TITANS Casts Conor Leslie as Wonder Girl

Who is Donna Troy?  Well, as it happens...

Heroic Hollywood is reporting that the upcoming DC Comics digital service series Titans has cast Conor Leslie as Donna Troy, better known to Titans fans as the superhero Wonder Girl.  Leslie joins Brenton Thwaits as Nightwing, Teagan Croft as Raven, Anna Diop as Starfire, Ryan Potter as Beast Boy, and Alan Ritchson and Minka Kelly as Hawk and Dove.

A previous casting description for a "Ruth Gibbs", believed to be a false name for Donna Troy, stated the Titans character is "Confident and kick ass" and "Educated."  "Ruth Gibbs" was also to be a "recurring guest star this season with an option for series regular next season."

Leslie, 27, is probably best known as Sarah Ellis in the Fox drama Shots Fired, and has appeared in episodes of Elementary, The Man in the High Castle, The Blacklist, Other Space, Hawaii Five-O (2014), Revenge, Rizzoli & Isles, No Ordinary Family, 90210, Law & Order, and Law & Order: Criminal Intent.  In addition, she's appeared in the movies Parts per Billion, Chained, and Beware the Gonzo.

Created in 1965 by Bob Haney and Bruno Premiani, Donna Troy first appeared as Wonder Girl in The Brave and the Bold (vol.1) #60.  She was introduced as Wonder Woman's younger sister, who leaves Paradise Island to become a member of the Teen Titans, consisting of Robin (Dick Grayson), Kid Flash (Wally West), and Aqualad (Garth).

In 1969, writer Marv Wolfman and artist Gil Kane created an origin for Wonder Girl in Teen Titans (vol.1) #22, which introduced the character's new costume.  This story established Wonder Girl's origin as a non-Amazon orphan, rescued by Wonder Woman from an apartment building fire.  Unable to find any parents or family, Wonder Woman brought the child to Paradise Island, where she eventually was given Amazon powers by Paula Von Gunther's Purple Ray.  Donning the new costume, Wonder Girl adopted the secret identity of Donna Troy.

After joining a new incarnation of the Teen Titans, Donna's origin was expanded in the 1984' story "Who is Donna Troy?" featured in The New Teen Titans (vol.1) #38.  In the story by Wolfman and George Pérez, Robin investigated the events surrounding the fire from which his old friend had been rescued as a toddler, discovering that Donna's birth mother was Dorothy Hinckley, a dying unwed teen who had placed her for adoption.  After Donna's adoptive father Carl Stacey had been killed in a work-related accident, her adoptive mother Fay Stacey placed her for adoption again, unable to raise the toddler because of mounting expenses.  However, Donna became victim to a child selling racket, which ended with the racketeers dying in a fire.  With Robin's help, Donna was reunited with Fay, who had married Hank Evans and given birth to two additional children, Cindy and Jerry.

Over the years, Donna's origin was revamped a number of times, primarily to sever the character's ties to the Amazons.  In one version, Donna remembered being rescued from a fire by the goddess Rhea who, being one of the mythological Titans, brought her to New Cronus and raised her as one of twelve Titan Seeds, orphans from various planets who would have died if Rhea had not saved them.  Each one was given the name of a place that worshiped the Titans, and Donna was given the last name of Troy in homage to the ancient city.  She was returned to Earth at age thirteen, where her memories of New Cronus were erased until such a time that she would return and take her place among the Seeds as gods.  In another, she was created to be a playmate for the young Wonder Woman by the sorceress Magala, who used a magical mirror to create a duplicate of Diana, though with her own personality.  She was abducted by Dark Angel who mistook her for the real Diana, and cursed her to experience a cycle of countless tragic lives, given the name Donna Troy as a cruel joke to her origins.  

In a third recent version, she was an Amazon created by a sorcerer, Derinoe, as an attempt to usurp Diana's place as queen, replacing her with a new ruler.  However, in the current DC Rebirth continuity, the two accounts of Donna's history — recent magical creation or longtime ally of Wonder Woman — were reconciled, revealing that Donna was created out of clay to destroy Wonder Woman, but the Amazons later gave her false memories of being an orphan rescued by Wonder Woman.  This allowed Donna to be more than a living weapon, and to establish a stable life.  She has become a member of the current incarnation of the Titans, reunited with her longtime friends from the original Teen Titans.

Leslie will be the second woman to portray Wonder Girl in live action, after Debra Winger in the '70s Wonder Woman television series, although the character was named Drusilla instead of Donna.  The character has also appeared in the animated projects The Superman/Aquaman Hour of Adventure (voiced by Julie Bennett) and Super Best Friends Forever (voiced by Grey DeLisle)

Titans is expected to debut on the DC Universe digital service sometime in 2018.

Kristen Wiig in Talks for The Cheetah in WONDER WOMAN 2

Wonder Woman is close to getting an arch-enemy.

Deadline reported late yesterday that Warner Bros. and DC Films are in talks with Kristen Wiig for the Wonder Woman 2 role of Barbara Minerva, better known to DC Comics fans as the supervillain known as The Cheetah.

According to the article, Wonder Woman 2 will be set in the 1980s during the Cold War, with Patty Jenkins returning to direct the sequel starring Gal Gadot as the superhero Wonder Woman.  The first Wonder Woman film received critical acclaim and brought in over $821 million worldwide.

Wiig, 44, is best known as a sketch performer on the NBC series Saturday Night Live, and for films such as Bridesmaids, The Martian, and the 2016 Ghostbusters remake.  Her other films include the Despicable Me films, How to Train Your Dragon, Downsizing, Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues, Zoolander 2, The Skeleton Twins, Paul, MacGruber, and Forgetting Sarah Marshall.  Her other television work includes episodes of The Last Man on Earth, Arrested Development, The Simpsons, Drunk History, Portlandia, SpongeBob SquarePants, The Cleveland Show, and 30 Rock.

