
surprised if in the recent Batman movies that he might be presented as
a self-made man like Tony Stark. But the old comics from the '50s and
early '60s did give me at least that kind of feeling about the
character.
John Savard
The Waynes got rich through real estate, which it began investing in
during colonial times, and its much more recent creation of Wayne
Enterprises, a technology firm. Wayne Manor was designed in 1795 for
Bruce's ancestor, Darius Wayne, by an architect named Nathan Van Derm.
Van Derm's great-granddaughter Catherine married into the Wayne family,
and so Nathan is Bruce's great-great-great-great-great-grandfather.
Bruce was originally a millionaire. In the early '90s some villain
who'd kidnapped him called him a billionaire, and Bruce said, "Not
quite." Now he's a multi-billionaire, and can easily afford to replace
crashed Batplanes half a dozen times a year.
> Are there any superheroes based in Los Angeles?
I can't think of one from the comics. Supergirl was based in San
Francisco for a while around 1970, and I think she might have been the
first DC character to have been based in a real-world city.
In the movies, Hancock.
> The closest is Green Lantern who was based in Coast City near
> Seattle--before it was destroyed and Hal went psycho.
Coast City must have somewhere near Los Angeles, as Santa Barbara
suffered heavy damage in the explosion.
I think DC created all those phony cities just so their artists
wouldn't need to use reference materials. They had Metropolis and
Gotham City instead of New York, Ivy Town instead of Boston, Central
City instead of St. Louis, and on and on. The real-world versions of
the fake cities began creeping into DC stories in the '50s, and they
were commonly used during the '70s and after, so DC's modern United
States is a pretty crowded place.
When I was a kid, I think Wonder Woman is Superman's sex partner because
other women would die.
Like the TV version of Buck Rogers used Delta City instead of New Orleans.
--
aem sends,,,,
<snip>
> So would this new series be about the old wonder woman or post-reboot
> issue #600 wonder woman in the comics where she walks around with a
> leather jacket? If it's the latter, she looks young enough for
> Selena Gomez to play her.
For the love of god no. It needs to be an unKnown.
--
"Don't say that. Women say that, everything goes black, and I wake up
surrounded by body parts." -Franklin, True Blood
And they won't want to get a clue. Everyone only Knows the Lynda Carter
bit.
--
Currently reading: Batman: Hush
>> Is Bruce an old-money millionaire? (billionaire these days)
>
> Damn. Inflation.
>
>> His dad was a filthy rich doctor, but I have no idea what his
>> grandparents did, or who built Stately Wayne manor.
>
> Is he a Rockefeller, a Morgan, or an Astor?
I think he was old money however, he was able to increase it by
investments..just a shot in the dark...got nothing to back that up.
I thought Batman was lower manhattan...And Wonder Woman is based out of
Wash. DC...Diana price was a yeoman assigned to the chief of staff on
the intel department if I remember correctly.
"ravenlynne" <raven...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:i8a3er$kba$1...@news.eternal-september.org...
That includes unknown to tweens.
-- Ken from Chicago
> That includes unknown to tweens.
>
> -- Ken from Chicago
Agreed. I don't think the actress should be that young anyway. Mid
20's is good.
>In article <w46dnTYJAqAmdTrR...@giganews.com>, Ken from
>Chicago <kwicker1...@comcast.net> wrote:
>
>> Are there any superheroes based in Los Angeles?
>
>I can't think of one from the comics. Supergirl was based in San
>Francisco for a while around 1970, and I think she might have been the
>first DC character to have been based in a real-world city.
During the Bronze Age flowering of spooky heros at Marvel Comics, they
put characters like Ghost Rider, Moon Knight, Werewolf by Night, Blade
and Spider-Woman in Los Angeles to keep them safely separated from
their regular heroes. Both Marvel and DC used it as a place to start
up teams made up of second-raters like the Champions, Teen Titans West
and the West Coast Avengers.
> Hmmmm.... I have my doubts based on what's passed for SH shows
>recently. Sure hope it's not a Smallville copy.
>
>Rather see a big budget WW movie first.
---
Unless they cover the teenage years of Wonder Woman before became
Wonder Woman then no.
