Wonder Woman Report - Jacki Zehner · books. Instead, when I was a little girl I used to watch the television show starring Lynda Carter, ... full of wonder women, is THE Wonder Woman

Why No Wonder Woman?

A REPORT ON THE HISTORY OF WONDER WOMAN AND A CALL TO ACTION!!

Created for Wonder Woman Fans Everywhere Introduction by Jacki Zehner with Report Written by Laura Moore

April 15th, 2013

Wonder Woman -‐ p. 2 April 15th, 2013

AN INTRODUCTION AND FRAMING “The destiny of the world is determined less by battles that are lost and won than by the stories it loves and believes in” – Harold Goddard. I believe in the story of Wonder Woman. I always have. Not the literal baby being made from clay story, but the metaphorical one. I believe in a story where a woman is the hero and not the victim. I believe in a story where a woman is strong and not weak. Where a woman can fall in love with a man, but she doesnʼt need a man. Where a woman can stand on her own two feet. And above all else, I believe in a story where a woman has superpowers that she uses to help others, and yes, I believe that a woman can help save the world. “Wonder Woman was created as a distinctly feminist role model whose mission was to bring the Amazon ideals of love, peace, and sexual equality to ʻa world torn by the hatred of men.ʼ”1 While the story of Wonder Woman began back in 1941, I did not discover her until much later, and my introduction didnʼt come at the hands of comic books. Instead, when I was a little girl I used to watch the television show starring Lynda Carter, and the animated television series, Super Friends. Like so many other little girls I wanted to be Wonder Woman. I twirled, I lassoed the bad guys, I pretended I had an invisible plane, and I dressed up in that iconic costume. But then Wonder Woman went off the air, and I forgot about her and went on with my life. Or so I thought. I fearlessly rode horses. I started working at age 14. I graduated top of my class from high school. I became a Canadian Junior Body-Building Champion. I got into an elite program at the University of British Columbia that allowed me to become the first undergraduate recruit from the school to be hired at Goldman Sachs in New York. And in 1996, I became the youngest woman and first female trader to be made partner at Goldman Sachs. I also became a wife and a mother of two. I was busy trying to become my own kind of Wonder Woman. One who had a successful career, served her family, was there for her friends, and gave back to her community.

1 Crawford, Philip Charles, http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6417196.html, 03/01/2007


It was at the height of my struggle to try to balance it all that I rediscovered Wonder Woman. The year was 2001. At the time, I was working in Goldmanʼs executive office reporting directly to the most senior leaders of the firm on issues relating to the firmʼs culture, diversity, compensation, promotion, retention, and most importantly, leadership. I became obsessed with the concept of leadership, and I would devour anything that was written on this topic. One such piece was an article written by Tom Peters in Fast Company Magazine called “50 Rules of Leadership”. It became my favorite, and I would pass it along to anyone and everyone because it represented diverse, creative, and bold thinking. Peters left one rule blank, and invited readers to submit their own rule of leadership. I sat there trying to determine what was missing, and for whatever reason a thought popped into my head: “Be a Superhero.” The leadership principle followed and this is how it read. “Remember what it was like to jump out of bed on those Saturday mornings so you could rush to turn on the TV to get another dose of Superman, Batman, or in my case, Wonder Woman! These characters inspired us to change the world and to do the right thing. To fight evil wherever it reared its ugly head. To be an example, and yet hid your true identity because it was not about personal glory. They never asked, “What is in it for me?” They never let the bad stuff get them down. They had a job to do and damn it they approached it with absolute enthusiasm and discipline. Be a superhero!” I typed up this statement and shared my idea with a colleague. She added some great visuals of superheroes to my new motto, including Wonder Woman, and I proudly displayed the finished product on my desk. Wonder Woman was back in my life, and this time, she was here to stay. From that moment on, whenever I was facing challenges at work, at home, or in life in general, I would think to myself, BE A SUPERHERO JACKI. BE A WONDER WOMAN. Not THE Wonder Woman, A Wonder Woman. At this point my story becomes very, very long, and one day I plan to tell it in all its detail. It is the story of the past 11 years of my life, years that began with Wonder Woman inspiring me to leave Goldman Sachs in 2002 to pursue a different path. She has been with me, guiding me, and manifesting herself in the countless women with whom I have come to know and love and collaborate. Wonder Woman has been with me as I discovered and then pursued my personal destiny to use my time, my treasure, and my talent to create a more gender balanced world. A world


where women, WOMEN, are more equally represented in positions of power and influence, and to encourage women to use all of their resources, including financial, to help other women and the world in general.* Pursuing this destiny has taken me on quite the journey, a journey that has brought me to where I am now, serving as the Chief Engagement Officer of Women Moving Millions (WMM)*. WMM is a community of nearly 200 people who have given gifts of $1million or more to organizations or initiatives that work on behalf of women and girls. Our mission is to mobilize unprecedented resources for the advancement of women and girls. We work for justice, for peace, for love, and for our world that has been torn apart. Moreover, I know that I will never stop fighting for what I know in my heart and head to be true, that a more gender balanced world is a better world for everyone. I am also a past and current board and advisory board member of many, many womenʼs organizations and networks. Increasingly, my service and funding has gone towards driving collaborations, collective impact, and more and more, towards film. Through Impact Partners, and now Gamechangers, a feature film fund for women directors, I am leveraging my resources to shape and influence popular culture, because I know it matters. I believe that “we cannot be what we cannot see.” What is missing from all of this is a film to inspire us. What is missing is a superhero film that has a WOMAN in the lead. What is missing in a world full of wonder women, is THE Wonder Woman. In the 11 years since I left Goldman Sachs this film has never left my mind. It started with an idea for the story, and from there I took a screenwriting course, I founded a film production company, I met with film people, and I tried to figure out how we could get this done. To this day I clip articles and jot down ideas, and I stick them all in a giant plastic box with a label that reads WONDER WOMAN MOVIE. I thought my destiny was to eventually write the screenplay, or get involved with the movie in some capacity. I reasoned that this was why a film had failed to materialize; it was waiting for me! * Please visit www.jackizehner.com (Resource Section) or pick up the book Half the Sky by Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn to read about how far we have come and how far we still have to go to achieve a gender balanced world * Women Moving Millions http://www.womenmovingmillions.org/


The fact of the matter is that no, it is not waiting for me. It is waiting for us. It is waiting for Wonder Woman fans like you and me to stand up and demand a great film that will inspire a new generation of girls to be all that they can be. Just like the Wonder Woman of the 1970s did for me. Just like she has done for so many other women. Right now I have a 13 year old daughter and 16 year old son, and they have both grown up in an era where superheroes are everywhere in pop culture. These characters provide entertainment and escapism at a time when the world is in turmoil, and they allow us all to imagine what we could do for this world if we had superpowers. Whether we like it or not, superheroes are role models, and so far the only role models my children have seen at the cinema are male. Enough is enough. My frustration with the absence of Wonder Woman on screen led me to the creation of this report. I wanted to chart Wonder Womanʼs history in all forms of media and prove just how far her influence reaches. Contained in the report is a brief summary of her storyline, the history of Wonder Womanʼs film development, the various other mediums in which she has appeared, and a chart outlining the history of superhero stories on screen, as well as the budgets and grosses of these films. Over two years in the making, I chose April 15th, 2013 as the date for this reportʼs release because it is the same day as the release of Kristy Guevara-Flanaganʼs documentary Wonder Women! The Untold Story of American Superheroines* on PBS. As this film demonstrates, I am not alone in my frustration for more female role models in the media.

So here is my request to the powers that be who have the decision making power over the future of Wonder Woman on the big screen. Please hire the most amazing feminist writer you can find to write the screenplay. Before she sits down to write, have her meet with the feminist leaders of our world. Women like Gloria Steinem, who happens to

be a Wonder Woman expert. Women like Hillary Clinton, Musimbi Kanyoro, Leymah Gbowee, Carol Gilligan, Marion Write Edelman, Helen LaKelly

* I am proud to have supported this film through a small financial contribution.


Hunt, Abigail Disney, Eve Ensler; the list goes on and on. And yes, me, I would very much like to sit in on one of those meetings too. Above all else, please do this right and honor the fact that you are not just making another movie; you are creating a film that could change the world. Wonder Woman changed mine. May this closing quote serve as your inspiration: “If ever the world sees a time when women will come together purely for the good of humanity, it will be a power as the world has never seen.” – Matthew Arnold, circa 1800 Now thatʼs superpower! Respectfully yours, Jacki Zehner A Passionate Wonder Woman Fan


TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION p. 8 BASIC FACTS p. 10 BRIEF STORY HISTORY p. 11 LIVE ACTION FILM TIMELINE p. 17 POTENTIAL PLOT p. 23 WONDER WOMAN IN OTHER MEDIA p. 27 ANIMATED FILM p. 30 LIVE ACTION TELEVISION SHOWS p. 32 CULTURAL INFLUENCE OF WONDER WOMAN p. 38 WARNER BROTHERS ENTERTAINMENT INC. p. 40 DC ENTERTAINMENT INC. p. 43 HISTORY OF SUPERHERO FILMS p. 44 CONCLUSION p. 53 REFERENCES p. 54


INTRODUCTION

For over 70 years, Wonder Woman has stood as an icon of female empowerment, the embodiment of feminine strength, and ultimately, a fiercely determined superhero who fights side by side with Superman and Batman, superhero icons in their own right. With the release of

Superman in 1978, superheroes emerged from the back shelves of dusty comic book stores and into mainstream pop culture. Today, half a dozen films inspired by comic books are released a year, with budgets reaching up to $300,000,000 and bringing in billions of dollars at the box office. Batman has just completed a franchise-rebooting trilogy, Spider-Man is in the middle of a reboot, while Superman will soon begin his third. Even second tier or little known comic book heroes such as The Hulk and Hellboy have managed to rack up a pair of sequels between them. Yet throughout all this, Wonder Woman remains conspicuously absent. Where is Diana, princess of the Amazons? Continually published since 1942, her popularity and place in pop culture can not be disputed, yet for all that she has achieved, Wonder Woman remains in that most hated of industry spaces: development hell. Created by William Moulton Marston in 1941, Wonder Woman was a stark departure from the female comic book characters of the day, and she has developed over the years into an inspiring role model for what women can achieve. She is a strong, independent, and intelligent warrior of the Amazons, and is someone who fights for truth, justice, and peace. Wonder Woman is loyal, honest, and courageous, and seeks to improve the world of humans; leading by example as she teaches the values of her Amazon sisters. Wonder Woman has allies, allegiances, villains, and some impressive gadgets in the form of an invisible airplane and bullet deflecting


bracelets. Yet, in spite of this treasure trove of rich material from which to draw inspiration, Hollywood claims to be unable to come up with a good script for the big screen. At this point, this explanation is simply unacceptable. It is time for Wonder Woman to emerge out of the depths of development hell and take her rightful place on celluloid alongside her male counterparts. Whether it is studio indifference, sexual discrimination, or a simple but widespread case of writerʼs block that is causing Wonder Womanʼs delay, it is time for the excuses to stop. Superheroes represent the very best of humanity; what we are capable of when we are held accountable to a higher cause. What better cause then to ensure that every superheroʼs voice has equal opportunity to be heard?


