DC Extended Universe: Everything We Know So Far About Wonder Woman

Last week, Warner Bros. / DC gave us a taste of films to come with their DC Films Presents: The Dawn of the Justice League special.  We got lots of great footage from the upcoming Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Suicide Squad movies.  However, the one film that everyone is talking about is Wonder Woman.  In the recap, I did promise that Wonder Woman’s mention in the special warranted an article all by itself.  Well, here it is and this is what we know so far about Wonder Woman …

Wonder Woman Will Be 5,000 Years Old

Up till now, not much has been known about the first solo outing of the Goddess of Truth.  The television special changed all that with exclusive footage and scenes of the Amazon fighting and in her Diana Prince disguise.

Then, early this week, in a leaked interview with Zack Snyder from the March 2016 issue of Empire Magazine, the director revealed that Wonder Woman will be 5,000 years old and that her insertion into the overall DC Extended Universe was only natural.

"It was incredibly organic how Wonder Woman came into the story … The whole concept came of, ‘Let’s not save anything. Let’s try it all.’ Then Wonder Woman’s entrance made us realise we were much closer to the Justice League than we thought. We realised we were one movie away … Because she’s seen it all, she has seen what humans can do, so it was very hard for her to come back and fight … They have the same attitude. Although when she is Diana she tries to blend in, she is not too outgoing. I don’t want people to think she is perfect. She can be naughty … Her sexuality is part of her power, but she is also a feminist icon. Gender has been a hot topic, so it is very timely to bring her back. The way we have approached it, especially in the stand alone ovie, that is definitely there. Looking back and doing an origin story – and it is a period piece – see the role of women through history. There is a great source of humour in that now. It is so unbelievable you can’t even fathom it. You are still making a statement, but having some fun with it."

Queen Hippolyta Will Appear

Danish actress Connie Nielsen has been cast as Hippolyta — Queen of the Amazons and, most importantly, mother of Princess Diana, Wonder Woman.  Created by William Moulton Marston and Harry G. Peter, Hippolyta (initially spelled as “Hippolyte” until the 1960s) made her first appearance in All Star Comics #8 (December 1941).

As the mother of Princess Diana, who would later become Wonder Woman, Hippolyta is Queen of the Amazons and leads her warriors on Paradise Island, which is now presently known as Themyscira.  The character’s history and origins are as rich as any well-known DC character and has gone through many retcons and changes throughout the years since her debut.

Connie Nielsen will be the fifth actress to portray a live-action incarnation of the character.  The first live-action incarnation of Hippolyta appeared in the 1974 television movie Wonder Woman starring Cathy Lee Crosby in the title role.  Here, Hippolyta, known as Queen Hippolyte in the movie, was played by Charlene Holt.  The next three live-action incarnations of Hippolyta appeared in the 1975 Wonder Woman television series which starred Lynda Carter in the title role.  Here, the role of Queen Hippolyta was played by three different actresses in various episodes throughout the series run: Cloris Leachman, Carolyn Jones, and Beatrice Straight.

Wonder Woman’s Film Logo Has Been Revealed

The logo was originally leaked via merchandising for the film.  In early January 2016, Warner Bros. / DC officially revealed the logo to fans.

Production Details

Wonder Woman will be filming under the title Nightingale.  Some are speculating that this name is a reference to a DC super villain with the alias Seiji Kato who made his first appearance in Wonder Woman #317 (July 1984).  In the 1970s Wonder Woman starring Lynda Carter, a version of Nightingale, played by Joel Fabiana, also appeared.  Then again, the best speculation could simply be that the name is a reference to Florence Nightingale — the founder of modern nursing during the Crimean War.  That theory makes much more sense due to Wonder Woman being not only a warrior, but a healer and an intellectual.

As for the filming locations, Wonder Woman will be shooting in Basilicata, Italy and the United Kingdom.  The film is said to take place during World War I, which makes Basilicata’s landscape and architecture the perfect backdrop.

With all that great scenery, the film will definitely need someone to capture every bit of beauty.  That’s why Hoyte Van Hoytema has been chosen as the director of photographer.  Those not familiar with his name will only need to look at his recent resume which includes The Flight (2012), Her (2013), Interstellar (2014), and the upcoming James Bond installment Spectre (2015).

Potential Villains and Their Goals

Wonder Woman will face off with Circe first, but the one pulling the strings will be Ares, God of War.  Here are the details:

• The film will primarily take place in modern day with flashbacks to several time periods.  In a key scene during the film, Wonder Woman will also explain to Steve Trevor how she defeated Ares during World War I.
• The main villain will be Circe, an evil sorcerer, but she’ll be controlled by Ares, God of War.  Throughout the film, she’ll be using her powers to blast Wonder Woman and turn men into beasts.  In the final act, Circe will transform into a giant Chimera.
• Ares draws his power from death and destruction.  To him, the more carnage the better.
• After Ares discovers the existence of a powerful sword locked and hidden away in Themyscira, he recruits Circe to insight World War III for the purposes of gaining enough psychic energy to unlock the sword.  Ares will also momentarily come into play during some key battle scenes and send bat-like demon creatures — as seen in the animated Wonder Woman (2009) — to keep Wonder Woman busy while Circe finds a way to start World War III.
• With the sword, Ares will become the most powerful god in the universe and be able to defeat Zeus, King of the Gods, himself and conquer Olympus.
• During certain Wonder Woman battle scenes, Batman may be watching — either from a distance or from his surveillance computer.  This will lead him to approach Wonder Woman — something that will happen before the events of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.
• By the end of Wonder Woman, the sword will have mysteriously disappeared.  This will lead Wonder Woman to search for it in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.

That’s it!  If there’s more breaking news about Wonder Woman, you can be sure that Bam Smack Pow will be on top of it and bringing you the latest and greatest from the DC Extended Universe.  So, visit us often!

Wonder Woman has a release date of June 23, 2017.  It will be produced by Zack Snyder and Deborah Snyder with Charles Roven and Richard Suckle of Atlas Entertainment, directed by Patty Jenkins, written by Jason Fuchs, and stars Gal Gadot as Diana Prince / Wonder Woman, Chris Pine as Steve Trevor, Connie Nielsen as Hippolyta, and Robin Wright, Danny Huston, David Thewlis, Ewen Bremner, Saïd Taghmaoui, Lucy Davis, and Elena Anaya in undisclosed roles.

Fans can get their first look at Wonder Woman in the DC Extended Universe when she makes her silver screen debut in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice which has a United States release date of March 25, 2016.