------>Hunter
"No man in the wrong can stand up against
a fellow that's in the right and keeps on acomin'."
-----William J. McDonald
Captain, Texas Rangers from 1891 to 1907
Yeah but then World War II ended and Wonder Woman's premise was shot
to hell.
Easily transferable to another time and war. Never a time without some
conflict. Sadly.
At her age?!
"Dano" <janea...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:i8adg9$3po$1...@news.eternal-september.org...
The tv show had hear being a secret agent in the '70s.
-- Ken from Chicago
Same here, with Wayne Manor being in one of the tony areas of Long Island.
> And Wonder Woman is based out of
> Wash. DC...Diana price was a yeoman assigned to the chief of staff on
> the intel department if I remember correctly.
Yep. Originally, anyway. And I would hope that that would be the
setting of any reboot, as well.
--
Jim Gysin
Waukesha, WI
I agree that a WW reboot (like Capt. America) would work best if they
avoid trying to make it happen in a contemporary setting. And while we
get further away from WWII with each passing day, I believe that it was
an epic-enough event that it could still resonate with the younger set
that would be the principal audience.
>>>Superman works out of Manhattan (there was a movie).
>>>Batman works out of Chicago (with an eL in the movie).
>>>Wonder Woman needs her own city (Boston will do).
>>>-- Ken from Chicago (who'd prefer Joss or JMS or JJ Abrams for writing
>>>strong female characters)
>>I thought Batman was lower manhattan...
>Same here, with Wayne Manor being in one of the tony areas of Long Island.
Batman taking the bridge? No way.
Sure. Why not? She looked pretty dam good in a bikini recently.
>I'm sorry, I'm still not comprehending this bizarre combination. Why
>are people including "wonder woman" and "david kelley" in the same
>sentence? Boston Public, Boston Legal, that skinny toothpick that
>killed feminism, Boston Sewage. Seriously, the guy who can't write a
>show set anywhere other than Boston?
Sure! How 'bout Hoboken as the next spot for stories to be
written in?
--
-=-=-/ )=*=-='=-.-'-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
_( (_ , '_ * . Merrick Baldelli
(((\ \> /_1 `
(\\\\ \_/ /
-=-\ /-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
\ _/ Who are these folks and why have they
/ / stopped taking their medication?
- Captain Infinity
"Dano" <janea...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:i8b5g5$ken$1...@news.eternal-september.org...
I don't. I've already suggested a movie that diverges from the tv show.
http://groups.google.com/group/rec.arts.comics.dc.universe/msg/8f36539c8be918f1?hl=en
-- Ken from Chicago
>
> ravenlynne sent the following on 10/3/2010 9:36 AM:
> > On 10/2/2010 4:14 PM, Ken from Chicago wrote:
> >> <snip>
> >>> --
> >>> "There's something that doesn't make sense. Let's go and poke it with
> >>> a stick."
> >> Superman works out of Manhattan (there was a movie).
> >>
> >> Batman works out of Chicago (with an eL in the movie).
> >>
> >> Wonder Woman needs her own city (Boston will do).
> >>
> >> -- Ken from Chicago (who'd prefer Joss or JMS or JJ Abrams for writing
> >> strong female characters)
> >>
> >
> > I thought Batman was lower manhattan...
>
> Same here, with Wayne Manor being in one of the tony areas of Long Island.
Well, Gotham is L.A. in 1966, and Chicago in Batman Begins; I think
that's what he's referring to. Shooting locations.
--
"Please, I can't die, I've never kissed an Asian woman!"
Shego on "Shat My Dad Says"
Firing a mini-gun.
I think that 'map of the dc universe' showed exactly that; Wayne Manor
being on the wrong side of a bay to the North of Gotham, and either
needing to take a bridge or going the long way 'round.
>I hope they get an actress who looks more like the Wonder Woman in the
>classic comic books, and less like Lynda Carter. She was a lovely lady
>and all that, but I think that this time they should really try to
>make an effort to make a series that can be *taken seriously*.
>
>John Savard
So you want a thin, flat-chested Wonder Woman that's acts ditzy and is
heavily into bondage? That's the classic Wonder Woman from the 40s.
