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Interview with Joss Whedon on Wonder Woman

01 Aug 2005 23:16 #1974 by ultragirl
V. WONDER WOMAN:
Flight and Height

I understand you’ve not yet written a word of the “Wonder Woman” screenplay.
Not too many words.

Did you tell Warner Bros. you weren’t keen to deal with it until “Serenity” enters release?
Not release. It’s not that I haven’t been working on it.

You have been working on it?
The way I work, I’m like a vulture. I circle and circle and then I dive. I usually don’t actually write anything until I know exactly how it’s going to turn out. I don’t “let the computer take me away.” I’m an absolute Nazi about structure. I make outlines. I make charts and graphs with colors.

You’ve done that for “Wonder Woman”?
Not for “Wonder Woman,” because I’m still working out the plot. But I’m finding the moments that matter; I’m finding the things that make the story really resonate; the things that I just can’t wait to film. I have great big questions to answer, but I’m in that beautiful, free-form poetical place where you just get to think up moments and see if they fit in your movie. And that’s almost more fun than anything. And that work, which is a vital part of what got me interested in doing the job in the first place, is being done.

But I do have to see “Serenity” through. I’ll be finished with the movie within a month but I have to make sure it gets taken care of all the way through release. I have, in the past, found that I was able to do more than one thing at a time.

Will Diana be able to fly under her own power, or will an invisible plane be involved?
I do not believe she will be flying. I think we have a guy who flies. I don’t see her flying. She might jump. There could be some hopping. And there may in fact be an invisible plane. But if there is, it will be because it came out really cool. And I have theories about how to make that work.

You’ve said there will be “no star-spangled panties” like the ones Lynda Carter wore in the old TV series. Are you ruling out star-spangled miniskirts?
Not exactly. The look that she’s sporting in DC Comics right now is closer to where I’d have her than the TV series, or the old look. The color scheme and the silhouette have to remain because they’re her. But the American flag is not what she’s going to be wearing.

So you’re not ruling out minis?
No. She’s still going to look like Wonder Woman. She’s not going to look like Trinity. She’s going to look like Wonder Woman, but she’s just not going to be hokey.

In the teaser poster the eagle remains on her chestplate.
The eagle is OK with me. Because it’s not like we invented them. It’s a lot less to swallow than the fact that Jor-El wears a big “S.” That bugged me.

As you go about casting Diana, do you set a height requirement? How important is it that the Amazon princess be tall?
It’s important. I’m looking for somebody statuesque, regal, beautiful, who can really act and do a lot of stunts with no elbow or knee pads. I’m asking a lot. So if I happen to find all those qualities in somebody who does not quite meet my height requirement, I will be casting some really short love interest. The height is definitely a part of the package. But the most important part? No. And the fact of the matter is, a woman stands as tall as she makes you think she is. For example, I always thought [“Buffy” writer-producer] Marti Noxon was four inches taller than she actually was. I just found that out last week.

“Wonder Woman” producer Joel Silver prides himself on his casting acumen. Has he yet offered any suggestions?
No. You know, we talked specifically about that. And the idea was always, “Write the part, and then we’ll figure it out.”

You’ve also talked about her being very young. Are you thinking college-age? Teen-ager?
I’d say that’s a pretty flexible thing because it’s her first time setting foot in the world of men. But that doesn’t necessarily mean she has to be a teen-ager. So, yes, they are thinking of a young woman. They’re thinking, I expect, of something franchise-able.

Will it be appropriate to describe the “Wonder Woman” movie as a fish-out-of-water tale?
I would say very much so.

Will this be one of the key ways it distinguishes itself from other superhero movies?
Yes, I think so. Ultimately, structurally, yes, that’s a big distinguishing factor, but I think there will be other elements that are specific to her. But then again, I haven’t seen the new “Batman” and I haven’t seen the script for “Supes” [Warner Bros.’ upcoming “Superman Returns” feature].

Will Diana contend with a print-derived supervillain?
At this point I’m looking at creating something a little different. I don’t think her rogues gallery necessarily offers me what I need. But that’s not a final decision, that’s just my instinct.

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02 Aug 2005 14:30 #1987 by jdrock24
Replied by jdrock24 on topic Re: Interview with Joss Whedon on Wonder Woman
Very interesting. I still have concerns about how he is going to handle the costume though. I mean, how can you change something that has been around for about sixty years?

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13 Sep 2005 04:33 #2385 by ultragirl
Replied by ultragirl on topic Re: Interview with Joss Whedon on Wonder Woman
The newest from Joss Whedon. Basically saying the same thing.

Joss Whedon on Wonder Woman
Source: Superhero Hype! September 12, 2005

Australia's ABC Radio National talked to "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," "Angel" and "Firefly" creator Joss Whedon about his upcoming film version of the latter, "Serenity". He also talked about his next project, the Wonder Woman movie.

"We'll meet a Wonder Woman who is similar to the one from the original comics and from the TV series to an extent," said Whedon. "Neither of them are really a template. I've never loved the comics and I didn't watch the television series, but I loved the character very much."

