The Women of Wonder Woman

LONDON, ENGLAND – APRIL 07: Gal Gadot attends the UK premiere of ‘Criminal’ at The Curzon Mayfair on April 7, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Anthony Harvey/Getty Images)

Gal Gadot

Getting a live-action Wonder Woman movie made has been quite a challenge. In 1996, Ivan Reitman was on board to write and direct a movie centered around the character but that plan fell apart. Fast forward to 2001 when producer Joel Silver asked Todd Alcott to write a script and then Laeta Kalogridis eventually replaced Alcott. In 2005, Joss Whedon was hired to write and direct, much to the delight of fans. Unfortunately, Whedon left the project over creative differences. A few years later, Silver tried again and started on a script, written by Matthew Jennison and Bret Strickland, that would skip over Wonder Woman’s origin story and put her in modern times. After a decade of attempts, Silver lost the rights and DC Entertainment took over.

After a few failed attempts at TV shows, it was finally announced that Wonder Woman would be part of a new series of Justice League movies, starting with Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and would finally, after all these years, get her own movie. And then the new battle began, the battle of casting. Over the years, numerous actresses have been the center of Wonder Woman casting rumors. Well-known actresses like Jessica Biel, Christina Hendricks, and Kate Beckinsale were mentioned as possible choices; women like Lucy Lawless and Chyna were considered, likely for their resemblance to the character. In the end, it was Israeli actress and former Miss Israel Gal Gadot who was chosen to step into the famous red boots.

Before being cast as Wonder Woman, Gadot caught America’s attention as Gisele in 2009’s Fast & Furious, a role she has replayed in subsequent movies in the franchise. Devoted fans of Wonder Woman expressed doubt about Gadot’s ability to bring the character life, noting that she didn’t seem to have the right physique to play such a physically strong character.

Gadot proved them wrong. Before filming of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice began, Gadot went through training in kickboxing, capoeira, jiu-jitsu, swordsmanship, and kung fu. Once the movie was released, fans and critics credited Gadot’s brief but memorable performance as the shining moment of an otherwise dismal film. People who were once doubters became believers. A few months later, photos from the set of Wonder Woman were released, solidifying belief in her ability to take on this iconic role. If that didn’t do it, then the first trailer, released during San Diego Comic-Con, would.

Gadot will appear in Wonder Woman in June 2017 followed by Justice League later in the year and a Justice League sequel, tentatively scheduled for release in 2019.