Small Wonder

Bonnie Burton sends dispatches from her invisible jet

When I was a little girl, I used to pretend I was Wonder Woman in the playground. I’d fight injustices at school, stand up for the bullied kids and always try to do the right thing. I’d spin around my room imagining my boring school clothes transforming into Wonder Woman’s patriotic red, white and blue costume. I’d squint up at the sky hoping to spot her invisible jet, despite it being, y’know, invisible. And imaginary.

I was a Wonder Woman fan for life. She represented everything I believe in today – truth, justice and girl power. I adored the Wonder Woman show from the ’ 70s, but since then I’ve had to be satisfied with various Wonder Woman comics and animated specials. Why has a Wonder Woman movie taken so long?

Director Michelle MacLaren will be developing and directing the Warner Wonder Woman movie, starring Gal Gadot with Zack Snyder producing. But that doesn’t hit until 2017. Gadot will debut her role as Wonder Woman in Batman Vs Superman: Dawn Of Justice out in 2016, but there’s no guarantee that Wonder Woman will have a prominent role in the film. We may have to just be content with a mere cameo until then.

So why has it taken until 2017, if the movie stays on track, to get Wonder Woman on the big screen? She’s arguably one of the most famous superheroes in comics, and just as worthy of her own major motion picture as her fellow costumed crusaders. Bruce and Clark have had numerous reboots and sequels, why not Diana?

There were a few chances for the Amazonian to get her due but they never panned out. Joss Whedon had a 2007 Wonder Woman screenplay that portrayed her as a goddess- like character who learns to appreciate humanity through her love with the human Steve Trevor. While fans were clamoring to read the script, Warner Bros didn’t believe it was worth pursuing – which is still a sore spot with Whedon. Now that he’s Marvel’s golden boy after the success of The Avengers, I bet the executives at Warner are kicking themselves. Or at least, they should be.

And then there were all the TV attempts that got lost in development hell. An NBC pilot from David E Kelley in 2011 didn’t get airborne, and a prequel for The CW called Amazon is apparently still spinning its wheels “in development”.

So why do movie and TV executives think anything to do with Wonder Woman is so tricky? She’s from a foreign land and connected to Greek gods. So how is that much different than being part of Norse mythology like Thor? She travels in an invisible jet, which isn’t that much more ridiculous than the Batmobile and is surely cheap CG. Is the only reason it’s taken this long for Wonder Woman to be taken seriously as a bankable superhero because she’s a she?

Surely it’s not because films like Elektra ( 2004) and Catwoman ( 2005) were box office bombs? Doesn’t anyone remember how much money Alien ( 1979) and Aliens ( 1986) made with one of the most badass female heroes of all time?

Saying women heroes aren’t desired in major films is a laughable argument after the success of The Hunger Games and Divergent, not to mention the strong female heroes in such shows as Lost Girl, Continuum, Agents Of SHIELD, Game Of Thrones, Sleepy Hollow, The Originals, The Walking Dead...

Even the new Ghostbusters reboot might get an all- female cast if director Paul Feig and screenwriter Katie Dippold have their way, and I’m fine with that. Hopefully, movie studios will get the hint that audiences have been more than ready for female superheroes to take over as main characters – and not as mere love interests, femmes fatales or eye candy cameos.

movie made?

Bonnie will now pretend she’s swapping out of work clothes into her crime- fighting costume.