Wonder Woman releases new still shots from production

Fangirls and fanboys alike are all aflutter over the new stills released from Patty Jenkins’ production of Wonder Woman.

The six telling photographs feature Chris Pine as Steve Trevor, Said Taghmaoui as Sameer, Lucy Davis as Etta Candy, and of course Gal Gadot as Diana Prince. They suggest pretty specific scenarios of this DC origin story, and feature our heroine in several distinct looks and environments.

In ScreenRant’s coverage of the released images, Benjamin Eaton mentions that there hasn’t been a lot of marketing of Wonder Woman, which he also states is the “first female-led film in the DCEU”. At first glance this does seem sexist, but he quickly follows up by saying that the company has already invested more in WW marketing than they did for Suicide Squad. Well, let’s hope that this newest DC addition is much more substantial than Squad, not to mention less fraught with “method acting” shenanigans.

Even though it’s only six images, I think the excitement for Wonder Woman is building. However, in spite of that excitement, there’s always going to be some resistance to such leading ladies. Like other female-driven films released in the last year (I’m thinking namely of Ghostbusters), this film has caught some flack for creating what Yahoo News called a “dude in distress,” or a male lead that is saved more often by his female counterpart than vice-versa. Chris Pine had a pretty awesomely succinct response to this:

"The question doesn’t serve anything but this narrative of hierarchy. What you’re asking almost flips the script, and the question is, ‘Do I enjoy being the second?’ I think this is a movie about parity. This is a movie about two people bringing a lot to the table with completely disparate qualities. She happens to be a superhero; I happen to be… definitely not. But there’s no judgment or discussion or conversation in the narrative of hierarchy."

He’s hot and smart. Nice.

This is, after all, a film about Wonder Woman, one of the strongest female superheroes in the DC Universe, and perhaps of any superhero in contemporary pop culture. And I think there’s something to be said for a female figure who can be so feminine and alternately so strong. The character of Wonder Woman/Diana Prince is actually so emblematic of all the things a feminist can be, not what a woman should be given patriarchal constraints. And that’s what we’re beginning to see in these photos.

Next: David Thewlis is Rumored to be Playing Ares in Wonder Woman

Wonder Woman will hit theaters in a month, on June 2. Keep your eyes on Culturess for ongoing WW coverage.