Created in 1943 by William Moulton Marston and H.G. Peter, The Cheetah first appeared in Wonder Woman (vol.1) #6 as Priscilla Rich, a Washington, D.C. debutante of aristocratic upbringing who had an overwhelming inferiority complex and suffered from a split personality.  After being eclipsed by Wonder Woman at a charity event and failing to kill her during an escapology act, Priscilla retreated to her room and collapsed before her makeup mirror.  There she saw an image of a woman dressed like a cheetah and the image commanded her to fashion a costume from a cheetah-skin rug.  The Cheetah framed Wonder Woman for a robbery by hiding the money in her apartment and tipping off the police, then set fire to a warehouse Wonder Woman was in, although Wonder Woman escaped.  She was presumed dead, but survived thanks to her fireproof costume.

In 1987, writer and artist George Pérez revamped the character in Wonder Woman (vol.2) #7 as Dr. Barbara Minerva, a British archaeologist born as the heiress of a vast fortune in the ancient family site in Nottinghamshire.  Ambitious, selfish, and severely neurotic, Barbara developed a passion for archaeology that eventually led her to search out a tribe in Africa who utilized a female guardian with the powers of a cheetah.  A band of marauders killed the guardian and most of what remained of her original expedition party.  Barbara, with the aid of a priest named Chuma, the caretaker of the ancient plant god Urzkartaga, took her place after being told that she would gain immortality.  She received her powers by ingesting a combination of human blood and the berries or leaves of Urzkartaga.  Unfortunately for Minerva, the host of the Cheetah persona was intended to be a virgin, but Minerva was not, so her transformations were part curse and part blessing, as she experienced severe pain and physical disability while in her human form and bloodthirsty euphoria while in her cat form.

This version of the Cheetah encountered Wonder Woman when Barbara discovered that Diana possessed the Lasso of Truth.  As an archaeologist, Barbara coveted the lasso and hoped to add it to her collection of historical items.  She first attempted to do so through trickery, claiming that there was a matching ancient Golden Girdle of Gaea of the same kind from which the lasso was fashioned.  Unfortunately, although the scheme proceeded far enough for Minerva to hold the lasso, its magical power to make people tell the truth forced her to confess her true intentions.  Diana, profoundly distraught that she would be so treacherous, took back the lasso.  Minerva resorted to attacking the Amazon as the Cheetah in order to rob her of the lasso.  Their initial battle ended with inconclusive results, with Diana's friend Julia Kapatelis shooting the Cheetah and forcing her to retreat.

The Cheetah's origin was reworked in 2016 with continuity changes made with DC Rebirth.  In this version, Barbara Ann Cavendish enjoyed mythology as a young girl and showed an affinity for language.  Her father disparaged her interest in myth, deriding it as childish, but her passion for myth and legend remained and as an adult, she took her late mother's maiden name of Minerva.  By age 26, she had mastered seven languages and earned two PhD's in archaeology.  On a dig in the Ukraine, she discovered proof of the existence of the Amazons, but the dig site collapsed.  Minerva was able to take photos before the collapse and followed her findings to the Black Sea, only to find what she believed was an empty island.  After Princess Diana of the Amazons returned US Navy SEAL Steve Trevor to the United States, the Navy called Dr. Minerva to translate Diana's language.  Minerva became close friends with Diana and Lt. Etta Candy, and taught Diana English as well as other languages.  After Ares attacked the naval base and several of the Olympian Gods (in the forms of animals) assisted Diana in Ares' defeat, Minerva became even more obsessed with the divine.  Seeking out proof of other deities, Minerva learned of Urzkartaga and obtained funding for an expedition to the fictional African nation of Bwunda from Veronica Cale.  Minerva was unaware that Cale was acting on behalf of the sons of Ares, Deimos and Phobos, who believed that by turning Minerva into a demigod, she would be able to locate Themyscira for them.  In case of emergency, Diana provided Minerva with a Wayne Enterprises GPS signaling device, which Doctor Cyber remotely disabled.  As a result, Wonder Woman was unable to prevent Barbara from being wed to Urzkartaga and becoming the Cheetah.  Blaming Diana for her forced transformation and the cannibalistic urges that came with it, Cheetah joined Cale's Godwatch group.

This will be the first time The Cheetah will appear in live-action, although the character has appeared in various animated projects, including Challenge of the Super Friends (voiced by Marlene Aragon), Justice League and Justice League Unlimited (voiced by Sheryl Lee Ralph), Batman: The Brave and the Bold (voiced by Morena Baccarin), Justice League: Doom (voiced by Claudia Black), DC Super Hero Girls (voiced by Ashley Eckstein), JLA Adventures: Trapped in Time (voiced by Erica Luttrell), Batman Unlimited: Animal Instincts (voiced by Laura Bailey), and Legion DC Comics Super Heroes: Justice League: Attack of the Legion of Doom (voiced by Cree Summer).

Wonder Woman 2 is currently expected to arrive in theaters on November 1, 2019.

DAMN Good Movies -- WONDER WOMAN

That's right, it's time once again for another of my movie takes, this time on the film Wonder Woman, the fourth film in the DC Extended Universe.  As always, if you haven't seen the movie yet and you don't want it spoiled for you, then please step back from your computer or whatever electronic device you're reading this on and stop reading now.  If, however, you're wise enough to know that movie reviews with spoilers are always more interesting than the ones without them...well...To the war!

