A Whedonless Wonder Woman movie is in our future

The other day,Joss Whedon announced on his website that he is no longer involved with the Wonder Woman movie still in development. According to him,it was just a case of "I had a take on the film that, well, nobody liked,"... "We just saw different movies, and at the price range this kind of movie hangs in, that's never gonna work,... "Non-sympatico. It happens all the time."

This comes on the heels of a spec script for a WW film being bought up by Warner Brothers who claim that they only did so to prevent any plagarism probelms in the future. The spec script is set in the 1940s(Whedon was planning a modern day version)and while the producers say they're not interested in an old school WW story,the two screenwriters Matthew Jennison and Brent Strickland may get some more work from this.



While I am disappointed in this news,all hope is not lost here. Joss is moving on to other projects such as a thiller called Goners and putting out a "season 8" series of Buffy comics. Also, it seems that the WB still wants to make a Wonder Woman film ,which is good,but without proper focus we could get another Catwoman type of pic,which is very bad.

Here are some helpful hints for the producers,who I hope are willing to listen:

First and foremost: GET THE RIGHT DIRECTOR! That's going to be key,guys. Trust me on this-X Men 3 was lucky to have skated by with a weak script and most of the original cast members onbroad. Since you don't have a previous film to fall back on, you need a person who gets the comic book lore and who can write strong female characters. A tall order,to be sure,but not impossible.

My top pick would be Rob Thomas(not the musician,the writer/creator of Veronica Mars). He knows how to put together a smart story that keeps folks eager for more and has a good eye for casting. Joss Whedon and Kevin Smith have both done cameos on VM,which is a ringing endorsement,if you ask me. Plus,his ear for dialogue is finely honed-take a listen:



If Rob's not available,please look inhouse-Smallville has a pool of great writer/directors such as Steven DeKnight,Jeph Loeb and Greg Beeman. Or see if any of the fellas from Heroes need some work this summer.

Next,CAST AN UNKNOWN ACTRESS AS THE LEAD! It works for Superman and if you need a celeb,just make him/her the villian. Villian roles are fun for big name actors,just look at Kevin Spacey as Lex Luthor or Jack Nicholson as the Joker. Also,if you can get Lynda Carter a small part or a nice cameo appearance,that would be sweet. Lynda has plenty of fans out there who would go on opening day just to catch a glimpse of her in an WW movie. Bonus points if someone can convince Debra Winger to be in it as well. She was the first Wonder Girl,after all:






Most importantly,DO NOT MESS WITH THE ORIGIN OF WONDER WOMAN! Whether you want to go with a present day or a classic WWII plot,please don't stray from who and what Wonder Woman is. A major flaw in the Catwoman movie was in changing everything about the character from her name to her costume. Some actresses may balk at the traditional WW outfit but it's up to you to show them that Wonder Woman can kick serious ass and lay a major league smack down even in those stars spangled shorts:



Just keep to the basics;her name is Diana Prince aka Princess Diana,she comes from Paradise Island(or Themyscira,that's fine)and she's on a mission that involves Major Steve Trevor. You can't go wrong there or am I speaking too soon?

Well,with any luck,this'll be a win-win situation-the studio gets a bit film and the audience gets a fun time at the movies. One last thing to suggest;maybe find a way to throw in a good bullets and bracelets bit like this:



And of,course, no Wonder Woman movie would feel right without the spin: