Wonder Woman fans have heard this drum beat countless times-- the pros and cons of finally making a major motion picture for the Amazing Amazon. The movie site HitFix has come down on the negative side with their recent list, 10 Superheroes who really don't need their own movie...
Wonder Woman When Warner Bros. turns down drafts that are as faithfully rendered as the Laeta Kalogridis draft and the Joss Whedon draft, it's time to admit that they are too scared of the overall iconography of Wonder Woman to ever successfully turn her into a standalone franchise hero. This is not a case of no one ever writing the right script. They've done that several times now. This is a case of a mythology that is inherent to the character that Warner Bros. simply can't imagine supporting a series. Wonder Woman has historically had a hard time in the comic market supporting her own title as well, and while she is definitely one of the most iconic and recognizable of DC's creations, it seems like the most successful versions are almost always defined by who she's with and how she fits into a team. We don't think it's impossible to make a good Wonder Woman movie, but if Warner is uncomfortable with everything that defines who she is and where she came from, then it's better they not make one at all than make one that redefines her so completely that she's no longer really Wonder Woman. -Drew McWeeny
The notoriously fickle and arbitrary producer Joel Silver (see: Kevin Smith's experiences scripting some drafts of Superman Returns,) the guy who was in charge of developing a Wonder Woman feature, was the guy who turned Joss Whedon down. That was also years ago, back when Whedon was a guy with some cult television and lots of cancellations under his belt. It was also back in the days when studio heads were swearing to never offer female leads in action vehicles again, even though they proceeded to do just that and turn a profit. Warner Brothers have failed at DC Comics adaptations for years, and still haven't figured out how to do it with anyone besides Batman while Marvel Studios make them look like fools. In a world where dreck like a Clash of the Titans remake can earn money, there's no need to fear a true Wonder Woman adaptation. The problem is that this is a studio that can't figure out Superman, that belly-flopped on Green Lantern and who still think a Lobo film should be a priority. When FOX demonstrates a firmer grasp on super-hero movies than your studio, it's time to get busy on the firing and hiring fronts. For instance, niche or no, when given a choice between the creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer or the creator of Ally McBeal to translate Wonder Woman to the screen, don't pick David E. Kelly.Superheroes who really don't need their own movie
- Aquaman @ Justice League Detroit
- Martian Manhunter @ The Idol-Head of Diabolu
2 comments:
Wow, seven out of ten on that list are DC characters. What a shock HitFix has about as little faith in DC heroes scoring at the box office as Warner Bros. does. I guess when Marvel Studios can generate fan excitement from offhand remarks about a Shang-Chi movie, the creator of this list would have to scramble for Marvel properties to scrutinize (Power Pack could be a great CGI kids film, by the way).
Yeah, I was scratching my head over Power Pack, as well. On the other hand, Howard the Duck really doesn't need a second chance at cinema. Nothing about the Son of Satan makes him very marketable. I really hate all the crappy useless proxies like Red Hulk, USAgent, Thor Girl, Scarlet Spider, etc. etc. ad nauseum. I really don't see the point of over the hill fad characters like Iron Fist and Dazzler remaining in comics, much less jumping to film. Captain Mar-Vell was always a bore, which is why he's been so successful at remaining dead. I could go on, but the point's made.
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