BASIC FACTS Creator: William Moulton Marston Publisher: DC Comics Premiere: All Star Comics #8; December 1941 Background: Amazon Alias: Diana Prince Alter Ego: Princess Diana of Themyscira Team Affiliations: Justice Society of America

Justice League of America Amazons of Themyscira Department of Metahuman Affairs Black Lantern Corps Star Sapphires White Lantern Corps Partnerships: Steve Trevor Batman Superman Trevor Barnes Nemesis Abilities: Superhuman strength, speed, and stamina Flight (after 1960) Superior hand-to-hand combat skills Proficient in Amazon martial arts Regeneration and healing Resistance to the supernatural Extensive knowledge of tactical warfare Limited telepathy Extensive scientific knowledge Weapons: Lasso of Truth, Indestructible bracelets, Projectile tiara,

Invisible plane, Sandals of Hermes, Gauntlets of Atlas, Star Sapphires, Purple Ray Notable Villains: Cheetah, Silver Swan, Circe, Hera, Ares, Doctor Psycho Dr. Cyber, Giganta, Angle Man, White Magician, Egg Fu


BRIEF STORY HISTORY OF WONDER WOMAN Wonder Woman began publication during what is now known as the Golden Age of Comics. In her first appearance in All Star Comics #8, the world is in the midst of World War II, and American military pilot Steve Trevor crash lands on Paradise Island. This island, unknown to the outside world, is the home of the Amazons, and Diana, daughter of Queen Hippolyte, discovers this strange man among the wreckage. Diana nurses Steve back to health, and in the process she falls in love with this mysterious stranger.

When the time comes for Steve to return home, a tournament is held among the Amazons to decide who will escort Steve on his journey back to the United States, and Diana emerges as the victor. Upon returning Steve home, Diana assumes the identity of a US military nurse, Diana Prince, in order to remain close to Steve and to learn how she can help the US military fight the Nazis under the alias of Wonder Woman. Steve knows her as both his nurse, Diana, and as the superhero Wonder Woman, but he does not realize that the two women are one in the same. Another character to debut at this time was the enormously popular Etta Candy, the leader of a local sorority group named The Holiday Girls, who frequently helped Wonder Woman on her adventures. Originally, Wonder Womanʼs powers came from her Amazon upbringing and training, and her weapons included her bullet deflecting bracelets and the Lasso of Truth. Wonder Woman also joined the Justice Society of America during this time, although it should be noted that she initially only served as their secretary, despite being one of the more powerful members of the group. Upon Marstonʼs death in 1947, Wonder Woman began to lose her independence and defining feminist traits in order to better resemble other


American heroines of the time. In contrast, this was a time of growth with regards to her powers and abilities, as this was when Wonder Woman acquired her invisible airplane and unbreakable tiara. 1956 ushered in the Silver Age of Comics, and many superheroes and characters of the time were revamped, including Wonder Woman. Most notable at this time was the changes to Wonder Womanʼs origin story, and in particular, the more detailed explanation of how the Greek Gods played a role in Wonder Womanʼs creation. It was described how the Gods gifted Dianaʼs powers to her as a baby so that she could have the beauty of Aphrodite, the wisdom of Athena, the speed of Mercury, and the strength of Hercules. By the late 1960s, comic books were entering their Bronze Age, and Wonder Womanʼs character was dramatically altered. It was during this period that Wonder Woman gave up her powers to remain with Steve Trevor in the world of humans, and to compensate, Diana begins training under the mentorship of marital artist, I Ching. The Wonder Woman stories of this age focused more on tales of espionage, and were heavily influenced by the British TV series The Avengers. In issue #204 in early 1973, Wonder Woman regains her powers, and her character once again comes to resemble the Wonder Woman of the Golden Age. At this time, Wonder Woman undergoes twelve trials that are administered by the Justice League over the course of two years in order to regain her status as a member. Following the 1985 DC Comics multi-verse crossover series, Crisis of Infinite Earths, Wonder Woman was rebooted and returned to her feminist roots. In this new incarnation, Diana is a princess ambassador to the world of humans from the Amazon island Themyscira. She does not hide her


identity as Wonder Woman, and receives each of her strengths and abilities from different Greek Gods. Stories during this time focused on the mythology of these Gods and the heritage of the Amazons, adding more complexity and richness to the Wonder Woman character. Additional changes included the reinvention of several supporting characters, most notable being the aging of Steve Trevor to eliminate the possibility of a romantic interest in Wonder Woman. In 2005, DC Comics published a sequel to Crisis of Infinite Earths titled Infinite Crisis, which was another multi-verse crossover series involving most of the major Justice League characters. Wonder Womanʼs lead in series to this sequel was Sacrifice, and it is notable because its conclusion sees Wonder Woman breaking the DC Comicsʼ do-not-kill code of conduct among its superheroes when she murders Maxwell Lord in order to end his mind control of Batman and Superman. Infinite Crisis deals with the aftermath of this event, and chronicles Wonder Womanʼs quest to regain her reputation and the trust of her fellow superheroes.

Following Infinite Crisis, Wonder Woman was re-launched yet again with the character of Donna Troy, formally Wonder Girl, taking over as Wonder Woman while Diana Prince leaves to do some soul searching following Maxwell Lordʼs death. Diana eventually returns to resume her work as Wonder Woman, and she works with Batman and Superman to reform the Justice League. This re-launch numbered its first issue as #1 in an attempt to completely restart Wonder Womanʼs story, but this development was met with much criticism. Following a fan campaign to restore the original issue numbers, Wonder Woman #600 was published on June 30, 2010, and received widespread mainstream media attention due to an almost complete revamp of Wonder Womanʼs iconic stars and stripes costume. The costume change received almost


uniformly negative reviews, although the rebooted storyline that accompanied the costume change received mostly positive reviews from critics. This reboot did not last long, however, and in 2011 DC Comics cancelled their entire line of monthly comic book stories in an effort to re-launch the entire DC universe of characters. 52 series were selected to be re-set back to issue #1, and the line began publication with The Justice League #1 in August of 2011. This initiative has been named The New 52 by DC Comics. The New 52 allowed DC to significantly alter charactersʼ history and background during the re-launch, and Wonder Woman was no exception. At this point, numerous origin stories for Wonder Woman had been told over the prior seven decades of her publication, but arguably the most widely known was the story of how Queen Hippolyta created a baby from clay on the shores of Paradise Island, and the Gods brought the baby to life to give birth to Diana, Princess of the Amazons. In a move that both paid homage to this story, but also gave the character an entirely new direction, it was revealed that the clay story was in fact a cover up devised by Hippolyta and the Amazons. In truth, Diana is the natural born daughter of Hippolyta and the Greek God Zeus, a fact that was hidden from Diana in order to protect her against the wrath of Zeusʼ wife Hera. This revelation leaves Diana reeling from the scope of the cover up, and to make matters worse, Diana now has to contend with the extraordinarily dysfunctional family of Greek Gods she has suddenly inherited, including a stepmother who wants to see Diana dead. The new Wonder Woman stories of The New 52 bring a significantly darker tone to the series, but at the same time, they signal the return of Wonder Womanʼs familiar red and blue bodice costume.


The move to re-launch DC Comicsʼ entire universe was met with overall approval from publishers, as it was viewed as a shrewd move in order to continue to compete in the ever increasingly competitive comic book market. Indeed, sales of DC Comics have risen since the re-launch, and The New 52 has garnered much talk and discussion within the comic book community. However, the reception has not been uniformly positive. Many fans initially met the re-launch announcement with both skepticism and suspicion. As the new titles began their publication, many readers lamented the loss of storytelling depth that occurs when characters lose decades of history and character development. DC Comics was also hit with claims of sexism from both critics and fans alike. Many people noted that the number of female contributors at DC Comics dropped from 12% to 1% in the wake of the re-launch, and critics have pointed out that many female characters were demoted in their status or dropped altogether. To address this criticism, DC Comics broke with their usual tradition of staying silent on issues of gender and race, and posted a letter on their official website dated, July 29, 2011. This letter highlighted several upcoming projects of female generated content, and more importantly, acknowledged the problem and pledged to address it in the future. Perhaps one of the most interesting points of this story is that simultaneous with these claims of sexism, Wonder Woman has been often ranked as the best of The New 52 re-launch by both critics and fans. Everything from the storyline, to the new depths and complexity of Wonder Womanʼs character, to the artwork of the new series has garnered rave reviews. Writer Brian Azzarello and artists Cliff Chiang and Tony Akins have succeeded in creating a Wonder Woman who is both intelligently written and gorgeously rendered, and their narrative reveals just how far Wonder Woman has come since her debut over 70 years ago. When Wonder Woman first appeared in All Star Comics #8 in December of 1941, the character was revolutionary for the era. She was a woman who


was fully capable of taking care of herself, a woman who was physically stronger than the men around her, and a woman who was intelligent and didnʼt need a man to come to her rescue. In fact, it was Wonder Woman who constantly had to come to the rescue of Steve Trevor. Yet, despite these groundbreaking characteristics, Wonder Woman could not fully escape from the stereotypes of the time. The first stories show Wonder Woman falling instantly in love with the first man she sets eyes upon, and she proceeds to leave behind her family and home in order to be with him. Once seeing Steve safely to an army hospital, the first thing Wonder Woman does in this mysterious new world is go shopping, because she is after all, “Always the woman.”2 The characters around her are constantly expressing their disbelief that a woman could have such strength and agility, and the first story ends not with Wonder Woman celebrating her first victory over the Nazis, but rather with lamentations over her unrequited love for Steve Trevor. Seven decades later, the Wonder Woman of The New 52 is surrounded by a large supporting cast of women, all of whom are forceful, determined, and sexually liberated. Wonder Woman herself is a strong and formidable character, but she is not without her flaws. There is a notable absence of a love interest in the first few stories, and more importantly, the storyline is driven by Wonder Womanʼs actions and not her gender. Considering the quality of Wonder Womanʼs comic storylines at the moment, it is hard to imagine a better time than the present to try and bring her story to the big screen. 2 Martson, William Moulton. The Wonder Woman Chronicles – Volume One. St-‐Romuald: World Colour Press, Inc., 2010, p. 16.


LIVE ACTION FILM TIMELINE Jan 2001: Producer Joel Silver approaches Todd Alcott to write

screenplay; Silver Pictures is backing the project 2001-2003: Script goes through various drafts by Todd Alcott, Jon Cohen,

Becky Johnston, and Philip Levens Aug 2003: Todd Alcott replaced as screenwriter by Laeta Kalogridis;

Kalogridis begins script from scratch and concentrates on Wonder Womanʼs origin

Mar 2005: Joss Whedon is hired as screenwriter and director Feb 2007: Joss Whedon departs project citing creative differences Feb 2007: Joel Silver buys a spec script from Matthew Jennison and

Brent Strickland; script is a period piece set in WWII and impresses studio executives; Silver Pictures later hires Jennison and Strickland to write a new screenplay in a contemporary time frame, but Warner Brothersʼ interest in the project ultimately fizzles

Oct 2007: Joel Silver announces that due to the upcoming Justice League film, at the time slated for a 2009 release and in which Wonder Woman would appear, the solo Wonder Woman movie is put on hold

Dec 2007: Australian Megan Gale is cast as Wonder Woman in Justice League film

Jan 2008: Justice League film delayed due to 2007-2008 Writerʼs Guild of America Strike

April 2008: Justice League film put on indefinite hiatus May 2010: Warner Bros. chairman and CEO Barry Meyer claims Wonder

Woman movie is still in development June 2010: Lauren Shular Donner, producer of X-Men franchise,

campaigns to produce Wonder Woman movie May 2012 Marvelʼs The Avengers opens to record-breaking box office

revenues


June 2012 Warner Brothers and DC Entertainment announce that the Justice League film is back in development with Will Beall contracted to produce a script

June 2012 Michael Goldenberg is commissioned to write the script for a Wonder Woman film

Feb 2013 It is reported that Will Beallʼs script for the Justice League film has been rejected by Warner Brothers; Warner Brothers will reportedly wait to gage the success of Man of Steel (June 2013) before deciding on whether or not to continue with development of a Justice League film

April 2013 As of April 2013, www.imdb.com still lists the Wonder Woman film as in development with no stated release date

The Internet is filled with theories as to why Wonder Woman has been left out of the recent boom of comic book films, with these theories ranging from problems in creating a good script, to Warner Brothers studio indifference, to simple sexual discrimination. While any or all of these theories may be true, none are an acceptable reason for such a lengthy delay in Wonder Womanʼs journey to the big screen. Screenwriters tasked with writing a script for Wonder Woman have shed light on the obstacles they have faced in creating a good Wonder Woman story. One argument is that Wonder Woman lacks the proper origin story needed to create a successful superhero movie. While it is true that her origin story has changed numerous times over the course of her publication history, this should not hinder the writing process. Instead, it should merely provide more material from which a writer can draw inspiration to craft a good story. Others have claimed that Wonder Woman does not have her own fictional city to protect, such as Batman and Gotham City or Superman and Metropolis. Yet, Spider-Man seems to get along just fine with New York City, having recently starred in a successful film trilogy that made $2.5 billion in box office receipts. A mere five years after Spider-Man 3 was released, a franchise reboot was released in July of 2012 that grossed over $750 million at the worldwide box office, and a


2014 sequel was announced before the first movie was even released. It would appear that non-fictional cities do not hinder a superheroʼs success. Another commonly cited obstacle is that Wonder Woman suffers from a lack of notable villains, as she originally just battled the Nazis during World War II. Yet, Captain America: The First Avenger, released in July of 2011, was a period piece set in World War II, and the film was met with both critical acclaim and box office success. Moreover, a villain does not need to be famous in order to be successful, as Christopher Nolanʼs hugely successful Batman trilogy proved in its first film Batman Begins. Instead of choosing the most famous Batman antagonist, The Joker, Nolan decided to use the lesser known Scarecrow. In the hands of talented actor Cillian Murphy, this character rose far above his lack of recognition to become a formidable villain who was downright evil. Batman Begins ultimately went on to be a critical darling that grossed over $370 million at the worldwide box office. Finally, some have suggested that Hollywood simply canʼt understand the character of Wonder Woman, a claim that is entirely without merit. If there ever was a writer more capable of creating strong female characters, it is Joss Whedon, and he devoted two years of his life to creating a Wonder Woman script, only to eventually depart the project over the meekest of industry excuses: creative differences. This begs the question as to whether or not studio executives at Warner Brothers truly are indifferent to the cause of getting Wonder Woman to the big screen. Joel Silver, the producer in charge of developing the film for nearly a decade, recently departed the project and has since remained tight-lipped as to the cause of the delay. Sources claim studio executives are simply uninterested in backing an action franchise fronted by a woman, and people often point to the box office bombs of Catwoman and Elektra as examples of the genreʼs failure. However, these excuses fail to point out that these two films most likely bombed because they simply were badly made movies, and in the case of Catwoman, bore little resemblance to the


characterʼs source material. Furthermore, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider was successful enough to spawn a sequel, while the Underworld and Resident Evil action franchises both star a woman and have thus far produced nine films between them. Perhaps more alarming was a report in 2007 that then President of Production at Warner Brothers, Jeff Robinov, issued an edict within the studio that Warner Brothers would cease to produce female fronted films. Although Warner Brothers issued a denial on the accuracy of the report, the original reporter publically stood by the story and indicated that it was Robinov who made the decision to stop the development of the Wonder Woman film. Without concrete evidence of this edict, it is impossible to know Robinovʼs true intensions, but it is notable that the timing of this report coincides with the demise of two Wonder Woman scripts. Moreover, since 2007, Warner Brothers has released less than a dozen films with a sole female protagonist, and less than half a dozen films with a predominantly female cast. All the while, Robinov was promoted to President of Warner Brothers Picture Group in 2011. However, regardless of the studioʼs attitude towards female leads, it is simply bad business sense to not take advantage of an asset with such widespread recognition as Wonder Woman. While the media is often, and quite rightly, criticized for its lack of quality roles for women, there has been a recent surge of strong, quality, female characters in both film and literature. Novels, and their subsequent film adaptations, such as The Hunger Games and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo are all centered on strong, independent, and resourceful young women. 2011 was heralded for the success of Bridesmaids and The Help, two films consisting almost entirely of female characters, and their successes prompted many to claim that women were poised to take over the box office. While 2012 yielded the female fronted hits The Hunger Games, Brave, and Snow White and the Huntsmen, the two most financially successful films of the year were The Avengers and The Dark Knight Rises, two superhero films comprised almost entirely of men with one lone woman in a black, skintight bodysuit.


It should be noted that while DC Comicsʼ main rival, Marvel Comics, spent five years developing the cinematic universe that ultimately culminated in The Avengers, DC maintained for years that they were not interested in a similar venture. Batman was enjoying a hugely successful revival under the direction of Christopher Nolan, Zack Synder was rebooting Superman for 2013, and Green Lantern bowed in the summer of 2011, albeit to pitiful box office returns. DC consistently maintained that these projects were separate in their continuity, and expressed no interest in reviving the shelved Justice League film. When The Avengers debuted in May of 2012 to record breaking box office results, DC Comics abruptly changed course and announced the following month that a Justice League film was in development with the aim of a 2015 release. Screenwriter Will Beall was hired to produce a script that would feature Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, and the Flash, and it was rumored that several directors were approached for the project. At the same time, but almost as a side note, DC Entertainment announced that Michael Goldenberg had been hired to write a stand-alone Wonder Woman script, however, unlike the continuous news updates regarding the Justice League film, nothing has been heard about Goldenbergʼs script since. Furthermore, it is troubling that the screenwriter entrusted with Wonder Womanʼs story is the same screenwriter that helped pen Green Lantern, one of the biggest superhero box office failures of the past decade. In February of 2013, word got out that Beallʼs script was thrown out by Warner Brothers for lack of quality, and instead, Warner Brothers has decided to wait on the success, or lack thereof, of Man of Steel before deciding whether or not to continue pursuing a Justice League project. Indeed, in April of 2013, Warner Brothers President Jeff Robinov confirmed to the press that Man of Steel was being used as a potential gateway to further projects within the DC universe, and hinted at announcements in the near future regarding the fate of DCʼs major characters. However, with all of these plans hinging on the success of Man of Steel, Wonder Woman


has once again been plunged into the limbo of development hell; an arena with which at this point she is all too familiar and wholly undeserving.