The revamped Silver Age Wonder Woman, starting circa 1958, has always
looked more or less like Lynda Carter (that's why Lynda Carter was picked,
because she looked like the comic).
--
"Oh Buffy, you really do need to have
every square inch of your ass kicked."
- Willow Rosenberg
Note that I said "work BEST." It could be done in a contemporary
setting, but the world today is a lot different from the world that
spawned those characters, meaning that, realistically speaking, people
in-story would respond differently to those characters appearing on the
scene out of the blue in today's world as opposed to the world that
existed around the time of WWII.
And besides, there's already plenty of decent stuff set in the present
day. As a fan of the WWII historical period, I would love to see more
shows and movies set in that time period.
Heh. Seriously, though, I don't know of any areas near downtown Chicago
that had open land and room for a mansion like that--not even decades
ago. Long Island always made more sense to me, with a modest little
home overlooking the Sound...
(Plus there are all kinds of nearby islands that could have served as
Arkham in those incarnations where it's island-based. Chicago, not so
much.)
>>>>>Superman works out of Manhattan (there was a movie).
>>>>>Batman works out of Chicago (with an eL in the movie).
>>>>>Wonder Woman needs her own city (Boston will do).
>>>>>-- Ken from Chicago (who'd prefer Joss or JMS or JJ Abrams for writing
>>>>>strong female characters)
>>>>I thought Batman was lower manhattan...
>>>Same here, with Wayne Manor being in one of the tony areas of Long Island.
>>Batman taking the bridge? No way.
>Heh. Seriously, though, I don't know of any areas near downtown Chicago
>that had open land and room for a mansion like that--not even decades
>ago.
I agree. There are numerous religious orders and universities that bought
tracts of farm land in areas that became suburbs and were later incorporated
into the city, but a personal estate on a lot that enormous? No, not in
Chicago. There were numerous mansions within a short distance of downtown
Chicago that lasted for under a generation, but none would have had huge
estates.
A brunette Hilarie Burton or Rachel Bilson
> Adam H. Kerman sent the following on 10/3/2010 6:52 PM:
> > Jim Gysin <jimg...@geemail.com> wrote:
> >> ravenlynne sent the following on 10/3/2010 9:36 AM:
> >>> On 10/2/2010 4:14 PM, Ken from Chicago wrote:
> >
> >>>> Superman works out of Manhattan (there was a movie).
> >
> >>>> Batman works out of Chicago (with an eL in the movie).
> >
> >>>> Wonder Woman needs her own city (Boston will do).
> >
> >>>> -- Ken from Chicago (who'd prefer Joss or JMS or JJ Abrams for writing
> >>>> strong female characters)
> >
> >>> I thought Batman was lower manhattan...
> >
> >> Same here, with Wayne Manor being in one of the tony areas of Long Island.
> >
> > Batman taking the bridge? No way.
>
> Heh. Seriously, though, I don't know of any areas near downtown Chicago
> that had open land and room for a mansion like that--not even decades
> ago.
And those endless caves, linked to an underground slave railway from the
Civil War ...
"Anim8rFSK" <ANIM...@cox.net> wrote in message
news:ANIM8Rfsk-58B98...@news.dc1.easynews.com...
You win the kewpie doll.
-- Ken from Chicago (who wonders what a kewpie is)
"Jim Gysin" <jimg...@geemail.com> wrote in message
news:i8dili$qbt$1...@news.eternal-september.org...
But even a modern take would be filmable and entertaining, considering she'd
show up rescuing a member of the armed forces, she'd be treated as a
celebrity:
> I agree that a WW reboot (like Capt. America) would work best if they
> avoid trying to make it happen in a contemporary setting.
Interestingly enough, the _pilot_ for the Lynda Carter series, or TV-
movie, or whatever, was set in World War II even though the series was
in a contemporary setting.
One problem with Wonder Woman in a contemporary setting is the James
Bond problem.
That is: it was OK to have a hero bashing Nazis every day of the
week... and for a while it wasn't so controversial to have a hero
constantly going around defeating the schemes and plots of the Reds
either. But that eventually _did_ become politically incorrect... and
I think there would be a negative reaction if Wonder Woman were, say,
to spend most of her time fighting al-Qaeda, the Taliban, Hamas, al-
Shabaab, and so on.