It's only taken 76 years since her creation, but Wonder Woman has finally made it to the big screen. Okay, okay, more like 21 years, ever since development began in 1996 with Ghostbusters' Ivan Reitman attached as producer and hopes that Sandra Bullock would star.  In 2005, Joss Whedon was announced as the new writer and director, but after two years, Whedon never managed to write a finished draft and left the project to direct a little movie you may have heard of called The Avengers.  After a couple of script revisions that moved the setting of the project from World War II to modern times, the project officially kicked off in 2015 when Patty Jenkins signed on as director, with a screenplay from Allan Heinberg.

The pressure to get Wonder Woman right was considerable, especially after less-than-super movies such as Supergirl, Elektra, and the unholy abomination of Halle Berry's Catwoman. And while the new DC Extended Universe has never had a box office bomb (quite the opposite in fact), DC's shared film universe was in desperate need of something resembling critical acclaim.  Comics fans and film critics derided Man of Steel for director Zack Snyder's disturbing fetish for destruction porn and for having Superman snap General Zod's neck, then turned the internet hate machine up to eleven with Suicide Squad and Snyder's follow-up, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. That film was a bleak and depressing nightmare for DC Comics fans, darkened with drab, grey and brown filters, and riddled with unnecessary angst simply to make Batman and Superman fight.  The single bright ray of hope in the darkness?  You guessed it, the introduction of Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman, which leads us to her solo movie.

We open in modern-day Paris, with Diana still working in the Louvre's antiquities department as we saw in Batman v Superman.  She receives the familiar photographic plate from her time in World War I from Bruce Wayne, which triggers a long origin flashback.  Diehard Wonder Woman fans are immediately rewarded with the breathtaking sight of Themyscira, the island of paradise that's home to the Amazons and was created by the Greek gods to protect humanity against Ares, the god of war.  (Two guesses who the film's Big Bad is and the first one doesn't count.)

We're introduced to young Diana, all of eight years old and played as all kinds of precocious by Lilly Aspel.  Diana, it seems, wants to train as an Amazon, but her helicopter parent mom, Queen Hippolyta, forbids it.  Fortunately for Diana (and us), her aunt Antiope helps her disobey and train in secret.  Of course, the two are soon found out, but Hippolyta shrugs and finally gives in, because there's just no way against a kid fixated on a sword called The Godkiller.  As Diana reaches the age where Gal Gadot can finally step back into the role, she discovers that crossing her gauntlets in battle creates a finishing-move shockwave, hinting that there's more to her genesis than simply being formed from clay by her mom.

To the surprise of no one, paradise is quickly ruined by the arrival of man, or specifically, a pilot named Steve Trevor.  Steve's plane crashes just off the coast, which forces Diana to execute a perfect cliff dive so she can rescue him.  After Steve is brought ashore, Themyscira is soon invaded by German soldiers (Not Nazis, this is just World War I, remember) who were chasing Steve.  Attacking an island filled with warriors...Great plan, Germans.  So yes, we get a solid action sequence where the better-armed Germans start fighting the better-at-everything-else Amazons and quickly get their Deutschland asses handed to them. Unfortunately though, Antiope becomes the film's Uncle Ben and is killed off while protecting Diana.  

With great magic lassos come great responsibility, so Steve is interrogated using the Lasso of Truth.  It turns out Steve is a spy for the Allies, and he gives Diana and the Amazons the 411 that outside their perfect paradise, "The War to End All Wars" is going on and innocent people are dying.  A notebook stolen from German scientist Doctor Poison reveals the Doc has been researching a deadlier form of mustard gas for an ambitious general named Ludendorff.  Having been brought up hearing that Ares is the worst thing ever all her life, Diana naturally assumes it's all his fault and she leaves Themyscira with Steve to take Ares out, ending the war. 

Off to London we go, where Gadot and Chris Pine show some terrific on-screen chemistry together.  Diana is introduced to Steve's comic-relief secretary Etta Candy, constrictive frilly dresses, and the joy of vanilla ice cream, giving the movie some welcome humor.  One particular highlight is a great homage to Richard Donner's Superman, where the gender roles are reversed as Diana protects Steve from an assassin's bullet in an alleyway.  We're also introduced to a character named Sir Patrick Morgan, a bushy-mustached bureaucrat who serves as one of Steve's superiors and helps Diana and Steve infiltrate the Western Front in Belgium. Once there, Steve recruits some help from local mercenaries Sameer, Charlie and Chief, and Diana ends up witnessing the horrific toll on war refugees.

War, and its tragic price, becomes the film's central theme in a way that Marvel's Captain America: The First Avenger never captured.  Raised in a peaceful society, Diana is outraged by the Allied bureaucrats' inability to end the war, and she hits her breaking point upon finding a "No Man's Land" battlefield stalemate where neither side has been able to gain any ground for months.  A powerful sequence follows, where Diana, garbed in her battle gear of primary colors, plows her way across the battlefield toward enemy lines and ends this particular conflict once and for all.  

The film heads into the Third Act with the "What a twist!" revelation that Ares wasn't posing as General Ludendorff, he was posing as the benign Sir Patrick all along.  Ares pins the blame for the carnage squarely on human nature, saying that humanity is corrupt and all he did was point them in the right direction.  Steve proves him wrong, though, by hijacking the bomber carrying Doctor Poison's deadly gas and taking himself off the board to save others. Inspired by the selfless act, Diana recreates the shockwave from early in the movie and toasts Ares, which ends World War I as promised.  We then jump back to the present, where Diana thanks Bruce for the photographic plate and sets up her return in Justice League.

A solid film, with most of the cast being given at least one good moment to shine. Here are some of the things that stood out:

WONDER WOMAN/DIANA PRINCE -- Gal Gadot was pretty much the best thing in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and it's no surprise she's the best thing in her own movie. Her Diana is everything a Wonder Woman fan could want -- formidable, charming, adventurous, and loving.  She also has a bit of a humorous streak at times, which makes her far more relatable than in her Batman v Superman debut.  I'm guessing a lot of people are suddenly calling themselves Wonder Woman fans who weren't before, and most of the credit rightfully goes to Gadot.