POTENTIAL PLOT Jon Coen and Todd Alcottʼs Wonder Woman script reportedly did not focus on Diana Prince, but instead revolved around her daughter Donna Troy, and her journey to succeed Diana as Wonder Woman. The script is said to have began with a spectacular action sequence, during which it appears that Diana is killed. The Wonder Woman costume is found by Donna, and soon after Donna begins developing the powers and abilities of Wonder Woman. After discovering that Diana is still alive, Donna tracks her down and the truth of Donnaʼs parentage is revealed. Soon after, Diana dies and Donna takes over the mantle of Wonder Woman. Laeta Kalogridisʼ script reportedly returned to the Wonder Woman origin story, and closely resembles the plot of the 2009 animated Wonder Woman. Steve Trevor crash lands on the Amazonʼs island, and Diana becomes fascinated not only by Steve, but of the world of men as well. The villain was said to have been Ares, the God of War, and the film was designed as a big budget action film. Matthew Jennison and Brent Stricklandʼs script apparently was set in World War II, with Steve Trevor working as a spy for the United States trying to defeat the Nazis. He crash lands on the island of Themyscira in a stolen German plane, where he is found by the Amazons. Diana rescues him, and the two of them travel first to the United States, and then onto Germany, where the Nazis are working on a treacherous plot involving Themyscira. Diana and Steve join forces to defeat them and save Dianaʼs homeland and her people from destruction. Joss Whedonʼs Wonder Woman script has been shrouded in secrecy, and there are conflicting reports as to whether or not the script made it past an outline. All that is known about the potential plot are hints Whedon has given himself in interviews, and in 2007, Whedon offered some insight as to his vision of Wonder Woman. Below is a section of this interview as it pertains to the plot of his now abandoned film:


“Well, I'll tell you one thing that sort of exemplifies my feelings. The idea was always that she's awesome, she's fabulous, she's strong, she's beautiful, she's well-intentioned, she thinks she's a great big hero, and it's Steve Trevor's job to go, "You don't understand human weakness, therefore you are not a hero, and you never will be until you're as helpless as we are. Fight through that, and then I'll be impressed. Until then, I'm just going to give you shit in a romantic-comedy kind of way.” There was talk about what city she was in and stuff, but by the end, she had never actually set foot in America. Wonder Woman isn't Spider-Man or Batman. She doesn't have a town, she has a world. That was more interesting to me than a kind of contained, rote superhero franchise. I think ultimately the best way I can describe the kind of movie I was wanting to make—it was a fun adventure, not gritty, or insanely political, or anything like that. There was meat to the idea of, "Well, why aren't you guys better? What's up with that?" Her lack of understanding of how this world has come to this pass. My favorite thing was the bracelets. I mean, the bracelets are cool, but how do I make that work? In the original comic book, they needed them because they fire guns on Paradise Island. I don't think I'm going there. So, I thought about it for a while, and I realized, "Oh, right, this is how this works." So in my version, she left Paradise Island with Steve, who was a world-relief guy bringing medical supplies to refugees, which is why he was so desperate to get off the island. She goes with him, and the moment she sets foot on land outside of Paradise Island, somebody shoots her in the chest. And it hurts. [Laughs.] She's just so appalled. And obviously, she heals within a few hours. She pulls the bullet out herself, and kind of looks at it like, "What the hell is this?" She heals, but she's appalled and humiliated, and the next time someone shoots at her, she puts her bracelet in the way because she's terrified of getting shot. It's just a reflexive thing.


She has these bands that they all wear, just a piece of armor, and she puts it up. And then she gets good at it. By the end, it's kind of her thing, but it's because she got shot one time and didn't think that it was awesome. I think that is probably not the feeling the producers wanted to have. Though honestly, that could have been their favorite thing. I don't know, because when I asked Joel Silver, point blank, "Well, if they don't want what I'm doing, what do they want?" he said, "They don't know." I loved what I was doing. I mean, it was really hard. It took me a long time to break the story structurally to my satisfaction. When I did that, it was in an outline, and not in a draft, and they didn't like it. So I never got to write a draft where I got to work out exactly what I wanted to do. In terms of the meaning, the feeling, the look, the emotion, the character, the relationship with Steve Trevor, all of that stuff, I never wavered for a second. I knew exactly what I wanted to do. It was really just a question of housing it. I would go back in a heartbeat if I believed that anybody believed in what I was doing. The lack of enthusiasm was overwhelming. It was almost staggering, and that was kind of from the beginning. I just don't think my take on Wonder Woman was ever to their liking. I wasn't getting them to feel what they wanted to feel. They couldn't describe what that was to me. We're talking about a huge investment. To ask somebody to jump on that, what is going to be a few hundred million dollars these days, if they just don't have that feeling… I had that feeling. I got chills when I think of some of this stuff, but apparently I was the only one who was chilly. Everybody was very gracious about it. It was a blind date, and everybody thought we'd get married, but let's just leave it at the door.”3

3 Robinson, Tasha, www.avclub.com/articles/joss-‐whedon,14136/, Aug. 8, 2007.


In another 2007 interview, Whedon discussed the difficulties he had with the Wonder Woman project and with working with Warner Brothers. Below is an excerpt from that interview: “I in no way want this to be a slam on Warner Bros., but the fact of the matter is, it was a waste of my time. We never [wanted] to make the same movie; none of us knew that. And it was a waste of their time because I had a lot of trouble writing — not just writing that, but writing at all. Part of it had to do with having just finished Serenity. I ran into James Gunn, who'd just done his first film, Slither. And he was like, ''The director in me killed the writer in me.'' And we fell on each other. It was like finding a support group. After you direct and edit something, you just realize everything is negotiable. The line that you died for, you pull without hesitation because [the script] seems a little long. He was like, ''Every time I sit down to write I think, Is this even going to make it in?'' And you can't write like that.

[Regarding Warner Brothers acquiring another Wonder Woman script while Whedon was still on the project]: I was warned by a friend that it was happening. And I was already well aware that people were not liking what I was doing. So I don't feel like I was blindsided. I sent them an outline for a new draft that I felt was exactly what I wanted, and they didn't want to do it. Joel told me that. And I was like, ''Can you tell me what they want? Can you tell me what they don't like?'' The answer was ''No.'' Then I was like, ''Okay, but I'm certainly not going to start from scratch.''”4 4 Gopalan, Nina, http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20049318,00.html Aug. 2, 2007.


WONDER WOMAN IN OTHER MEDIA

Comic Books December 1941 First appearance in All Star Comics, issue #8 January 1942 First cover, Sensation Comics, issue #1 Summer 1942 First publication of stand-alone Wonder Woman comic

-Published continuously to present day, except for a brief hiatus in 1986

1941-present Appears in Justice Society comics 1960-present Appears in Justice League comics August 2011 The New 52: Justice League #1 re-launches September 2011 The New 52: Wonder Woman #1 re-launches

Comic Strip 1944-1945 William Moulton Marston wrote a daily comic strip of Wonder Woman; H. G. Peter was the artist

Video Games

Wonder Woman available as a Playable Character: Justice League Task Force – Super Nintendo, Sega Genesis, Game Boy Advance Justice League Heroes – PlayStation 2, PSP, Xbox, Nintendo DS Mortal Combat vs. DC Universe – PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 Justice League: Injustice for All – Game Boy Advance Justice League: Chronicles – Game Boy Advance Injustice: Gods Among Us – PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii U Lego Batman 2: DC Superheroes – PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii


Wonder Woman available as a Summonable Striker: Justice League Hereos: The Flash – Game Boy Advance Wonder Woman appears as a Non-Playable Character: DC Universe Online – Playstation 3, PC

Cosmetics Jan 2011: MAC announces line of cosmetics inspired by Wonder Woman Mar 2011: Launch date for Wonder Woman cosmetics; this collection was only available through Spring 2011

Direct to Video Animated Films

2008: Justice League: The New Frontier; Wonder Woman voiced by Lucy Lawless

2010: Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths; Wonder Woman voiced by Vanessa Marshall

2009 Wonder Woman; Wonder Woman voiced by Keri Russell (see below)

2010: Batman/Superman: Apocalypse; Wonder Woman voiced by Susan Eisenberg

2012 Justice League: Doom; Wonder Woman voiced by Susan Eisenberg


Television 1972 The Brady Kids animated TV series, guest in one episode 1973-1986 Super Friends animated TV series, series regular 1974 Wonder Woman live action TV movie starring Cathy Lee

Crosby 1976-1979 Wonder Woman live action TV series starring Lynda Carter (see below) 1988 Superman animated TV series, guest in one episode 2001-2006 Justice League and Justice League Unlimited animated TV

series 2011 Batman: The Brave and the Bold animated TV series, guest

two episodes 2011 Wonder Woman, David E. Kelley pilot for NBC (see below) 2010-2012 Young Justice animated TV series 2012-2013 Amazon, live action prequel to Wonder Womanʼs story in

development by The CW


2009 WONDER WOMAN ANIMATED FILM Animated Wonder Woman released direct to video on March 3rd, 2009 Directed by Lauren Montgomery Wonder Woman voiced by Keri Russell Studio: Warner Bros. Animation Distributed by Warner Home Video Gross Revenue: $7,527,417 as of April 10th, 2013 DVD units Sold: 505,489 as of April 10th, 2013 Received an 86% critical approval rating

Wonder Womanʼs plot draws its inspiration from George Pérezʼs reboot of Wonder Woman in 1987, and depicts the origin story of Wonder Woman. In ancient times, Queen Hippolyta of the Amazons leads them into battle against the God of War, Ares. On the verge of

claiming victory, Zeus and Hera intervene and order Hippolyta to spare Aresʼ life. In exchange for this mercy, Hippolyta and the Amazons are given the island of Themyscira as a homeland, as well as the gift of eternal youth. Ares is bound with bracelets that can only be removed by a God, and which render him mortal. He is taken to Themyscira, and the Amazons are tasked with guarding Ares and keeping him away from the human world. In return, Hippolyta is granted a daughter named Diana, created from the land of Themyscira and the blood of Hippolyta. For centuries, the Amazons live in peace and prosperity on Themyscira, hidden from the outside world. During this time Diana grows into a fierce and talented warrior who yearns to see the world beyond the confines of her island home.


In present day, American fighter pilot Steve Trevor is shot down over Themyscira, and after a successful emergency landing, he immediately encounters Diana. Steve is brought before Hippolyta, who declares that he will be returned to his home country. A contest is held among the Amazons to determine who should carry out this task, and Diana, competing in disguise, is the eventual winner. At the conclusion of the contest Diana reveals her true identity, and Hippolyta grants Diana permission to travel with Steve back to New York City. It is while the contest is in progress that Persephone, one of Aresʼ guards, betrays her Amazon sisters and releases Ares from his prison on Themyscira. Having fallen in love with Ares, Persephone travels with him to the Underworld, where he is able to convince his uncle, Hades, to remove the bracelets that render Ares mortal. With Ares returned to power as a God and set loose in todayʼs world of modern warfare weapons, Diana and Steve return to New York and join forces to defeat Ares for good. Wonder Woman was met with critical acclaim, and was praised for both the strength of its characters and its action sequences. While the script may lack subtlety at times, it was commended for its portrayal of post-feminist themes, particularly with respect to Diana and Steveʼs attempts to understand their respective worlds. With a running time of only 74 minutes, perhaps subtlety was a luxury the film could not afford, but this film does offer a tantalizing preview of what a live action Wonder Woman film could do with the right script and budget.