So while she is depicted as a patriotic hero, she would largely end up
fighting imaginary enemies... like leftover Nazis hiding in South
America who have hatched a conspiracy for world conquest. Because
they're the only bad guys who aren't controversial.
John Savard
> Agreed. Â I don't think the actress should be that young anyway. Â Mid
> 20's is good.
Ah, you mean "as young as Selena Gomez", not that the actress
shouldn't be 12-14 years old, or 9-11 years old, whatever a "tween"
is, which I think would be a given: I was about to note that he meant
that the actress, whatever her age, should be an "unknown" even to
people of that age, and wasn't directly speaking of the actress's age.
John Savard
> On Oct 3, 4:18Â pm, Jim Gysin <jimgy...@geemail.com> wrote:
>
> > I agree that a WW reboot (like Capt. America) would work best if they
> > avoid trying to make it happen in a contemporary setting.
>
> Interestingly enough, the pilot for the Lynda Carter series, or TV-
> movie, or whatever, was set in World War II even though the series was
> in a contemporary setting.
The first season of WW was set in WW2; it went 'contemporary' in season
2.
>
> One problem with Wonder Woman in a contemporary setting is the James
> Bond problem.
>
> That is: it was OK to have a hero bashing Nazis every day of the
> week... and for a while it wasn't so controversial to have a hero
> constantly going around defeating the schemes and plots of the Reds
> either. But that eventually did become politically incorrect... and
> I think there would be a negative reaction if Wonder Woman were, say,
> to spend most of her time fighting al-Qaeda, the Taliban, Hamas, al-
> Shabaab, and so on.
>
> So while she is depicted as a patriotic hero, she would largely end up
> fighting imaginary enemies... like leftover Nazis hiding in South
> America who have hatched a conspiracy for world conquest. Because
> they're the only bad guys who aren't controversial.
Nazis. I hate those guys.
It's amazing how many people (even those of us old enough to have
watched it when it aired) forget about that :-)
>
> > One problem with Wonder Woman in a contemporary setting is the James
> > Bond problem.
>
> > That is: it was OK to have a hero bashing Nazis every day of the
> > week... and for a while it wasn't so controversial to have a hero
> > constantly going around defeating the schemes and plots of the Reds
> > either. But that eventually  did  become politically incorrect... and
> > I think there would be a negative reaction if Wonder Woman were, say,
> > to spend most of her time fighting al-Qaeda, the Taliban, Hamas, al-
> > Shabaab, and so on.
>
> > So while she is depicted as a patriotic hero, she would largely end up
> > fighting imaginary enemies... like leftover Nazis hiding in South
> > America who have hatched a conspiracy for world conquest. Because
> > they're the only bad guys who aren't controversial.
>
> Nazis. Â I hate those guys.
Yeah, but they always LOOK great.
RWG (which is one of the reasons I think they show up everywhere :-)
> > > Interestingly enough, the  pilot  for the Lynda Carter series, or TV-
> > > movie, or whatever, was set in World War II even though the series was
> > > in a contemporary setting.
>
> > The first season of WW was set in WW2; it went 'contemporary' in season
> > 2.
>
> It's amazing how many people (even those of us old enough to have
> watched it when it aired) forget about that :-)
>
At least I _partly_ remembered it, even if I did get an important
detail wrong.
John Savard
Yep. In fact, I fully expected the Hardy Boys to come across the
batcave at some point, as I remain convinced that Wayne Manor wasn't too
far away from Bayport. Certainly the Sleuth could have found it from
the water. :)
I agree; I just don't think that it would be as good in the present day.
And it went downhill, IMO. Of course, part of it was that ol' Lyle
didn't have much range beyond playing the wooden military guy with a
strong jaw and absolutely no personality. OTOH, they tweaked WW's
costume, IIRC, and I was perfectly okay with that. :)
>> One problem with Wonder Woman in a contemporary setting is the James
>> Bond problem.
>>
>> That is: it was OK to have a hero bashing Nazis every day of the
>> week... and for a while it wasn't so controversial to have a hero
>> constantly going around defeating the schemes and plots of the Reds
>> either. But that eventually did become politically incorrect... and
>> I think there would be a negative reaction if Wonder Woman were, say,
>> to spend most of her time fighting al-Qaeda, the Taliban, Hamas, al-
>> Shabaab, and so on.
>>
>> So while she is depicted as a patriotic hero, she would largely end up
>> fighting imaginary enemies... like leftover Nazis hiding in South
>> America who have hatched a conspiracy for world conquest. Because
>> they're the only bad guys who aren't controversial.
>
> Nazis. I hate those guys.
And snakes. Don't forget snakes. Or was it mummies? Now you have me
mixing up my serials...
My main concern is that we now live in a world of moral equivalence that
simply didn't exist during WWII, and I think that both WW and Capt.
America suffer in a world where people believe that few things are
inherently right and few things are inherently wrong.
> -- Ken from Chicago (who wonders what a kewpie is)
Amazingly enough, Wikipedia has the answer:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kewpie_doll_(toy)
The word is a corruption of "Cupid", and it's based on drawings by one
Rose O'Neill that appeared in Ladies Home Journal back in 1909.
There's a fascinating article about her on Wikipedia as well:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rose_O%27Neill
John Savard
Actually, I disagree. Nowhere is she more desperately needed to fight
for freedom and equal rights for all.
I, for one, would very much like to see WW, a Lynda Carter-esque WW in a
Lynda Carter-esque WW costume, taking on those misogynstic bastards in
the Taliban and giving them what for. Let's see how much they squirm
when a woman in a skimpy costume has them in bondage! I wonder how
they'll square THAT with their ridiculous macho self images. :)
"Jim Gysin" <jimg...@geemail.com> wrote in message
news:i8gbdd$ucq$9...@news.eternal-september.org...
But she's not Captain America, whose origin is tied to WW2. Wonder Woman
just shows up from her island to Man's World. There's nothing significant
about WW2 era connect her to it. If anything it's more complicated because
you'd expect her to lead the fight against the Nazis.
Plus it's cheaper to film in contemporary locales.
-- Ken from Chicago
"Quadibloc" <jsa...@ecn.ab.ca> wrote in message
news:a3d7613a-babd-41cb...@a36g2000yqc.googlegroups.com...
No. An actress playing Wonder Woman shouldn't be in her teens--unless she's
a coed, and is tall so she looks in her 20s.
Ironically much of Hollywood favors actors and actresses who look younger
than their actual age. It's one of the things that messed up SUPERMAN
RETURNS was that the actress (Kate Bosworth?) playing Lois Lane looked far
too young for the role. That was aggravated by her being surrounded by tall
actors, 6-feet or taller, while she was barely 5-feet tall.
-- Ken from Chicago
-- Ken from Chicago
> Ironically much of Hollywood favors actors and actresses who look younger
> than their actual age.
Well, they should look *better* than ordinary people. Looking younger
than their actual age, specifically, is useful when making movies
about young people - an older actor or actress is likely to be more
mature and responsible, more experienced in acting, and, as well, is
able to simplify various legal issues, like avoiding having to deal
with child labor codes.
Of course, it's only in the Silver Age Superman comics that Lois Lane,
though lovely, was also bordering on being a spinster - having the
girlfriend of the most eligible bachelor in the world be a hot babe
just barely over 18 is, these days, probably necessary for
_believability_. (Another indication we don't really need vat-girls
just yet!)
John Savard
I agree with your disagreement - but I also agree with the original
poster, having said something similar in one of my own posts. Showing
a heroine beating up on Muslim extremists every week? Why, that's
*bigoted* against Muslims!
Even giving her a moderate Muslim as a sidekick wouldn't help. (Yes, I
_want_ you to remember Tonto to understand the kind of "run screaming
from the room" reaction this implies in today's climate.)
John Savard
> But she's not Captain America, whose origin is tied to WW2. Wonder Woman
> just shows up from her island to Man's World. There's nothing significant
> about WW2 era connect her to it.
Well, if one wants to be really picky, and go right back to the
original version of her origin story, she didn't just get sent to
Man's World because it was a good idea for her to get practice in
coping with its challenges so she would be fit as a successor to the
throne or something like that. Instead, she was sent to Man's World
because Man's World needed help - Mars (Ares) was up to his mischief
stirring up war, and so Aphrodite (Venus) wanted someone from her side
to foil her enemy's schemes.
