Holding Court on the New Wonder Woman Series
Wonder Woman was my favorite show growing up. I loved it to death and would watch faithfully each week as Diana Prince would foil some villains plan to unleash evil amongst the people of the earth. This show was the highlight of my week during those young impressionable years. I was heartbroken when the series ended. I didn’t think I’d ever be able to see it again.
Fast forward about 20-ish years. Thank God for the Sci-Fi (as it was known back then) Channel. They were my saviors because they started to show the old episodes. I remember watching them again and thinking, Oh. My. God. This is AWFUL! I STILL LOVE IT! And I went through them all again. I’m a die-hard that way….and that’s how I roll.
With the influx of superhero movies that are in development right now, Wonder Woman has been tossed around Hollywood for years. A studio feature with names like Joel Silver and Joss Whedon having both been attached to it at some point in time. Scuttlebutt about which actress will win the coveted role made its way around the web a few times but nothing was ever concrete. Then the studio film idea was scrapped and now it seems the mighty Amazon is only fit for the small screen. What a shame.
David E. Kelley, yes THAT David E. Kelley has provided a script for a new Wonder Woman pilot that NBC is apparently moving forward with. BleedingCool.com got their mitts on a copy of the script and did up a post about it breaking it down without any major spoilers. After reading their piece I have to say, I’m worried. Head over there to read about it then come on back and I’ll tell you why.
The new outfit.
All done? Ok, let’s hash this out. First of all, I have no issue with trying to make the character accessible to a new generation. I say, by all means. The one way to make sure an icon doesn’t fade away is to re-invent said icon for a new audience. The comic was recently revamped and the costume went through a major transformation as well. While I’m not a big fan of the new costume, I get the reasoning behind it. But what’s with the Bolero style jacket that looks like it has shoulder pads? Very 90′s. I imagine she’s listening to Poison on her Walkman.
My issues with the news that has come out regarding the script are as follows:
1) Three identities. Diana Prince, Diana Themyscira and Wonder Woman. Why not just call her Sybil? What’s the point in having the secret identity of Diana Prince if the world knows that Diana Themyscira IS Wonder Woman?
2) The whole ice cream party with the BFF. Sure, chicks do this. I had ice cream with Roomie and kid last night as we caught up on shows we had on the DVR. But it seems really out-of-place for WW. Maybe I’m being too critical? Perhaps. I have been accused of that in the past.
3) Singing a long to every song on the radio. Again, I do this. I know a lot of others that do it too. It’s painful to watch yet funny. This seems to me that it would be cringe inducing. Like one of those scenes you see on TV that hurts so bad to watch you physically have to cover your eyes because you’re so embarrassed for the character. I know I’m not the only one that does this. You know who you are…..
Those are but a few of the things that I raised my eyebrows at after reading that post. There was another post I came across but when I went back to reference it, I saw that Warner Brothers had asked that it be removed. Bummer. However, ComicBookMovie.com has a portion of that post and you can find it here.
I can’t help but think that this iteration of WW is going to be all style and no substance. That’s the feeling I get. And yes, I do realize that the original series was absolutely the worst kind of cheese. But it was my cheese. And I loved it. Not to mention, what WASN’T cheesy in the late 70′s? Everything was! Six Million Dollar Man, The Bionic Woman, all of it was cheesy. I don’t expect them to remake it exactly like it was, that would be dumb. But is it too much to ask for something thought-provoking?
Of course my rant here will be completely moot if it rocks. Which I really hope it does. I hope my fears are baseless because we could use some kick ass supergals on TV. I mean, we don’t have President Roslin, Starbuck or Sarah Connor anymore but hey, I’m not bitter at all. No Sirrrreee!
I’m 99.827% sure I’ll watch this pilot if and when it ever airs. Because I will just have to see for myself. I know it won’t hold that special place in my heart that the original does, but maybe, just maybe it’ll hold my interest. I’m most curious though, about how they will handle the opening credits. Nothing, and I mean NOTHING can compare to the original. It’s so fantastically 70′s that it hurts. Seriously folks, this here is lightning in a bottle!
**Ok, I know embedding was disabled. Thought I got lucky there for a minute. Just click on the link and watch it on YouTube. It’s worth it. Promise!
Verdict: Undecided. I shall revisit this when the pilot airs and will not pass final judgment until then.
Tags: Comic Books, David E. Kelley, DC Comics, NBC, Super Hero, SyFy, Wonder Woman, Wonder Woman #600