1975-1979 WONDER WOMAN LIVE ACTION TV SERIES In 1974, ABC produced and aired the television movie Wonder Woman, starring Cathy Lee Crosby, in the hopes of generating enough interest to warrant a full television series. Airing on March 12th, 1974, the television movie drew respectable ratings, but earned lukewarm reviews for its departure from the traditional Wonder Woman story and costume. ABC decided to give Wonder Woman another try, and in 1975 the network produced another television film that was curiously titled The New Original Wonder Woman. Starring Lynda Carter as Wonder Woman, this television movie closely followed the original World War II origin story, and it was a huge ratings success for ABC. Additional episodes were ordered, and the first season began its run on ABC in September of 1976 for a total of 13 episodes. After the first season, ABC grew concerned about the costs of producing a weekly hour-long period piece, and was undecided about whether or not to renew the series. While ABC remained undecided, Wonder Woman was presented to the other television networks, and CBS picked up the series for production on the condition that the showʼs timeline be moved to the present day. Wonder Woman aired on CBS for an additional two seasons, for a total run of 59 episodes for the series. The television show Wonder Woman has ultimately became the most famous incarnation of Wonder Woman, and the role to which Lynda Carter has become the most associated. Elements that originated on the show, such as Wonder Womanʼs spinning costume changes, went on to become incorporated into other media depictions of Wonder Woman, and despite being cancelled after only three seasons, Wonder Woman is now considered a television classic. Today, all three seasons of the show are available on DVD, and Lynda Carter has gone on to be become a feminist icon.


2011 WONDER WOMAN LIVE ACTION TV PILOT Sept 2010 David E. Kelley pitches a new Wonder Woman TV series Jan 2011 NBC picks up pilot for production with the premiere scheduled

for Fall 2011 Feb 2011 Pilot script is leaked online; script is slammed as “laughingly

bizarre and…tragically un-hip”5 Feb 2011 Adrianne Palicki is cast as Wonder Woman March 2011 Pilot episode shot in Los Angeles May 2011 NBC announces they are not picking up the series for

production According to reports, David E. Kelley met with DC Comics in September of 2010 to gain permission to develop a television series starring Wonder Woman. With permission granted, Kelley completed work on a pilot script and began shopping it to television networks in January 2011. Initially, ABC showed the most interest in the project, but they were unable to pursue the project further due to ABCʼs ownership by the Walt Disney Company, who in turn is the owner of Marvel Comics, DC Comicsʼ main competitor. It was rumored that this conflict of interest ultimately led ABC to pass on the series. NBC was the final network to initially pass on the Wonder Woman pilot, yet merely a week later, after the corporate shake up caused by the Comcast takeover of NBC, the new Chairman of primetime programming, Robert Gleenblatt, decided to pick up the Wonder Woman pilot for production. With the announcement of a new Wonder Woman TV series, commentators speculated that television may be the better medium for the character, and might offer a higher chance for success than the cinema. It

5 Lacob, Jace, http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-‐and-‐stories/2011-‐02-‐02/wonder-‐woman-‐a-‐sneak-‐peak-‐at-‐david-‐e-‐kelleys-‐script/, Feb. 2, 2011.


is easy to understand this reasoning, as television has a strong track record when it comes to featuring a strong, complex, and fully realized female character at the centre of a show. Indeed, the current television landscape is littered with compelling and three-dimensional female heroines, and in recent years, television was home to arguably the most important female heroine of the past 20 years, Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Buffy originally appeared in a failed movie, but later blossomed in a TV series that became a modern classic whose influence is still being discussed and debated today. However, to simply regulate Wonder Woman to television because it may be the faster route to success is a disservice to both the character and her fans. Superman has found plenty of success in both mediums, and in the hands of the right producers, directors, and writers, there is no reason to think that Wonder Woman could not do the same. It would appear that Kelly thought along these lines, and his pilot was sold under the premise that the show would be "a reinvention of the iconic D.C. comic in which Wonder Woman -- aka Diana Prince -- is a vigilante crime fighter in L.A. but also a successful corporate executive and a modern woman trying to balance all of the elements of her extraordinary life."6 While the pitch may sound promising, once the script leaked online, many people derided Kelleyʼs vision of Wonder Woman, some going as far as calling it sacrilege and gasp inducing in its execution. The Wonder Woman of Kelleyʼs script was described as being more Ally McBeal than empowered female heroine; someone who is “alternately vain, self-absorbed, weepy, and so desperately trying to be cool [that it] is a major turn-off on every page”7 She is someone who gets her feelings hurt when people comment on her breast size, and goes weak in the knees once Steve Trevor shows up. Others were more optimistic in their analysis of the 6 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wonder_woman#cite_note-‐84, Feb 21, 2010. 7 Lacob, Jace, http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-‐and-‐stories/2011-‐02-‐02/wonder-‐woman-‐a-‐sneak-‐peak-‐at-‐david-‐e-‐kelleys-‐script/, Feb. 2, 2011.


script, praising the strength of the villain, Veronica Cale, as the perfect counterpoint to Diana Prince, and pointing out that Kelley’s Wonder Woman is notably fearless in the face of danger. However, even those with the most positive views of the script still conceded that as an interpretation of Wonder Woman, there was much to be desired.

This sentiment was reinforced in March 2011, when the first promotional shots of Adrianne Palicki wearing a re-imagined Wonder Woman costume were officially released on the Internet. The costume featured Palicki in shiny blue pants, blue high-heeled boots, and a shiny red sleeveless bodice. Wonder Woman’s iconic lasso of truth, bracelets, and tiara remained intact, but the outfit as a whole received near universal scorn and negative reviews from fans and commentators alike. The condemnation was so widespread, that when photos from the filming of the pilot later leaked online, Palicki was dressed in an altered costume with darker, cotton looking blue pants and red boots.

The revisions didn’t end at Wonder Woman’s costume, as the finished pilot bears little resemblance to the original leaked script. The overall premise remains the same, but gone are the pop songs, most of the pop culture references, the reviled evidence team of teenagers, and Myndi Mayer, Wonder’s Woman’s best friend. More importantly, the overly emotional, heart broken, weepy Wonder Woman from the script is nowhere to be found, along with the infamous ice cream fueled sleepover sob fest between Diana and Myndi.


Instead, the Wonder Woman of the pilot is a strong and confidant fighter who will stop at nothing to get her job done. The public knows her as both Wonder Woman and Diana Themyscira, the head of Themyscira Industries, along the lines of Tony Stark being known to be Iron Man. In order to get away from these very public personas, she maintains an unknown alter ego, Diana Prince, who lives alone with her cat Sylvester. On May 12th 2011, it was announced that NBC was not picking up the Wonder Woman pilot for production. There were many speculations as to the reasons behind this decision, but Robert Greenblatt simply stated that the show did not fit in with NBC’s fall schedule and the direction the network was taking in the 2011-2012 television season. As a result, another Wonder Woman project failed to materialize, disappointing many longtime fans of the character. The original script may have been a disaster, but the script that was ultimately shot did show promise. There were issues to be addressed, such as Wonder Woman torturing a suspect for information, a completely unnecessary action given her possession of the Lasso of Truth, and the fact that Wonder Woman at one point kills a man with a lead pipe to the throat, an action firmly out of place with Wonder Woman’s character. However, pilot episodes are often altered, edited, and in some cases re-shot once picked up for production, and therefore there is no reason that these issues could not have been addressed. The failure of this incarnation is even more disheartening when taken into consideration how much the show had improved from its original script. Given a chance to develop further and iron out the remaining problems of the pilot, this show could have potentially grown into something great. While this version of Wonder Woman did not make it onto primetime, the television network The CW is currently developing a new Wonder Woman television series tentatively titled Amazon. Vulture first reported in September of 2012 that Warner Brothers Television and The CW were in the early script phase of development, with no word if or when this project


would go into production. However, it was reported that this series would focus on the early years of Wonder Woman, similar to The CW’s origin series of Superman, Smallville. If this project does come to fruition, it is entirely possible that a Wonder Woman project may finally not only actually happen, but it has the potential to be an enormous success. Smallville ran for ten highly successful seasons, and currently The CW has a hit with their other DC Comics television show, Arrow, based on the character Green Arrow. This show has proven itself to be massively popular, despite the Green Arrow recently appearing on Smallville for several seasons as a series regular, and Arrow has already been renewed for a second season. Given that audiences have embraced two versions of a minor DC Comics character, Wonder Woman may have finally found the network with the audience ready to welcome her back to television.


CULTURAL INFLUENCE OF WONDER WOMAN Wonder Woman is one of the most popular and well known superheroes, and her influence can be see in nearly every artistic medium. References to Wonder Woman can be found on television, in music, and in feature films, and the character has spawned countless fan fiction, tributes, short films, and parodies. However, beyond these appearances in pop culture, Wonder Woman has become an important symbol of female empowerment. She has come to represent feminine strength and the ideals of peace and sisterhood, and she has proved on countless occasions that beauty, strength, and intelligence are traits that are not mutually exclusive. In 1972, Ms. Magazine put Wonder Woman on its first cover, and boldly proclaimed “Wonder Woman for President”. Forty years later, no female politician has become an official presidential nominee, but Wonder Woman still soldiers on in publication, leading by example that woman have the capacity to be strong and formidable leaders. In March 2012, the South by Southwest arts festival hosted the premiere screening of Wonder Women! The Untold Story of American Superheroines. Since then, this film has been screened at dozens of festivals, and will debut on PBS on April 15th, 2013. The film has earned rave reviews at these screenings, and it has furthered the debate over the lack of strong female role models in the mass media. Chronicling the history of Wonder Woman and other strong female heroines, the film reflects on how portrayals of female superheroes over the years have mirrored societyʼs changing attitudes towards empowered women. More importantly, the film shows the positive impact Wonder Woman has had on both culture and fans, and reveals the necessity for more positive female role models in todayʼs male dominated mass media. Films like Wonder Women! and the countless tributes online prove that there is a real and bankable fan base for a Wonder Woman film. Among the many excuses for why a film has failed to materialize is the fact that is it difficult to pin down just exactly what it is that Wonder Woman is meant


to represent. As chronicled in Wonder Women!, the nature of Wonder Womanʼs character has undergone considerable evolution over the years, and as a result, it is remarkable how often the argument of characterization comes up. What this argument fails to grasp, however, is that Wonder Woman doesnʼt have to be summed up in just one tag line. The beauty of Wonder Woman is that she represents so many different things to so many different people. Instead of Supermanʼs “Truth, Justice, and the American Way”, Wonder Woman encompasses a wide range of emotions, ideals, and messages. She is both a hero and an inspiration to her fans, and has been held up as a role model for generations. With a feature film finally to her name, a new generation of fans would have the chance to discover this character, and to see that superheroes can be found in all forms.