STEVE TREVOR -- As Diana's love interest, Chris Pine brings some of his time as James T. Kirk into the role of Steve.  He's cocky and a little headstrong, but never arrogant or chauvinistic and complements Gadot's Wonder Woman perfectly.  Instead of Steve being the dude in distress for Diana to constantly rescue, he and Diana are a partnership, with each watching out for the other.  I was surprised to see him killed off, but it needed done to move Diana along to a contemporary setting, just like Steve Rogers being separated from Peggy Carter in Captain America: The First Avenger.

ARES/SIR PATRICK MORGAN -- If there's one misfire in this movie, I think it had to be David Thewlis as Ares.  Ares, at least the way I see him, needs to be intimidating and Remus Lupin in the Harry Potter films is a long way away from that.  In an attempt to address this, Thewlis is covered up in CGI-enhanced armor for the climactic showdown sequence, but the decision to leave his bushy Sir Patrick mustache during close-ups is a head shaker.  

DOCTOR POISON/DR. ISABEL MARU -- One character I wanted to see more of was Elena Anaya as Doctor Poison.  With her face covering giving off a serious Phantom of the Opera vibe, Doctor Poison was enigmatic and surprisingly vulnerable when Steve attempted to work some information out of her.  Hopefully, Doctor Poison invents a formula that preserves her for a rematch with Wonder Woman in the 21st century.

QUEEN HIPPOLYTA -- Connie Nielsen was an interesting choice for Hippolyta, especially after Nicole Kidman dropped out due to scheduling conflicts.  Hippolyta was understandably frustrating early on to give Young Diana an obstacle to overcome, but I couldn't help feeling disappointed when her cynical parting words to Diana were "They don't deserve you."  Kevin Costner's Jonathan Kent, anyone?

GENERAL ANTIOPE -- Continuing a strange career path, Robin Wright has gone from Princess Buttercup to Claire Underwood to general of the Amazon army.  She really seems to relish the chance to have a heavy physical role, and you can pretty much feel her smiling to herself as she does so.  Ultimately though, as a mentor to a superhero, Antiope has to give her life to provide motivation, but it was fun watching her while it lasted.

ETTA CANDY -- Another character that would've benefited from more screen time, Lucy Davis' Etta Candy is a great foil for Diana as she adjusts to life outside Themyscira.  Davis first hit my radar when she played Dianne in Shaun of the Dead, so I knew she had the comedic skills to pull off Etta.  Part of me though, would've liked at least one use of Etta's Golden Age catchphrase "Woo-Woo!" to come out at a really inappropriate moment.

GENERAL ERICH LUDENDORFF -- As fans of American Horror Story know, Danny Huston was a great pick to throw everyone off about who Ares was disguising himself.  Huston can turn on a very sinister vibe when he wants to, and the scenes of Ludendorff juicing up with roid rage played into the deception well.  Given the choice though, Huston would've been a much more effective Ares than Thewlis, IMHO.

SAMEER -- Saïd Taghmaoui deserves a shoutout as the lead mercenary that helps Steve and Diana in Belgium.  His Sameer is an admitted showman, turning on the charm as needed, and brings much-needed life to the dark war-torn surroundings.  He's also the only one of the mercenaries that actually feels like more than just a one-note character.

All in all, Wonder Woman is the Wonder Woman movie we've wanted for far too long.  What makes this film special isn't that it features a female superhero, because we've had those, it's that it's a good movie featuring a female superhero that's about something.  And yes, it's worth noting that this is the first DC Extended Universe film that manages to stick the Third Act landing, so I guess fourth time's the charm.  I'm not yet convinced that Justice League will do the same, but if nothing else, at least I'm looking forward to seeing Wonder Woman in action again.

And for those who may be wondering, here's the updated list of my Top 20 Comic Book Films:

1. Superman (1978)
2. The Dark Knight (2008)
3. The Avengers (2012)

4. Batman Begins (2005)

5. Logan (2017)

6. Captain America: Civil War (2016)

7. Man of Steel (2013)

8. Doctor Strange (2016)

9. Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)

10. Wonder Woman (2017)

11. Spider-Man 2 (2004)

12. Spider-Man (2002)

13. Iron Man (2008)

14. Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
15. Watchmen (2009)
16. Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)

17. Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)

18. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)

19. X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014)

20. X-Men: First Class (2011)

WONDER WOMAN Origin Trailer Showcases Diana's Training

Princess Diana of Themyscira is about to become a legend.

Warner Bros. has released a new trailer for Wonder Woman, the upcoming film directed by Patty Jenkins starring Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman and Chris Pine as Steve Trevor.  The two minute, thirty second traler showcases Diana's training on Themyscira and also hints at the truth behind her creation.

The trailer opens on the paradise island of Themyscira, as we hear Queen Hippolyta (Connie Nielsen) speaking to her young daughter Diana.  "The gods gave us many gifts," she begins as we see them and a group of Amazons riding to some form of temple.  "One day you'll know them all.  This is where we keep them."

The large doors swing open and Diana sees an impressive sword for the first time.  "It's beautiful," the girl remarks.  "Who would wield it?"

"Only the fiercest among us even could," replies Hippolyta.  "And that is not you, Diana."

Diana merely smiles, staring longingly at the sword.

As time passes, we see Diana growing up and training in the arts of combat with her fellow Amazons.  We hear Hippolyta in a voiceover, presumably speaking to her sister, General Antiope (Robin Wright).  "You will train her harder than any Amazon before her -- five times harder, ten times harder -- until she is better than even you..."

As Diana is pressured by Antiope to never let her guard down and not expect the battle to be fair, she crosses her armored bracelets in a defensive position, abruptly unleashing a powerful shockwave that surprises her and the other Amazons.