He added that "she doesn't really understand this world, she's very strong but she's also very naive. She's not quite as little as the girls I'm used to writing, but she's definitely one of them in the sense of she'll undergo that kind of baptism of fire that used to be relegated to the male gender. She'll have to come into the world and see how corrupt it is and learn to deal with it and with her own powers. She is kind of, in a way, the grandma of everything I've been writing my whole life, so it makes sense that we should meet."

Wonder Woman will be produced by Joel Silver and Leonard Goldberg, and is based on the DC Comics character created by William Moulton Marston. The film will be released worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures.

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14 Sep 2005 07:59 #2410 by Rasa
Katherine Heigl, Wonder Woman Contender?

www.amaz0ns.com/index.php?option=com_con...;id=135&Itemid=2

I'm not sure exactly how credible the credible tip is, but it's an interesting thought nonetheless.

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14 Sep 2005 11:26 #2417 by conceptfan

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14 Sep 2005 11:45 #2422 by Bully_pup
Replied by Bully_pup on topic Re: Interview with Joss Whedon on Wonder Woman
That the girl from ROSEWELL, right?

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14 Sep 2005 12:02 #2424 by conceptfan
Replied by conceptfan on topic Re: Interview with Joss Whedon on Wonder Woman

That the girl from ROSEWELL, right?


Yup. Give or take a bit of spelling. She'd be top of my list if I ever needed someone to support a tyre in water. (see pic link above).

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14 Sep 2005 13:20 #2429 by shadar
Here's another more current pict of Katherine... very HQ.

velorian.org/auow/dsera_ISC_Katherine_Heigl_06.jpg


With black hair, she'd definitely do the trick. And she can act to some degree.

Shadar

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14 Sep 2005 14:12 #2435 by conceptfan
Replied by conceptfan on topic Re: Interview with Joss Whedon on Wonder Woman
Great pic, Shadar. And some great advice on the left of it, too... :D

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15 Sep 2005 07:45 #2463 by Rasa

She'd be top of my list if I ever needed someone to support a tyre in water. (see pic link above).

That gave me a good chuckle, Conceptfan. :D

A few other pictures...
www.superiorpics.com/katherine_heigl/images/katherine037.jpg
www.superiorpics.com/katherine_heigl/images/katherine032.jpg
www.superiorpics.com/katherine_heigl/images/katherine038.jpg
img254.exs.cx/my.php?loc=img254&imag...herineheigl014ok.jpg

She certainly does appear to, um... "fit" the part.

*Gulp*

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16 Sep 2005 06:01 #2484 by angels
I'm sure I'll be able to force myself to sit through two hours of her in the wonder woman outfit.

At least they're on the right track now... so long as Joss doesn't screw up the whole thing. Call me a skeptic, but I'm concerned with all the proposed changes.

Oh well... guess we'll see.
Couldn't be much worse than Catwoman or the Hulk, I suppose.

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16 Sep 2005 07:20 #2497 by Rasa
Whedon's track record on TV shows is outstanding, but his track record on movies is fairly spotty, in my opinion. Still, I can't believe that anything that the man writes could come out as awful as Catwoman.

Anyway, here's another article mentioning Heigl as a possible contender. They seem significantly less certain of the veracity of the rumour, however.

www.chud.com/news/4308

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16 Sep 2005 13:58 #2516 by lfan
WOW....the WW production getting a lot of play in the media of late. Here is another excerpt talking about "redefining Wonder Woman":

"Treating Wonder Like Batman

Joss Whedon, who is writing and will direct the upcoming Wonder Woman movie, told SCI FI Wire that he wants to give the venerable franchise the Batman Begins treatment, making sure fans get what they want: the costume, the bracelets, the lasso, maybe even the invisible jet.

"What's exciting is, like, Batman Begins basically really did a wonderful job explaining exactly why he was a bat and why he had everything on his costume that he did," Whedon said in an interview. "That's the joy of doing an origin story of Wonder Woman. Why does she wear the bracelets? Why does she use the lasso? Like, ... where does all that stuff come from? ... And I have answers for all of that, and it's really fun. So it's not a reinvention like, 'Oh, she's going to dress like Trinity [from The Matrix].'"

Whedon is in the process of writing the script for the movie, which has yet to be cast. "I want to see Wonder Woman as I know her and see her, [and] not ... [just her] star-spangled panties. But she wears the Wonder Woman outfit, and she has the bracelets and all the accoutrements. ... The lasso and, if I can make it work for the plot, the invisible plane. I have a take on it that I think is cool. It's just I'm structuring the plot, and I've got to find a place for it. But I think people want it, and I think I can do it without ... it being campy, believe it or not. And I respect those things. I, in fact, love them." "

Whedon's track record on TV shows is outstanding, but his track record on movies is fairly spotty, in my opinion. Still, I can't believe that anything that the man writes could come out as awful as Catwoman.

Anyway, here's another article mentioning Heigl as a possible contender. They seem significantly less certain of the veracity of the rumour, however.

Twas posted over at the SciFi channels site, www.scifi.com......

LF




www.chud.com/news/4308

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18 Sep 2005 05:09 #2561 by Rasa
More Wonder Woman news...