WARNER BROS. ENTERTAINMENT INC.

Warner Bros. and DC Comics hold the rights to Wonder Woman Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (Warner Bros.) is a subsidiary company of Time Warner Inc. Additionally, Warner Bros. has its own subsidiary companies, including Warner Bros. Pictures, Warner Bros. Animation, Warner Bros. Home Video, New Line Cinema, half of The CW Network, and DC Entertainment Inc. Therefore, Warner Bros. holds the rights to the entire DC Comics canon of characters and stories. Warner Bros. was founded in 1918 by Harry, Albert, Sam, and Jack Warner, immigrants to the United States from Poland, and was formally incorporated as Warner Brothers Pictures Inc. on April 4th, 1923. Warner Bros. found its first success with a series of short films featuring the dog Rin Tin Tin. Warner Bros. then signed Broadway actor John Barrymore to a long-term contract, producing several hit films with Barrymore as the star. By the end of 1924, Warner Bros. was the most successful independent studio in Hollywood. Despite this success, it was not until the advent of talking pictures, or “talkies”, that Warner Bros. became a major Hollywood studio. Long a pioneer of synchronized sound technology, Warner Bros. released The Jazz Singer on October 6th, 1927, and the result was a complete revolution of the movie industry. With this newfound success, both financially and in reputation, Warner Bros. bought a new studio in Burbank California where the companyʼs headquarters remain to this day. In 1990, Time Inc. and Warner Communications Inc. merged, becoming at present the worldʼs second largest entertainment conglomerate, behind the Walt Disney Company, and the worldʼs largest media conglomerate. As of 2010, Warner Bros. Pictures, the major studio division of Time Warner, commanded 18% of the US/Canadian box office market share, first place among the six major studios.


Key Executives Warner Bros. Barry Meyer Chairman Kevin Tsujihara CEO Edward A. Romano EVP and CFO Susan Fleishman EVP, Worldwide Corporate Communications and Public Affairs Richard J. Fox EVP, International Jeff Robinov President, Warner Bros. Pictures Group John Rogovin EVP and General Counsel Bruce Rosenblum President, Warner Bros. Television Group Kiko Washington EVP, Worldwide Human Resources Time Warner Jeffrey L. Bewkes Chairman of the Board and CEO Paul T. Cappuccio Executive Vice President and General Counsel Gary L. Ginsberg Executive Vice President, Corporate Marketing and Communications John K. Martin Chief Financial and Administrative Officer Carol A. Melton Executive Vice President, Global Public Policy Olaf Olafsson Executive Vice President, International and Corporate Strategy


The Board of Directors of Time Warner Jeffrey L. Bewkes Chairman and CEO, Time Warner Inc. James L. Barksdale Chairman and President, Barksdale Management

Corporation William P. Barr Former Attorney General of the United States Stephen F. Bollenbach Former Co-Chairman and Chief Executive Officer,

Hilton Hotels Corporation Robert C. Clark Distinguished Service Professor, Harvard

University Mathias Döpfner Chairman, Chief Executive Officer, Axel Springer

AG Jessica P. Einhorn Dean, Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced

International Studies (SAIS), Johns Hopkins University

Fred Hassan Former Chairman and CEO, Schering-Plough Corporation

Kenneth J. Novack Senior Counsel, Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, PC

Paul D. Wachter Founder, Chairman and CEO, Main Street Advisors

Deborah C. Wright Chairman, President and CEO, Carver Bancorp, Inc.


DC ENTERTAINMENT INC. DC Comics was founded in 1934 by Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson under the name National Allied Publications. In 1937, the first Detective Comic was published, from which DC Comics derives its current name. DC Comics is responsible for the creation of many iconic characters, including Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Green Lantern, and The Flash, as well as famous villains such as Lex Luthor, The Joker, Catwoman, and Darkseid. Today, DC Comics produces 52 titles per month and nearly 1000 titles per year. Together with its main competitor, Marvel Comics, DC and Marvel publish nearly 80% of the American comic book market. DC Comics is the publishing division of DC Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary company of Warner Bros. Entertainment. Created in September 2009, DC Entertainment Inc.ʼs role is to fully integrate the characters of DC Comics across all levels and companies of Warner Bros. Entertainment. DC Entertainment was created in response to the announcement in August 2009 that the Walt Disney Company had purchased the rights to the entire Marvel Universe. Warner Bros. wanted to ensure that the DC Comicsʼ legacy could be competitive with the Disney marketing of Marvel superheroes. Diane Nelson is the current president of both DC Comics and DC Entertainment Inc.

Key Executives Diane Nelson President Dan DiDio Co-Publisher Jim Lee Co-Publisher Bob Harras Editor in Chief Geoff Johns Chief Creative Officer John Rood Executive Vice President, Sales, Marketing and

Business Development.


HISTORY OF SUPERHERO FILMS

Year Film Publisher Distributer Director Budget $ Gross $ 1951 Superman and the

Mole Men DC Comics Lippert Pictures

Inc. Lee Sholem N/A N/A

1966 Batman DC Comics 20th Century Fox Leslie H. Martinson

1,400,000 N/A

1978 Superman DC Comics Warner Bros. Richard Donner 55,000,000 134,218,018 1980 Superman II DC Comics Warner Bros. Richard Donner/

Richard Lester 54,000,000 108,185,706

1981 Condorman Original Walt Disney Pictures

Charles Jarrott N/A N/A

1982 Swamp Thing DC Comics Embassy Pictures Wes Craven 3,000,000 N/A 1983 Superman III DC Comics Warner Bros. Richard Lester 39,000,000 59,950,623 1984 Supergirl DC Comics TriStar Pictures/

Warner Bros. Jeannot Szwarc 35,000,000 14,296,438

1986 Howard the Duck Marvel Comics Universal Pictures

Willard Hukck 37,000,000 16,295,774

1987 Superman IV: The Quest for Peace

DC Comics Warner Bros. Sidney J. Furie 17,000,000 15,681,020

1989 Batman DC Comics Warner Bros. Tim Burton 35,000,000 251,188,924 1989 The Return of

Swamp Thing DC Comics Millimeter Films Jim Wynorski N/A 192,816

1989 The Punisher Marvel Comics Artisan Entertainment

Mark Goldblatt 10,000,000 unreleased

1990 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Mirage Studios New Line Cinema Steve Barron 13,500,000 135,265,915

1990 Darkman Original Universal Pictures

Sam Raimi 16,000,000 33,878,502

1990 Captain America Marvel Comics 21st Century Film Corporation

Albert Pyun 10,000,000 unreleased

1991 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II

Mirage Studios New Line Cinema Michael Pressman

25,000,000 78,656,813


1991 The Rocketeer Pacific Comics Walt Disney Pictures

Joe Johnston 35,000,000 46,704,056

1992 Batman Returns DC Comics Warner Bros. Tim Burton 80,000,000 162,831,698 1993 Teenage Mutant

Ninja Turtles III Mirage Studios New Line Cinema Stuart Gillard 21,000,000 42,273,609

1993 The Meteor Man Original MGM Robert Townsend N/A 8,016,708 1994 The Fantastic Four Marvel Comics Constantin Film Oley Sassone 1,500,000 unreleased 1994 The Crow Caliber

Comics Miramax Films Alex Proyas N/A 50,693,129

1994 The Shadow Street & Smith Publications

Universal Studios Russell Mulcahy 40,000,000 32,063,435

1994 The Mask Dark Horse Comics

New Line Cinema Chuck Russell 23,000,000 119,938,730

1995 Batman Forever DC Comics Warner Bros. Joel Schumacher 100,000,000 184,031,112 1995 Tank Girl Dark Horse

Comics United Artists Rachel Talalay 25,000,000 4,064,495

1995 Black Scorpion Original Showtime Jonathan Winfrey N/A TV Movie 1995 Darkman II: The

Return of Durant Original Universal Studios Bradford May N/A Direct to

Video 1996 The Crow: City of

Angels Caliber Comics

Miramax Films Tim Pope N/A 17,917,287

1996 Barb Wire Dark Horse Comics

Universal Studios David Hogan N/A 3,793,614

1996 The Phantom Various Paramount Pictures

Simon Wincer N/A 17,323,326

1996 Darkman III: Die, Darkman, Die

Original Universal Studios Bradford May N/A Direct to Video

1997 Black Scorpion II: Aftershock

Original Showtime Jonathan Windfrey

N/A Television Film

1997 Batman & Robin DC Comics Warner Bros. Joel Schumacher 125,000,000 107,325,195 1997 Spawn Image Comics New Line Cinema Mark AZ Dippe 40,000,000 54,870,175 1997 Steel DC Comics Warner Bros. Kenneth Johnson 16,000,000 1,710,972 1998 Blade Marvel Comics New Line Cinema Stephen Norrington 45,000,000 70,087,718


1999 Mystery Men Dark Horse Comics

Universal Pictures

Kinka Usher 68,000,000 29,762,011

2000 The Crow: Salvation

Caliber Comics

Dimension Films Bharat Nalluri N/A Direct to Video

2000 X-Men Marvel Comics 20th Century Fox Bryan Singer 75,000,000 157,299,717 2000 The Specials Original Regent

Entertainment Craig Mazin 1,000,000 13,276

2000 Unbreakable Original Touchstone Pictures

M. Night Shyamalan

75,000,000 95,011,339

2002 Blade II Marvel Comics New Line Cinema Guillermo del Toro

54,000,000 82,348,319

2002 Spiderman Marvel Comics Columbia Pictures

Sam Raimi 139,000,000 403,706,375

2003 Daredevil Marvel Comics 20th Century Fox Mark Steven Johnson

78,000,000 102,543,518

2003 X2: X-Men United Marvel Comics 20th Century Fox Bryan Singer 110,000,000 214,949,694 2003 Hulk Marvel Comics Universal Studios Ang Lee 137,000,000 132,177,234 2003 The League of