"....but she must never know the truth about what she is," continues Hippolyta ominously.

While looking out from a high cliff, Diana sees Steve Trevor fall into the sea nearby and dives off the cliff to rescue him.  Steve is brought before Hippolyta and the Amazons and asks Diana, "What is this place?  Who are you?"

"It is our sacred duty to defend the world," replies Diana.

"Right," Steve remarks as we cut to glimpses of German General Erich Ludendorff (Danny Huston) and Doctor Poison (Elena Anaya).  "Whoever you are, you're in more danger than you think."

Diana prepares to leave Themyscira with Steve Trevor, telling her mother, "If no one else will defend the world, then I must."  Arriving in London during World War I, Diana finds the city "hideous," while Steve replies, "Yeah, it's not for everybody."

Later confronted by an assassin, Steve attempts to protect Diana, telling her to stay back, until Diana shield's him from a bullet with her bracelet.

We then see various images of Diana on a battlefield and fighting German soldiers, and even upending a small truck at one point.  

"I am Diana of Themyscira," she says to General Ludendorff, "daughter of Hippolyta.  In the name of all that is good, your wrath upon this world is over."  We see a climactic shot of Wonder Woman crossing her armored bracelets once again, glowing with building energy.

In the trailer's last scene, we see Diana attempting to leave a hotel through a revolving door with her large sword.  "Yep, that's not gonna work," remarks Steve.  "Please put the sword down."

"It doesn't go with the outfit," quips Steve's secretary Etta Candy (Lucy Davis).

"At all," adds Steve.

If you'd like to see the full trailer, you can view it below thanks to Warner Bros.' official account on YouTube...




Wonder Woman is scheduled to arrive in theaters on June 2, 2017.

WONDER WOMAN Casts Connie Nielsen as Queen Hippolyta

Wonder Woman just found her mom.

The Hollywood Reporter revealed yesterday that the upcoming Warner Bros./DC Comics film Wonder Woman has cast Connie Nielsen in the role of Hippolyta, the mother of Wonder Woman and Queen of the Amazons.

Nielsen joins Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman/Princess Diana, Chris Pine as Captain Steve Trevor, Robin Wright, Danny Huston, David Thewlis, and Ewen Bremner.  Pine recently confirmed that the movie is set during World War I.

Nielsen, 50, is a Danish actress best known as Lucilla in the 2000 film Gladiator, and has also appeared in the films 3 Days to Kill, The Ice Harvest, Mission to Mars, Soldier, Rushmore, and The Devil's Advocate.

Created in 1941 by William Moulton Marston and H.G. Peter, Hippolyta first appeared in All-Star Comics (vol.1) #8, the first appearance of Wonder Woman.  Hippolyte (as she was originally named) and the Amazons once resided in "Amazonia" in the days of ancient Greece, until they were beguiled and bested by the demi-god Hercules, who had been sent after her by the God of War Ares, now named Mars.  She was able to beat him using the girdle, but he seduced her, and tricked her into allowing him to see the girdle, allowing him to steal it.  This caused them to lose the favor of their patron goddess, Aphrodite. Eventually she and the other Amazons were forgiven, but had to wear bracelets to remind them of the chains which once bound them.  To regain their status, the Amazons were forced to leave the mortal world and relocate to Paradise Island.  There they established their own society, free from the evils of man's world.  So long as they remained there and Hippolyte retained possession of her magic girdle, the Amazons would be immortal.

In 1987, George Pérez revised Hippolyta's origins in 1987 for the relaunched DC Comics continuity.  Hippolyta and the rest of the Themysciran Amazons were first created by a select few of the Olympian gods, which included Artemis, Athena, Hestia, Demeter and Aphrodite.  They took the souls of women slain throughout time by the hands of men and sent them to the bottom of the Aegean Sea.  Hippolyta was slain 3,200 years ago while carrying a child.  The souls then began to form bodies with the clay on the sea bed.  Once they reached the surface the clay bodies became living flesh and blood Amazons.  The first one to break surface was Hippolyta and because of this, she was given the title as Queen of the new race.  The second Amazon to break surface was her sister Antiope, who ruled as a second to Hippolyta in all affairs.  Each of the goddesses that created the Amazons blessed them with personalized gifts, including hunting skills (Artemis'), wisdom (Athena's), warm homes (Hestia's), plentiful harvests (Demeter's), and beauty inside and out (Aphrodite's). As a symbol of their leadership titles, the gods gave Hippolyta and Antiope each a Golden Girdle of Gaea which enhanced their strength and abilities significantly.  The Amazons eventually founded the city of Themyscira in Anatolia, and became known as fierce warriors of peace in Turkey, Greece and Rome.

The jealous and vengeful god Ares soon tried to discredit their name by having his half-brother demigod Heracles invade the Amazons and demean their standing by stealing their Golden Girdles of Gaea.  Once in their stronghold, Heracles and his men drugged the wine the Amazons were drinking and took them prisoner. After the theft of Hippolyta's Golden Girdle and abuse and rape of the Amazons, Hippolyta cried out to Athena to help them escape their bonds.  Athena said that she would only aid them on the condition that the Amazons not seek retribution against Heracles and his men as that would be beneath the ideals the Amazons were created to stand for. Hippolyta hastily agreed and the Amazon's bonds were broken and the effects of the drugs they had been given wore off. Once out of their drugged state, the Amazons were filled with hate and revenge. Breaking Hippolyta's oath to Athena, the Amazons began slaughtering their captors but were upset to find that Heracles and his general Theseus had returned to their homelands.  After the slaughter Athena reprimanded the Amazons for disobeying her orders. She demanded the Amazons serve penance for their actions.  Though Hippolyta agreed to the goddess' wishes, her sister Antiope scoffed at Athena for being angered at them for killing their rapist captors.  Antiope then denounced all ties to the Olympian gods and said goodbye to her sister Hippolyta, giving Hippolyta her Golden Girdle of Gaea to replace the one stolen by Heracles.