If we count _that_ as part of the origin, then we need a time when
there is a war on. And, as noted, World War II fills the bill better
than the War on Terror or the Cold War, because it's more comfortable
politically to have a heroine fighting in this war. Also, another
consideration comes into play - World War II was clearly bigger than
what came before, making the need for help from Themyscira the most
urgent.
John Savard
>
> Anim8rFSK sent the following on 10/5/2010 11:41 AM:
> > In article
> > <c37e33fe-e3b0-47dc...@p26g2000yqb.googlegroups.com>,
> > Quadibloc <jsa...@ecn.ab.ca> wrote:
> >
> >> On Oct 3, 4:18 pm, Jim Gysin <jimgy...@geemail.com> wrote:
> >>
> >>> I agree that a WW reboot (like Capt. America) would work best if they
> >>> avoid trying to make it happen in a contemporary setting.
> >> Interestingly enough, the pilot for the Lynda Carter series, or TV-
> >> movie, or whatever, was set in World War II even though the series was
> >> in a contemporary setting.
> >
> > The first season of WW was set in WW2; it went 'contemporary' in season
> > 2.
>
> And it went downhill, IMO. Of course, part of it was that ol' Lyle
> didn't have much range beyond playing the wooden military guy with a
> strong jaw and absolutely no personality. OTOH, they tweaked WW's
> costume, IIRC, and I was perfectly okay with that. :)
Yes, WW worked way better in WW2, but making it contemporary had to make
it way cheaper to shoot; and it looked it.
Alternatively, you could make it a story in which Wonder Woman is sent
by the gods, or a subset of them, to prevent the coming of World War
III.
"Quadibloc" <jsa...@ecn.ab.ca> wrote in message
news:c37e33fe-e3b0-47dc...@p26g2000yqb.googlegroups.com...
They rebooted the series from one season to the next, setting them in
different eras. The first season on ABC was set in the 50s:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_blOQEu9ws
Afterward ABC delayed in renewing it so CBS got it, but had it set in the
70s:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uNxctF0-BW8&feature=related
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wonder_Woman_(TV_series)#Season_1
-- Ken from Chicago
"Quadibloc" <jsa...@ecn.ab.ca> wrote in message
news:d9c682ea-f259-49bc...@y32g2000prc.googlegroups.com...
Thus demonstrating my point how few even of comic book readers know about
Wonder Woman--much less the mainstream public.
-- Ken from Chicago
"Jim Gysin" <jimg...@geemail.com> wrote in message
news:i8gbdq$ucq$1...@news.eternal-september.org...
>
> Anim8rFSK sent the following on 10/5/2010 11:41 AM:
>> In article
>> <c37e33fe-e3b0-47dc...@p26g2000yqb.googlegroups.com>,
>> Quadibloc <jsa...@ecn.ab.ca> wrote:
>>
>>> On Oct 3, 4:18 pm, Jim Gysin <jimgy...@geemail.com> wrote:
>>>
>>>> I agree that a WW reboot (like Capt. America) would work best if they
>>>> avoid trying to make it happen in a contemporary setting.
>>> Interestingly enough, the pilot for the Lynda Carter series, or TV-
>>> movie, or whatever, was set in World War II even though the series was
>>> in a contemporary setting.
>>
>> The first season of WW was set in WW2; it went 'contemporary' in season
>> 2.
>
> And it went downhill, IMO. Of course, part of it was that ol' Lyle didn't
> have much range beyond playing the wooden military guy with a strong jaw
> and absolutely no personality. OTOH, they tweaked WW's costume, IIRC, and
> I was perfectly okay with that. :)
You should have seen him on THE CAROL BURNETT SHOW then.
>>> One problem with Wonder Woman in a contemporary setting is the James
>>> Bond problem.
>>>
>>> That is: it was OK to have a hero bashing Nazis every day of the
>>> week... and for a while it wasn't so controversial to have a hero
>>> constantly going around defeating the schemes and plots of the Reds
>>> either. But that eventually did become politically incorrect... and
>>> I think there would be a negative reaction if Wonder Woman were, say,
>>> to spend most of her time fighting al-Qaeda, the Taliban, Hamas, al-
>>> Shabaab, and so on.
>>>
>>> So while she is depicted as a patriotic hero, she would largely end up
>>> fighting imaginary enemies... like leftover Nazis hiding in South
>>> America who have hatched a conspiracy for world conquest. Because
>>> they're the only bad guys who aren't controversial.
>>
>> Nazis. I hate those guys.
>
> And snakes. Don't forget snakes. Or was it mummies? Now you have me
> mixing up my serials...
>
> --
> Jim Gysin
> Waukesha, WI
Indy hates snakes too. It's the guy from The Mummy movies, Bendan Fraiser,
who hates mummies (in homage to Indy).
-- Ken from Chicago
"Jim Gysin" <jimg...@geemail.com> wrote in message
news:i8gbdr$ucq$1...@news.eternal-september.org...
Which is why a contemporary Wonder Woman would be more interesting, to have
that contrast, like Clark Kent in SUPERMAN: THE MOVIE, between the character
and the world around her. It would be a great way of showing her struggles
to deal with the culture shock from her home island to Man's World and
defining her character--or as one person summed it up:
"With WW the persona is plain and simple--literally. She's the Old Knight in
DRAGON HEART, one of the knights of CAMELOT, the old gunslinger from the Old
West. That is she's a warrior from a time when you put your heart on your
sleeve. Disagreements were open and plain. There wasn't all the politicking
and spin. And when you were really mad, you didn't just whine or sue or post
a nasty facebook entry or tweet, but you 'took it outside'.
"That's Diana's persona--and why she would be a fish outta water in Man's
World. Basically a superhero version of CROCODILE DUNDEE with the gender
roles reversed. Trevor crashes on Themyscira and is the fish outta water
there amongst the Amazons, monsters and Greek gods--until Diana returns him
home and she's a fish outta water with lawyers, marketing reps, agents,
politicians, papparazzi and Hollywood ... and the casual, callous
indifference to suffering on the doorstep of massive wealth.
"Diana feels more at ease when the monster shows up in NYC harbor for the
grand finale."
http://groups.google.com/group/rec.arts.comics.dc.universe/msg/a84c6e898799cfb7?hl=en
-- Ken from Chicago
P.S. "If you can't quote yourself, who can you quote?"--Ken from Chicago
"Jim Gysin" <jimg...@geemail.com> wrote in message
news:i8dilh$qbt$1...@news.eternal-september.org...
>
> Adam H. Kerman sent the following on 10/3/2010 6:52 PM:
>> Jim Gysin <jimg...@geemail.com> wrote:
>>> ravenlynne sent the following on 10/3/2010 9:36 AM:
>>>> On 10/2/2010 4:14 PM, Ken from Chicago wrote:
>>
>>>>> Superman works out of Manhattan (there was a movie).
>>
>>>>> Batman works out of Chicago (with an eL in the movie).
>>
>>>>> Wonder Woman needs her own city (Boston will do).
>>
>>>>> -- Ken from Chicago (who'd prefer Joss or JMS or JJ Abrams for writing
>>>>> strong female characters)
>>
>>>> I thought Batman was lower manhattan...
>>
>>> Same here, with Wayne Manor being in one of the tony areas of Long
>>> Island.
>>
>> Batman taking the bridge? No way.
>
> Heh. Seriously, though, I don't know of any areas near downtown Chicago
> that had open land and room for a mansion like that--not even decades
Block 37
> ago. Long Island always made more sense to me, with a modest little
> home overlooking the Sound...
>
> (Plus there are all kinds of nearby islands that could have served as
> Arkham in those incarnations where it's island-based. Chicago, not so
> much.)
Meigs Field now that Daley destroyed the airport there.
> --
> Jim Gysin
> Waukesha, WI
-- Ken from Chicago (who remember his first Microsoft Flight Simulator in
the '80s flying out of Miegs Field)
Yep. Your second paragraph here nicely summarizes my position, as well.
Something that hasn't happened yet and that may or may not happen is
rarely as compelling as something tangible that's already here.