Whedon states that it is an origin story that is similar to Batman Begins in that it explains how and why Diana becomes Wonder Woman, as Batman Begins explains how and why Bruce Wayne becomes Batman.

www.darkhorizons.com/news05/050917a.php

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18 Sep 2005 05:10 #2563 by ultragirl
Replied by ultragirl on topic Re: Interview with Joss Whedon on Wonder Woman
Look at the post before yours. :wink:

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18 Sep 2005 05:11 #2564 by Rasa
Bah! Lfan beat me to it, and I didn't even spot it for some reason. Admin, if you spot this, please delete both posts. Thanks!

:oops:

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19 Sep 2005 19:15 #2593 by Rasa
Regarding Whedonesque dialog...

www.darkhorizons.com/news05/050919d.php

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19 Sep 2005 19:18 #2594 by Rasa
Lauren Graham says, "I would frigging love to be Wonder Woman!"

www.contactmusic.com/new/xmlfeed.nsf/mnd...0be%20wonder%20woman

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21 Sep 2005 13:46 #2637 by lfan
Even more Q&A from Whedon regarding the project . LOTTA press on this as of late....guess that's a good sign:


The Wonder Woman Problem Only Joss Whedon Could Solve: “Finding out who she was, and that’s all I’m going to say.”

Joss Whedon Has Not Already Done Wonder Woman: “No because usually, people I write are very, very down to earth and she’s the opposite. She’s somebody who is supposed to be Wonder Woman and spend her life being Wonder Woman but then she’s still as vulnerable and as new at it as anybody else, but she’s the opposite of every character I’ve ever written.”

Wonder Woman Will Still Have Whedonesque Dialogue: “Absolutely. Wonder Woman’s perspective is very serious. But that’s what’s so funny about her. She doesn’t understand the word. She’s a fish, and this is a phrase that I’ve just come up with, who is outside of the water because she’s so pure and so focused that she comes to a world that is so compromised that she understands nothing about, of course there’s going to be humor.

And she’s also an intelligent woman, but she’s not a wisecracker. But at the same time, she’s not going to miss an opportunity.”

Joss Whedon on Discovering Another New Starlet for Wonder Woman: “That would be the hope because it would be great to find somebody new. It’s a very tough role and it’s a very specific role, so I can’t think of anybody off hand who’s right for it, so I’d like to meet her.”

I Suggest Morena Baccarin for Wonder Woman: “You’re not the first and believe me, there’s a list. But the list is only in my head because ultimately I have to write the character and then I have to figure out who the person is.”

Joss Whedon on a Lynda Carter Cameo in Wonder Woman: “If it’s right for the movie. I think Lynda Carter’s great. I mean, I ragged on the show but that’s not her. It’s just a question of I’m not going to do something that isn’t integral to the film. If I found something that was right, absolutely, but not if it takes you out of the narrative.”


Original post located here: actionadventure.about.com/od/news/p/aawh...pre.htm?terms=Whedon

LF

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22 Sep 2005 07:43 #2647 by brantley
Replied by brantley on topic Re: Interview with Joss Whedon on Wonder Woman
Now here's a real mystery: Morena Baccarin has a website, but it hasn't been updated since Dec. 23, 2003. In pix of her I've seen, she's pretty, but hardly awesome. As a friend of mine said, the first prerequisite of an actress playing an action heroine is that she has to "look like she can get the job done." Maybe she does in more recent shots. Any reaction? This Whedon interview is the first time I've seen her mentioned.

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23 Sep 2005 08:49 #2676 by Rasa
With Joss Whedon slaving away at his "Wonder Woman" movie, the writer/director reported that he hears fans saying the film should star an unknown actress. "I completely agree with it," he said. "That's not to say I would rule an actress out just because she's famous if she was right for the part. But I like the idea of an unknown because these are some tough booties to fill. It's going to be difficult to find somebody who's beautiful in that particular way, who's got the presence and the acting chops and the physicality. It's a really hard role, and people have an idea of her." He added, "I think [the script will] be done in a few months' time, and then I give it to the studio and they'll say, 'Boy, is it not done!' So, you know, it's a process. It should take some time, but I'm well into it, and I'm having the time of my life."

Source: MTV.com

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23 Oct 2005 14:30 #3176 by SteveTrevor
Replied by SteveTrevor on topic Re: Interview with Joss Whedon on Wonder Woman
Whedon quote from "The Guardian" (UK), 5th October: "I'm sticking with all the important stuff. The bracelets. The invisible plane. The magic lasso. I will find a way of not making it cheesy."

JOHN

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24 Oct 2005 04:40 #3177 by brantley
Replied by brantley on topic Re: Interview with Joss Whedon on Wonder Woman
Is WW sticking with you, Steve?

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02 Dec 2005 15:00 #3702 by lfan
New video info about the movie at:

media.dvd.ign.com/media/782/782463/vids_1.html

Check it out!

Peace
LF



Look at the post before yours. :wink:

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02 Dec 2005 15:35 #3703 by brantley
Replied by brantley on topic Re: Interview with Joss Whedon on Wonder Woman
Can't get the thing to play. But Lauren Graham sure looks right.

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