Hippolyta and her remaining faithful Amazons then went to the sea shore, where the Olympian Gods told them their punishment for going against their ideals.  They were to be given immortality so that they would forever safeguard a doorway to the underworld called Doom's Doorway, preventing anyone from entering, and vanquishing any evils that tried to escape.  The doorway was located on an isolated island and to guide their way, the god Poseidon cleared a pathway for them across the seas.  Once they arrived at the island, the Amazons created a new city and named their new home Themyscira, after their previous fallen city.  The Amazons continued to live on the island guarding Doom's Doorway, and paying homage to their gods, for three thousand years.

Queen Hippolyta eventually began to ache for a child of her own.  She prayed to her gods her secret wish and they responded, telling her to go to the sea shore and form the figure of a baby with the island's clay, which she did.  The original goddesses again united to create a new Amazon for Queen Hippolyta.  It was revealed that in her previous life, Hippolyta was a pregnant cavewoman who was killed by her mate, thus her longing was for the child she had been denied.  The goddesses used the soul of this unborn child to fall into the clay body of the infant and, just as with the previous Amazons, the clay was changed into flesh and blood.  Hippolyta named the child Diana, after a stranger who was washed ashore on the island and helped the Amazons defeat a creature escaping Doom's Doorway with her life. This Diana was later to be revealed as the love interest of Steve Trevor.  When she reached adulthood, Princess Diana became the superheroine Wonder Woman.  To aid her in her mission, the Olympian gods transformed the Golden Girdle of Gaea that Antiope gave to Hippolyta into the Lasso of Truth.

Nielsen will be the fifth actress to portray Hippolyta in live action, after Charlene Holt in the 1974 Wonder Woman TV movie starring Cathy Lee Crosby, and Cloris Leachman, Carolyn Jones and Beatrice Straight in the 1975 Wonder Woman television series.  The character has also appeared in a number of animated projects, including Superman (1988, voiced by Pat Carroll), Justice League and Justice League Unlimited (voiced by Susan Sullivan), Batman: The Brave and the Bold (voiced by Tippi Hedren), and the 2009 direct-to-DVD Wonder Woman movie (voiced by Virginia Madsen).

Wonder Woman is expected to be released in theaters on June 23, 2017.

WONDER WOMAN First Photo & Principal Cast Announced

It's actually happening.

Warner Bros. has officially released the first photo of Gal Gadot in the 2017 Wonder Woman film, along with a press release announcing the film's principal cast.

Gadot posted on her official Twitter account, "Almost 75 years in the making... Wonder Woman is underway."

Here's the official press release...

Principal photography is underway on Warner Bros. Pictures’ Wonder Woman feature film, the highly anticipated action adventure from director Patty Jenkins (“Monster,” AMC’s “The Killing”), starring Gal Gadot (the “Fast & Furious” movies) in the role of Diana Prince/Wonder Woman. The character will make her big screen debut this spring in “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice,” but the new film will mark her first time headlining a feature.

The film also stars Chris Pine (the “Star Trek” films) as Captain Steve Trevor, Robin Wright (“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,” Netflix’s “House of Cards”), Danny Huston (“Clash of the Titans,” “X-Men Origins: Wolverine”), David Thewlis (the “Harry Potter” films, “The Theory of Everything”), Ewen Bremner (“Exodus: Gods and Kings,” “Snowpiercer”), Saïd Taghmaoui (“American Hustle”), Elena Anaya (“The Skin I Live In”) and Lucy Davis (“Shaun of the Dead”). 

The film is being produced by Charles Roven, Zack Snyder and Deborah Snyder, with Richard Suckle, Stephen Jones, Wesley Coller, Geoff Johns and Rebecca Roven serving as executive producers.

Joining Jenkins behind the camera are director of photography Matthew Jensen (“Chronicle,” “Fantastic Four,” HBO’s “Game of Thrones”), Oscar-nominated production designer Aline Bonetto (“Amélie,” “A Very Long Engagement,” “Pan”), and Oscar-winning editor Martin Walsh (“Chicago,” “Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit,” “V for Vendetta”), and Oscar-winning costume designer Lindy Hemming (“The Dark Knight” trilogy, “Topsy-Turvy”).

Principal photography will take place on location in the UK, France and Italy.

Set to open in 2017, the Wonder Woman feature film is based on characters created by William Moulton Marston, appearing in comic books published by DC Entertainment. It will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.

Wonder Woman is currently expected for release in theaters on June 23, 2017.

Chris Pine in Talks for Steve Trevor in WONDER WOMAN

Wonder Woman may have a love interest.

Variety reports that Chris Pine is in talks to play classic DC Comics character Steve Trevor in the upcoming film Wonder Woman, starring Gal Gadot as the Amazing Amazon and directed by Patty Jenkins.

Pine, 34, is best known as the modern Captain James T. Kirk from the films Star Trek and Star Trek Into Darkness.  He's also starred in the films Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit, Into the Woods, Horrible Bosses 2, This Means War, The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement, and Carriers.

Previous rumors claimed that Scott Eastwood had landed the part, but Variety claims that Eastwood was "given a choice to test for the Trevor role or sign on for a guaranteed supporting part in Suicide Squad, which he opted to take."

The article also claims that Warner Brothers tested other actors, but decided to look at more high-profile names and go with a straight offer.  Pine won over production executives and Gadot at his meeting, which made the studio pursue him for the role.