Extraordinary Gentlemen

WildStorm/DC Comics

20th Century Fox Stephen Norrington

78,000,000 66,465,204

2004 Hellboy Dark Horse Comics

Columbia Pictures

Guillermo del Toro

66,000,000 59,623,958

2004 The Punisher Marvel Comics Lionsgate Jonathan Hensleigh

33,000,000 33,810,189

2004 Spiderman 2 Marvel Comics Columbia Pictures

Sam Raimi 200,000,000 373,585,825

2004 Catwoman DC Comics Warner Bros. Pitof 100,000,000 40,202,379 2004 Blade: Trinity Marvel Comics New Line Cinema David S. Goyer 65,000,000 52,411,906 2005 Constantine DC Comics/

Vertigo Warner Bros. Francis Lawrence 100,000,000 75,976,178

2005 The Crow: Wicked Prayer

Caliber Comics

Lance Mungia Dimension Films N/A Direct to Video

2005 Elektra Marvel Comics 20th Century Fox Rob Bowman 43,000,000 24,409,722


2005 Son of the Mask Dark Horse Comics

New Line Cinema Lawrence Guterman

84,000,000 17,018,422

2005 Batman Begins DC Comics Warner Bros. Christopher Nolan

150,000,000 205,343,774

2005 Fantastic Four Marvel Comics 20th Century Fox Tim Story 100,000,000 154,696,080 2005 Man-Thing Marvel Comics Cinemax Brett Leonard N/A Direct to

Video 2005 V for Vendetta DC Comics/

Vertigo Warner Bros. James McTeigue 54,000,000 70,511,035

2006 X-Men: The Last Stand

Marvel Comics 20th Century Fox Brett Ratner 210,000,000 234,362,462

2006 Superman Returns DC Comics Warner Bros. Bryan Singer 270,000,000 200,081,192 2006 Lightspeed Created by

Stan Lee Nu Image Films Don E.

FauntLeRoy N/A Direct to

Video 2007 Ghost Rider Marvel Comics Columbia

Pictures Mark Steven Johnson

110,000,000 115,802,596

2007 Spiderman 3 Marvel Comics Columbia Pictures

Sam Raimi 258,000,000 336,530,303

2007 Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer

Marvel Comics 20th Century Fox Tim Story 130,000,000 131,921,738

2008 Iron Man Marvel Comics Paramount Pictures

Jon Favreau 140,000,000 318,412,101

2008 The Incredible Hulk Marvel Comics Universal Studios Louis Leterrier 150,000,000 134,806,913 2008 Hancock Original Columbia

Pictures Peter Berg 150,000,000 227,946,274

2008 Hellboy II: The Golden Army

Dark Horse Comics

Universal Studios Guillermo del Toro

85,000,000 75,986,503

2008 The Dark Knight DC Comics Warner Bros. Christopher Nolan

185,000,000 533,345,358

2008 Punisher: War Zone

Marvel Comics Lionsgate Lexi Alexander 35,000,000 8,050,977

2008 The Spirit DC Comics Lionsgate Frank Miller N/A 19,806,188


2009 Watchmen DC Comics Warner Bros. Zack Snyder 130,000,000 107,509,799 2009 X-Men Origins:

Wolverine Marvel Comics 20th Century Fox Gavin Hood 150,000,000 179,883,157

2010 Kick Ass Icon Comics / Marvel Comics

Lionsgate Matthew Vaughn 30,000,000 48,071,303

2010 Super Original IFC Films/ StudioCanal

James Gunn 2,500,000 327,716

2010 Iron Man 2 Marvel Comics Paramount Pictures

Jon Favreau 200,000,000 312,433,331

2010 Jonah Hex DC Comics Warner Bros. Jimmy Hayward 47,000,000 10,547,117 2011 The Green Hornet Holyoke

Publishing/NOW Comics

Columbia Pictures

Michel Gondry 120,000,000 98,780,042

2011 Thor Marvel Comics Paramount Pictures

Kenneth Branagh 150,000,000 181,030,624

2011 X-Men: First Class Marvel Comics 20th Century Fox Matthew Vaughn 160,000,000 146,306,247 2011 Green Lantern DC Comics Warner Bros. Martin Campbell 200,000,000 116,326,464 2011 Captain America:

The First Avenger Marvel Comics Paramount

Pictures Joe Johnston 140,000,000 171,401,290

2012 Ghost Rider: Spirit of the Vengeance

Marvel Comics Columbia Pictures

Neveldine/Taylor 57,000,000 51,774,002

2012 The Avengers Marvel Comics Walt Disney Pictures

Joss Whedon 220,000,000 623,357,910

2012 The Amazing Spiderman


Marc Webb 230,000,000 262,030,663

2012 The Dark Knight Rises

DC Comics Warner Bros. Christopher Nolan

250,000,000 448,139,099

2012 Dredd 2000 AD Lionsgate Pete Travis 50,000,000 13,414,714 2013 Man of Steel DC Comics Warner Bros. Zack Snyder TBD TBD 2013 Iron Man 3 Marvel Comics Walt Disney

Pictures Shane Black TBD TBD

2013 Thor: The Dark World

Marvel Comics Walt Disney Pictures

Alan Taylor TBD TBD


2013 Kick-Ass 2 Marvel Comics Universal Studios Jeff Wadlow TBD TBD 2013 Ninja Turtles Mirage Studios Paramount

Pictures Jonathan Liebesman

TBD TBD

2013 The Wolverine Marvel Comics 20th Century Fox James Mangold TBD TBD 2014 Captain America:

The Winter Soldier Marvel Comics Walt Disney

Pictures Anthony and Joseph Russo

TBD TBD

2014 The Amazing Spiderman 2


Marc Webb TBD TBD

2014 Ninja Turtles Mirage Comics Paramount Pictures

Jonathan Liebesman

TBD TBD

2014 X-Men: Days of Future Past

Marvel Comics 20th Century Fox Matthew Vaughn TBD TBD

2014 Guardians of the Galaxy

Marvel Comics Walt Disney Pictures

James Gunn TBD TBD

2015 Ant-Man Marvel Comics Walt Disney Pictures

Edgar Wright TBD TBD

2015 The Avengers 2 Marvel Comics Walt Disney Pictures

Joss Whedon TBD TBD

2015 The Justice League

DC Comics Warner Bros. TBD TBD TBD

2015 The Fantastic Four Marvel Comics 20th Century Fox Josh Tank TBD TBD • Reported gross is Domestic Gross as of April 15th, 2013 • Only two films were directed by a woman, noted in blue • Only six films feature a female superhero as the primary protagonist,

noted in red It is important to note that according to the website www.boxofficemojo.com the total revenue for all comic book adaptations is an astonishing $11,205,864,044 at the domestic box office alone. This does not include the lucrative international market that has an ever-increasing demand for superhero films. This number works out to an average of $103,758,000 per film, and an average of $109,459,790 for the wide releases.


ANIMATED FILMS

1993 Batman: Mask of the Phantasm

DC Comics Warner Bros. Eric Radomski and Bruce Timm

N/A 5,617,391

1998 Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero

DC Comics Warner Bros. Boyd Kirkland N/A Direct to Video

2000 Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker

DC Comics Warner Bros. Curt Geda N/A Direct to Video

2002 The Powerpuff Girls Movie

Original Warner Bros. Craig McCracken 11,000,000 11,412,414

2003 Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman


2004 The Incredibles Original Walt Disney Pictures

Brad Bird 92,000,000 261,441,092

2005 The Batman vs. Dracula

DC Comics Warner Bros. Sam Liu, Brandon Vietti, Seung Eun Kim

N/A Direct to Video

2006 Hellboy: Sword of Storms

Dark Horse Comics

IDT Entertainment

Phil Weinstein, Tad Stones

N/A Direct to Video

2006 Ultimate Avengers Marvel Comics Lionsgate Curt Geda, Steven E. Gordon, Bob Richardson

N/A Direct to Video

2006 Superman: Brainiac Attacks


2006 Ultimate Avengers 2

Marvel Comics Lionsgate Will Meugniot, Richard Sebast

N/A Direct to Video

2006 Teen Titans: Trouble in Tokyo

DC Comics Warner Bros. Michael Chang, Ben Jones, Matt Youngberg

N/A Direct to Video

2007 Mosaic POW Entertainment

Anchor Bay Roy Allen Smith N/A Direct to Video

2007 The Invincible Iron Man

Marvel Comics Lionsgate Frank D. Paur N/A Direct to Video


2007 Hellboy: Blood and Iron

Dark Horse Comics

IDT Entertainment

Victor Cook, Tad Stones

N/A Direct to Video

2007 TMNT Mirage Comics Lionsgate Kevin Munroe 34,000,000 54,149,098 2007 The Condor POW

Entertainment Anchor Bay Steven E. Gordon N/A Direct to

Video 2007 Doctor Strange:

The Sorcerer Supreme

Marvel Comics Lionsgate Frank D. Paur N/A Direct to Video

2007 Superman: Doomsday

Marvel Comics Lionsgate Bruce Timm, Lauren Montgomery, Brandon Vietti

N/A Direct to Video

2008 Justice League: The New Frontier

DC Comics Warner Bros. Dave Bullock N/A Direct to Video

2008 Batman: Gotham Knight

DC Comics Warner Bros. Various N/A Direct to Video

2008 Next Avengers: Heros of Tomorrow

Marvel Comics Lionsgate Gary Hartle N/A Direct to Video

2009 Hulk Vs Marvel Comics Lionsgate Frank D. Paur N/A Direct to Video

2009 Wonder Woman DC Comics Warner Bros. Lauren Montgomery N/A Direct to Video

2009 Green Lantern: First Flight

DC Comics Warner Bros. Lauren Montgomery N/A Direct to Video

2009 Superman/Batman: Public Enemies

DC Comics Warner Bros. Sam Liu N/A Direct to Video

2010 Planet Hulk Marvel Comics Lionsgate Sam Liu N/A Direct to Video

2010 Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths

DC Comics Warner Bros. Lauren Montgomery/ Sam Liu

N/A Direct to Video

2010 Batman: Under the Red Hood

DC Comics Warner Bros. Brandon Vietti N/A Direct to Video

2010 Superman/Batman: DC Comics Warner Bros. Lauren Montgomery N/A Direct to


Apocalypse Video 2010 Megamind Original DreamWorks Tom McGrath 130,000,000 148,415,853 2011 All Star Superman DC Comics Warner Bros. Sam Liu N/A Direct to

