Lauren Schuler-Donner desperately wants to produce a WONDER WOMAN feature film - - so much so that she’s getting seriously proactive about it. While at the annual sci-fi and fantasy-honoring Saturn Awards yesterday, she told Sci-Fi Wire that she’s been calling DC Entertainment and taking meetings with them about getting the movie rights now that they’ve returned from Silver Productions. Schuler-Donner, of course, has a lot of experience with comics-based movies, having produced CONSTANTINE and every X-MEN movie, past and future.
She's hoping to make a film series out of WONDER WOMAN and, to that end, she'd rather get a young "up and comer" (of any race or ethnicity) whose career can grow with the franchise than an established star.
So spoke Mrs. Schuler-Donner...
Bear in mind - - this isn't an official announcement, it's simply a stating of interest. I don't see why she should have trouble getting the license given her enthusiasm and the sheer number of blockbusters in her filmography. WONDER WOMAN's languished in development hell (or maybe development Tartarus) for more than decade, with Joel Silver, Joss Whedon and star Sandra Bullock all attached to it at various points over the years. == TEASER =="I'm campaigning to produce WONDER WOMAN for DC and Warner…They don't want it, but I just think she's the greatest character. She's right up there, as you know, with Superman and Batman, the three of them. I want to produce WONDER WOMAN. I've campaigned for it. I'm going to campaign some more… Look, she's a goddess and a superhero. How great is that? I think you need to stay close to the myth, but the studio I know wants to make it accessible, i.e., somewhat contemporary. I think there is a way to do it."
It might seem a bit confusing that Warner's been able to get their ducks in a row enough times when it came to Batman and Superman but never Wonder Woman. However, I’d say it really isn’t that surprising given how much of an overhaul the character would need to not seem outrageously campy on screen. You bring up Wonder Woman and the first things most people will think of are the Invisible Plane, the bullet-deflecting bracelets and the creepy bondage undercurrent (which creator William Moulton-Marston actually intended the character to have.) I reckon those are big obstacles the filmmakers will have to surmount in order to get audiences to take WW seriously - - bigger than any memories of a tongue-in-cheek TV show, at least.
-- Tom Pinchuk is the writer of UNIMAGINABLE for Arcana Studios and HYBRID BASTARDS! for Archaia. HYBRID BASTARDS! is available here and UNIMAGINABLE is available here for pre-order on Amazon.com.