Created in 1941 by Wonder Woman creators William Moulton Marston and H.G. Peter, Steve Trevor first appeared All-Star Comics (vol.1) #8 as an intelligence officer in the United States Army during World War II whose plane crashed on Paradise Island, the isolated homeland of the Amazons.  Trevor was nursed back to health by the Amazon princess Diana, who fell in love with him and followed him when he returned to the outside world. Diana became the superhero Wonder Woman and disguised herself as Trevor's coworker, Diana Prince.

In the current DC Comics continuity, Trevor became the U.S. government's liaison to Wonder Woman during her stay in Washington, D.C. and later became the head of A.R.G.U.S. (Advanced Research Group for Uniting Superhumans), as well as the United Nations' liaison to the Justice League.  Promoted to the rank of Colonel, Trevor was assigned an assistant named Etta Candy and had expressed his attraction to Wonder Woman, although his feelings weren't reciprocated.

Pine would be the fourth actor to portray Steve Trevor in live action, after Kaz Garas in the 1974 Wonder Woman TV Movie starring Cathy Lee Crosby, Lyle Waggoner in the 1975-79 Wonder Woman television series starring Lynda Carter, and Justin Bruening in the failed 2011 Wonder Woman television pilot starring Adrianne Palicki.

The character has also appeared in various animated projects, including Justice League (voiced by Patrick Duffy), Batman: The Brave and the Bold (voiced by Sean Donnelan), the 2009 Wonder Woman direct-to-DVD film (voiced by Nathan Fillion), Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox (voiced by James Patrick Stuart), and Justice League: War and Justice League: Throne of Atlantis (voiced by George Newbern).

Wonder Woman is currently slated to arrive in theaters sometime in 2017.

DAMN Good Comics -- SENSATION COMICS FEATURING WONDER WOMAN #1

Think Batman, Robin, Nightwing and Batgirl are the only ones who can protect Gotham City?  Think again.

After the recent digital anthologies Legends of the Dark Knight and The Adventures of Superman, DC Comics is now focusing on the remaining member of their Holy Trinity with the release of Sensation Comics Featuring Wonder Woman #1.  The title may be a tad clunky, but there's no denying the appeal of a series that isn't overly dramatic like the current Wonder Woman ongoing and confined to only The New 52 continuity.

In the opening two-part story "Gothamazon," former Wonder Woman writer Gail Simone returns to one of her favorite characters with the simple, but effective story premise of what would happen if Wonder Woman was called in to save Gotham from an army of Batman's biggest enemies.  And if that isn't enough to hook you, the setting is somewhere before the events of Flashpoint, meaning Wonder Woman gets to wear traditional gold instead of silver, Oracle (a Simone favorite) is in play, and The Joker thankfully still has his face attached.  Good times, good times...

Part One opens with Gotham's most notorious supervillains finally waking up and realizing how formidable they would be if they joined forces instead of fighting Batman one at a time.  After taking Batman, Robin and Nightwing off the board (to what extent, we don't know) with an explosion, the Batrogues proceed to take control of Gotham in less than four hours, forcing Oracle to look for help elsewhere.  Deciding that The Flash is "too kind-hearted," Green Lantern is "too cosmic," and Superman is "too noble," GoldiOracle calls in "the big guns," which are juuuust riiiiiiiight.

As for the art, Ethan Van Sciver (with colors by Brian Miller of Hi-Fi) blends some Pre-Crisis nods into his designs -- Two-Face wears his classic half-orange, half purple-checked suit, The Penguin wears his top hat with tails and white gloves -- while incorporating Batman: The Animated Series' original look for Mr. Freeze.  Although his artwork seems a bit rushed in places with some uneven anatomy, Van Sciver utilizes the digital panel layout well with a number of bold close-ups that create very striking images that enhance the overall story.

All in all, a very promising start to the series that should continue to entertain Wonder Woman fans with upcoming creators Cat Staggs, Chris Sprouse, James Tynion IV, Cecil Castellucci, Laruen Beukes, Caitlin Kittredge, Amanda Diebert, Renae De Liz and Georges Jeanty.  Be sure to check DC's digital comics store every week for more adventures with everyone's favorite Amazing Amazon!

BATMAN V SUPERMAN's Wonder Woman Debuts at SDCC 2014

So skeptical fanboys, Gal Gadot actually looks like a decent Wonder Woman.  Imagine that.

Inside the holy geek shrine known as Hall H at Comic-Con International: San Diego 2014, Warner Bros. treated DC Comics fans in attendance to 3D renders of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice's Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman before a brief teaser clip played featuring a tense confrontation between Batman (Ben Affleck) and Superman (Henry Cavill).  Director Zack Snyder was joined on stage by those two actors along with Wonder Woman herself, Gal Gadot.

According to various sources including Coming Soon and Empire, the panel began with concept art from the film that featured quick shots of Batman standing by his Batmobile, a shot of Superman stumbling out of a ship in what appeared to be an Arctic tundra while carrying someone in his arms, followed by the brief teaser clip.

Set at night in pouring rain, the teaser begins on a rooftop with Ben Affleck’s Batman in full armor similar to Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns, including glowing eyes, pulling a tarpaulin off the Bat Signal (which features Miller's design of the Batman logo).  It shines into the sky, and then, illuminated against the clouds, flecked with lightning, standing inside the symbol, is Henry Cavill’s Superman.  Superman doesn't appear happy, as his eyes glow red with building heat vision.  The camera focuses on Batman’s face as he grimaces just before the film's title comes up.

Afterwards, Snyder brought out Cavill, Affleck and Gadot to say a quick hello as the first look of Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman appeared around the auditorium.  You can check out the full picture below...

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is currently scheduled to arrive in theaters on May 6, 2016.

Gal Gadot Cast as Wonder Woman in BATMAN VS. SUPERMAN

At long last, we have a new Wonder Woman...just not the one we were expecting.