Video 2011 Thor: Tales of

Asgard Marvel Comics Lionsgate Sam Liu N/A Direct to

Video 2011 Green Lantern:

Emerald Knights DC Comics Warner Bros. Christopher Berkeley,

Lauren Montgomery,

Jay Olivia

N/A Direct to Video

2011 Batman: Year One DC Comics Warner Bros. Sam Liu, Lauren Montgomery

N/A Direct to Video

2012 Justice League: Doom

DC Comics Warner Bros. Lauren Montgomery N/A Direct to Video

2012 Superman vs. The Elite

DC Comics Warner Bros. Michael Chang N/A Direct to Video

2012 Batman: The Dark Knight Returns Part 1

DC Comics Warner Bros. Jay Olivia N/A Direct to Video

2013 Batman: The Dark Knight Returns Part 2

DC Comics Warner Bros. Jay Olivia N/A Direct to Video

2013 Iron Man: Rise of Technovore

Marvel Comics Song Pictures Entertainment

Yuzo Sato N/A Direct to Video

2013 Iron Man & Hulk: Heroes United

Marvel Comics Marvel Animation Studios

TBD N/A Direct to Video

2013 Superman: Unbound

DC Comics Warner Bros. James Tucker N/A Direct to Video

2012 Flashpoint DC Comics Warner Bros. TBD N/A Direct to Video

• Two animated films centre on a female protagonist, noted in red. • Although eight films have been directed by a woman, noted in blue, it

should be noted that this was the same woman for all eight films.


CONCLUSION Fans of Wonder Woman have been waiting for over a decade to see her on the big screen. A litany of superhero films have come and gone in that time, with several of these films spawning sequels and franchises that are among the most successful in film history. Since 2001, when Wonder Woman first went into development, over 35 superhero films have been released, with nary a tiara or bullet-deflecting bracelet in sight. With the recent boom of female driven entertainment on television, viewers have shown that projects centered on female characters can not only succeed but thrive, and recent summer blockbuster seasons have proven that superheroes have never been more popular or more profitable. Nearly a dozen more superhero films are slated for release in the next two years, and still Wonder Woman remains without a script, director, or release date. What is even more maddening is that there is simply no good reason for this to happen. Sure, the excuses are piling up, but each and every one of them has been found to be without merit. Wonder Woman is one of the most iconic superheroes in history, and whatever the reason for Wonder Womanʼs delay, itʼs time for the excuses to stop. For over a decade, Wonder Woman fans have been asking, “Why No Wonder Woman?” Well, the time for asking is over. Now is the time to demand, “We Want Wonder Woman!” and we want her NOW.


REFERENCES Azzarello, Brian, Cliff Chiang, and Tony Akins. Wonder Woman: Volume 1 - Blood. New York: DC Comics, 2012. Azzarello, Brian, Cliff Chiang, and Tony Akins. Wonder Woman: Volume 2 - Guts. New York: DC Comics, 2012. Fleisher, Michael L. The Original Encyclopedia of Comic Book Heroes. Volume Two - Wonder Woman. New York: DC Comics, 2007. Marston, William Moulton. The Wonder Woman Chronicles - Volume One. St-‐Romuald: World Colour Press, Inc., 2010. Straczynski, J. Michael. Wonder Woman: Odyssey – Volume One. New York: DC Comics, 2011. Straczynski, J. Michael. Wonder Woman: Odyssey – Volume Two. New York: DC Comics, 2012. Wonder Woman: The Greatest Stories Ever Told. New York: DC Comics, 2007. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wonder_Woman http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6417196.html http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2625303/top_ten_wonder_woman_villains_pg2.html?cat=38 http://www.the-numbers.com/movies/2009/0WW09-DVD.php http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=2591


http://blastr.com/2010/06/x-men-producer-begs-dc-co.php?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter http://www.2snaps.tv/9812993 http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,1562057,00.html http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20049318,00.html http://www.avclub.com/articles/joss-whedon,14136/ http://www.slashfilm.com/a-look-at-what-joss-whedons-wonder-woman-might-have-looked-like/ http://culturemob.com/blog/joss-whedons-wonder-woman-killed-by-studio-guys http://whedonesque.com/comments/12385 http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/thewondieroom/news/?a=13184 http://insidetv.ew.com/2011/01/21/wonder-woman-project-finds-a-home-at-nbc/ http://www.huffingtonpost.com/scott-mendelson/why-wonder-woman-belongs_b_817905.html http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2011-02-02/wonder-woman-a-sneak-peak-at-david-e-kelleys-script/ http://www.bleedingcool.com/2011/02/02/dc-women-kicking-ass-on-wonder-woman-tv-pilot-script/ http://www.comicsalliance.com/2011/01/13/wonder-woman-mac-makeup/


http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20447419,00.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_American_superhero_films http://www.rottentomatoes.com/ http://boxofficemojo.com/ http://www2.warnerbros.com/web/wbsf/index.jsp?section=geninfo&subsection=history http://www.warnerbros.com/#/page=company-info/the_studio/wb_overview/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warner_Bros. http://www.timewarner.com/our-company/corporate-governance/ http://www.dccomics.com/dccomics/about/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marvel_Comics http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/10/business/media/10warner.html http://dcu.blog.dccomics.com/2009/09/09/warner-bros-creates-dc-entertainment/ http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/scifimediazone/news/?a=27580 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0451279/ http://www.wnky.net/news/entertainment/?feed=bim&id=116528293 http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/Jamedog/news/?a=30247


http://www.batman-on-film.com/script-review_wonderwoman_jett_2007.html http://www.theepicnetwork.com/adrianne-palicki-is-wonder-woman-script-however-sucks/ http://www.comicsalliance.com/2011/02/08/wonder-woman-tv-show-pilot-david-kelley/ http://insidetv.ew.com/2011/05/15/nbc-wonder-woman/ http://www.slashfilm.com/warner-wants-wonder-woman-script-joss-whedon-cries/ http://popwatch.ew.com/2011/02/19/finally-some-girls-in-pop-culture-with-grit/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Publication_history_of_Wonder_Woman http://forums.comicbookresources.com/archive/index.php/t-362009.html http://insidetv.ew.com/2011/03/18/wonder-woman-adrianne-palicki-photo/ http://insidetv.ew.com/2011/03/30/wonder-woman-costume-change/ http://popwatch.ew.com/2011/05/13/wonder-woman-nbc-david-e-kelley/ http://ifanboy.com/articles/review-wonder-woman-pilot/ http://comicbookmovie.com/fansites/spideydude/news/?a=42544 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5XF_m2Hcjc


http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2011/05/12/harrys-law-parenthood-renewed-by-nbc-wonder-woman-apparently-nixed/92429/ http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/aug/01/dc-comics-women-writers-creators http://www.scpr.org/programs/patt-morrison/2011/11/18/21464/wonder-woman-we-love-her-so-why-doesnt-hollywood-s http://herocomplex.latimes.com/2011/11/04/wonder-woman-at-70-dcs-icon-gets-new-origin-but-still-no-film/ http://www.newsarama.com/comics/agent-of-style-wonder-woman-111028.html http://www.usatoday.com/life/comics/story/2011-11-14/Wonder-Woman-gets-a-new-origin-story-in-comic-series/51198256/1 http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Justice-League-Movie-Gets-Life-Warner-Bros-31272.html http://insidetv.ew.com/2012/09/06/wonder-woman-origin-series-cw/ http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Wonder-Woman-Movie-Moving-Forward-With-Green-Lantern-Screenwriter-31280.html http://www.tvequals.com/2012/10/17/thank-you-for-arrow-now-where-is-wonder-woman/ http://www.bleedingcool.com/2011/09/21/wednesday-comics-review-batman-wonder-woman-legion-of-superheroes-supergirl-nightwing-birds-of-prey-captain-atom-catwoman-green-lantern-corps-dc-universe-presents-blue-beetle-red-hood-and/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+BleedingCool+%28Bleeding+Cool+Comic+News+%26+Rumors%29 http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/dec/28/women-comic-book-sexism


http://litreactor.com/columns/getting-superheroines-right?fb_action_ids=10151038092476875&fb_action_types=og.likes&fb_source=other_multiline http://litreactor.com/columns/does-marvel-need-to-pull-a-dc-comics-52-relaunch http://insidepulse.com/2012/10/21/review-wonder-woman-13-by-brian-azzarello-and-tony-akins/ http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/film-review-wonder-women-386369 http://wonderwomendoc.com/ http://filmdrunk.uproxx.com/2007/10/wb-still-hates-chicks-wonder-woman http://badassdigest.com/2013/02/07/justice-league-may-be-looking-for-new-writers/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Warner_Bros._films#2000s http://www.deadline.com/2007/10/warners-robinoff-gets-in-catfight-with-girls/ http://www.deadline.com/2007/10/the-reality-behind-jeff-robinovs-denial/ http://insidemovies.ew.com/2013/04/11/man-of-steel-dc-comics-superhero-movies/


*This report was pulled from publicly available information gathered on the Internet and Wonder Womanʼs publications. We did our best to accurately represent facts as they were presented in their original format. We apologize for any unintentional inaccuracies. This was a labor of love and should be read as such. Jacki and Laura (two friends, cousins, feminists, and film lovers) For more information on Jacki, please visit: www.jackizehner.com https://www.facebook.com/jacki.zehner?fref=ts https://twitter.com/JackiZehner @jackizehner For more information on Laura, please visit: www.worththeticket.com https://www.facebook.com/pages/Worth-The-Ticket/293469147344826 https://twitter.com/worththeticket @worththeticket

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Wonder Woman Report - Jacki Zehner · books. Instead, when I was a little girl I used to watch the television show starring Lynda Carter, ... full of wonder women, is THE Wonder Woman