Maybe I'm just not being fair to the genre, but when I think of comics
and movies based on comics, I want something full of action and largely
black-and-white. I don't want a bunch of navel-gazing or heroes finding
themselves, or whatnot. I just want to escape into something fun for a
couple of hours. Leave the thought-provoking stuff to other genres.
Again, maybe I'm just not being fair, as there have been some that I've
enjoyed that *did* go more the route that you suggest. But overall, I
don't want to watch a mediocre rehash of HEROES dressed up in WW trappings.
Yeah, I thought of Fraser first, but then I sorta convinced myself that
Indy made some comment about hating Nazis, too-- maybe in the most
recent film?
Weren't there more changes in addition to resetting it in the
contemporary world?
??? Way too small, and in the heart of downtown. Doesn't fit the bill
at all for Wayne Manor.
>> ago. Long Island always made more sense to me, with a modest little
>> home overlooking the Sound...
>>
>> (Plus there are all kinds of nearby islands that could have served as
>> Arkham in those incarnations where it's island-based. Chicago, not so
>> much.)
>
> Meigs Field now that Daley destroyed the airport there.
Yeah, that could work for Arkham *now*, I suppose. But I was already
used to thinking of it as a little playground for the wealthy.
No, that one had no Nazis. I think it may have been in the third film.
Obviously she'll have to beat up garden variety crooks from time to
time, and foil the odd billionaire with an evil world domination scheme,
stop alien invasions, shut down an AI run amok, and stuff like that as
well. :)
"Jim Gysin" <jimg...@geemail.com> wrote in message
news:i8irvo$ifn$4...@news.eternal-september.org...
And yet, The End Of The World is a popular meme in story telling.
-- Ken from Chicago
P.S. Specifically preventing it.
"Jim Gysin" <jimg...@geemail.com> wrote in message
news:i8irvq$ifn$6...@news.eternal-september.org...
Then you snipped the point where I pointed out that a movie version of WW
should have HER character see things in black and white, even as the world
is mired in grays--and she's admired, and attacked at times, for her bold
clear cut stands.
> Again, maybe I'm just not being fair, as there have been some that I've
> enjoyed that *did* go more the route that you suggest. But overall, I
> don't want to watch a mediocre rehash of HEROES dressed up in WW
> trappings.
>
> --
> Jim Gysin
> Waukesha, WI
Again, Metropolis was more ... nuanced ... while Superman was more clear
cut.
-- Ken from Chicago
Indy hates Nazis in the original film.
Well, it was ... 30 years later. The original characters were dead.
Steve was now Steve Jr, which made their romance sort of creepy. And
she worked for Steve Jr at some spy agency instead of working for Steve
Sr at the war department. But it was the same character of Diana, in a
direct sequel to the original show.
If you've got a group of gods saying the war is going to happen unless
Wonder Woman stops it (and gods are usually presumed to have a bit of
precognitive ability), and then you add a second group of gods trying
to *make* the war happen, I think you might come up with something
compelling.
it doesn't have to be compelling to us, it's the Black Bird (or if you
prefer, the macguffin). It's only purpose in-story is to ge Diana to
Patriarch's World, where she will then have adventures that don't
necessarily have anything to do with it.
In current until 2 months ago continuity, Diana came to Patriarch's World
as an ambassador from the Amazon Isle.
--
I have a theory, it could be bunnies
> In current until 2 months ago continuity, Diana came to Patriarch's World
> as an ambassador from the Amazon Isle.
Speaker to Animals found that verbose, and told her all she needed to do
was to scream and to leap.
True, and your statement doesn't contradict my own.
My point is that a contemporary setting would be much more likely to
involve a lot of the sort of navel-gazing that I don't like to see in
the genre. Your scenario here has appeal, but I have no confidence in
the usual suspects being able to make it work well in a script.
>> Again, maybe I'm just not being fair, as there have been some that I've
>> enjoyed that *did* go more the route that you suggest. But overall, I
>> don't want to watch a mediocre rehash of HEROES dressed up in WW
>> trappings.
>>
> Again, Metropolis was more ... nuanced ... while Superman was more clear
> cut.
Nuance is good. Navel-gazing is not.