Deadline reports that 28-year-old Israeli actress and model Gal Gadot has been cast as Wonder Woman/Princess Diana in the still untitled Man of Steel sequel referred to commonly as Batman vs. Superman.  Gadot joins Henry Cavill, reprising his role as Superman/Clark Kent, and Ben Affleck as Batman/Bruce Wayne in the 2015 film directed by Zack Snyder.  With the trinity of Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman now complete, this paves the way for a probable Justice League movie after Batman vs. Superman.

Gadot is best known as Gisele Harrabo in the Fast and the Furious movie series and has also appeared in the movie Knight & Day and the television series Entourage.  Various actresses were under consideration for the role of Wonder Woman, with Thor's Jaimie Alexander a popular choice.  According to the Hollywood Reporter, Gadot also beat out Quantum of Solace's Olga Kurylenko and G.I. Joe: Retaliation's Elodie Yung. 

Snyder commented on the casting, saying "Wonder Woman is arguably one of the most powerful female characters of all time and a fan favorite in the DC Universe.  Not only is Gal an amazing actress, but she also has that magical quality that makes her perfect for the role. We look forward to audiences discovering Gal in the first feature film incarnation of this beloved character."

Jaimie Alexander in Talks with Warner Bros. for Wonder Woman?

Well, that's much better than a LEGO movie...

In what has to be one of the biggest comic book movie casting no-brainers in a long while, Forbes has revealed that Jaimie Alexander has had talks with Warner Bros., possibly for the role of Wonder Woman.

The 29-year-old actress, best known as the Asgardian warrior Sif in the two Thor movies for Disney/Marvel, attended the comics and pop-culture convention Stan Lee's Comikaze Expo at the Los Angeles Convention Center and moderated the AMC movie panel "Movie Talk."  During the panel, the discussion moved onto the subject of a possible Marvel/DC superhero team-up movie someday, with Alexander surprising people by mentioning she has had discussions with "both companies" about superhero movies — "both" being Marvel and Warner Bros.

Alexander then answered a question about Ben Affleck's casting as Batman for the upcoming Batman vs. Superman (or whatever it ends up being called) and expressed her approval, noting the previous criticism of Michael Keaton back in 1989.  She followed up, remarking that her confidence of Affleck in the role is due to that she "kind of knows the storyline for that movie."

Oh, really?  And why would Marvel's Sif know anything about a DC Comics movie?

After the panel, Forbes asked Alexander about how much should be read into her comments talking to both Marvel and DC Comics/Warner Bros.  "I would love for DC to put Wonder Woman in one of their upcoming flicks," she replied, "either in her own movie or Batman vs. Superman, or just something even to introduce her."  She then focused more on the question, providing a more delicate response.  "Being in the comic book world, we know a lot of the same people at DC and Marvel, so we hear a lot of things, but it’s all speculation right now.  But I would absolutely love that [Wonder Woman appearing in one of the upcoming films].  Thankfully and gratefully, I’m appreciative to the people who ask my opinion of the character, and that’s been pretty amazing."

Alexander was asked her about Sif's two appearances proving there's potential for a great Wonder Woman movie.  "I’m a huge fan of Wonder Woman," she said.  "I really think if this is the closest that we’re ever going to get to Wonder Woman, then I’m proud to play Sif.  I hope that other comic book entities can learn a lesson from Marvel in how to execute a female character the way it should be done."  She also commented on the lack of many female role models in comic book films, but doesn't want them rushed or done poorly.  "I really would like to one day see a Wonder Woman film or Wonder Woman character, but until it’s done with class, I’d rather it not be done."

There have been a number of speculative rumors that Wonder Woman could be introduced in Batman vs. Superman, or held until a following Justice League movie, or featured in her own solo movie, or something else entirely.  It's hard to say exactly what will happen right now, but at the very least, there's going to be a third Thor movie unless for some inexplicable reason, Thor: The Dark World tanks at the box office.

And what if Marvel wants to do a Sif spinoff film, if only to beat Wonder Woman to the big screen?  "I would love for there to be a spinoff film," said Alexander.  "I would absolutely say ‘Yes!’  If the fans want it and there’s a strong enough desire for it, it will happen.  So, fingers crossed!"

Wonder Woman Gets New Costume for JUSTICE LEAGUE: WAR

More importantly, Wonder Woman gets ice cream.  Because who doesn't like ice cream?

Gary Mieranu, Warner Bros. Animated head of public relations, posted the above image on his Twitter account earlier today, revealing a new costume for Wonder Woman in the upcoming animated movie Justice League: War.  This costume essentially modifies her current look in DC Comics' "The New 52," removing the silver neck choker and upper arm band, replacing them with blue material covering her upper chest and most of her arms.

Justice League: War is the first animated adaptation of "The New 52" DC Universe continuity, based upon "Origin," the first six-issue storyline of the current series of Justice League by Geoff Johns and Jim Lee.  The adaptation was scripted by Heath Corson and directed by Batman: The Dark Knight Returns' Jay Olivia.  The featured cast will include:

Jason O'Mara as Batman/Bruce Wayne
Alan Tudyk as Superman/Clark Kent
Michelle Monaghan as Wonder Woman/Princess Diana
Christopher Gorham as The Flash/Barry Allen
Justin Kirk as Green Lantern/Hal Jordan
Shemar Moore as Cyborg/Victor Stone
Travis Willingham as Shazam (Replacing Aquaman in the story)
Steven Blum as Darkseid
(UNKNOWN) as Steve Trevor

The plot for War involves the world being under attack by alien species led by Darkseid.  Superman must gather a group of superheroes and form the Justice League to defend Earth.  This will be the 18th film the DC Universe Animated Original Movies series and is expected to arrive in early 2014.