CW's Wonder Woman in Development

[doctorD]

Boom! Wonder Woman may be coming back to TV after all, but not in the way we've been used to seeing her on film. Barely a year after NBC opted against moving forward with David E. Kelley's reworking of the comic book icon, and just as the character is hooking up with the Man of Steel in the comics, Vulture hears that the CW, Warner Bros. TV, and DC Comics have found a new way to revive the legend of Diana of Themyscira. The plan this time: origin story, all the way.


Our sources say the new take on the comic book crime fighter is being written by Allan Heinberg (Grey's Anatomy, The O.C.) under the working title Amazon. Unlike past TV incarnations, it will focus on Wonder Woman as a young, budding superhero, rather than a fully formed defender of liberty. (Think Smallville, but instead of a "no tights, no flights" rule, this show might have a "no bracelets, no crown" mandate.) Heinberg seems a logical candidate for the job: His resume includes work on the kinds of soapy dramas the CW favors as well as comic-geek street cred (he wrote the Young Avengers comic book series back in 2005).


It should be noted that CW is only developing a script at this point; no pilot production has been greenlit or even contractually guaranteed. (The network, along with WBTV and D.C., declined comment) But if a pilot is filmed, and a show gets ordered, it will be a major accomplishment for WBTV and D.C., since rebooting WW (outside of animation) has proven challenging in the three decades since the campy Wonder Woman TV series wrapped its three-year run on ABC and CBS in 1979. Most recently, there was the aforementioned Kelley take. It was pitched to various networks in the fall of 2010, apparently rejected by broadcasters, but then picked up by NBC in early 2011. After Kelley turned in his pilot, however, the Peacock made the decision to not move forward with a series. Likewise, Joss Whedon had long been attached to a film take on Wonder Woman. That never came to fruition, either, and Whedon is now busy with another comic franchise these days.


But Warners (which owns D.C.) seems determined. This past June, Variety reported, almost as an afterthought, that writer Michael Goldenberg was developing a new feature film centered around the Wonder Woman character. No details of that project have emerged and it's unclear if D.C. would proceed with a film revival if Amazon moved forward. (It's worth noting that Warners launched Superman Returns in theaters even as the origins-centric WB series Smallville continued on TV). If Amazon ultimately takes off, however, CW does seem the right environment for bringing back Wonder Woman: The network has a long history of successful sci-fi/superhero shows (it aired the last few seasons of WB import Smallville; Arrow launches this season) and its female-centric lineup seems a natural home for one of pop culture's leading feminist icons. As long as there's not a campy World War II subplot or any mention of Wonder Woman dolls, we're interested to see what develops.

Vulture
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[Elandyll]

The Beverly Hills 90210 version of Wonder Woman, set on the Amazon Island?



"- And like, she said my bracelets looked like white trash, so I totally smashed her face in the central Column, right next to the statue of Athena. And then, like, while spitting her teeth, Steve walked by, like -TOTALLY- god mode, and he SMILED to meeeeeeee!
- No way!
- Way! And like, he winked at me, so I kinda licked my lips to him and he TOTALLY blushed.
- Ur serious?
- Totally. It's SO happening, but I know he also kinda lik3 that other stupid Amazon, Artemis.
- She is kinda hot though.
- Mmmh. Yeah, but she is, like, a total slut.
Oh, gotta go Mala, the monster of the week is here!!!"

[KilloWertz]

Just because it'll be on The CW doesn't mean it will be like that. They have Nikita and that is far from that.

[HDMe]

Even if it was like that... that still sounds better than what I heard about the NBC failed pilot!

[kernel_thai]

They be better off using Arrow as a model than Smallville. I dont mind them going young if it means we'll be seeing her on Themyscira. If they plan to have her young and in the real world, Im less interested. Didnt JMS try that with the previous iteration of the comic?

[lazystoner]

If Warner Bros has any lick of intelligence, they'll cast Bridget Regan.

[Forever Knight]

Please let the broad who is Jared Padalicki's (from Supernatural)'s wife be WW. I'd lick it.

[THE USER]

I hope this series rocks

[Groge511]

Sounds good! About time we had another kick-ass female lead on TV. I think going down the Smallville route of her origin is a much better idea. I really hope it gets greenlit

[doctorD]

It looks like they may be calling the show "Amazon". The lead character's name is "Iris" Here is some new info on the show:

New details have emerged for the joint production of Amazon, a Wonder Woman origin series from The CW, Warner Bros. TV and DC Comics. When we first reported on the pilot, it was in the early development stage, with a previous live-action Wonder Woman TV series failing just the year before. Now, with the success of The CW’s Green Arrow series, Arrow, it’s looking more likely that a young Amazonian princess will find her way to television. Warner Bros. TV has reportedly hired a casting director in search of someone to play the lead role, as they are anticipating a pilot pickup. Written by Allan Heinberg, Amazon is a fish-out-of-water series that has has shades of Tarzan as it centers on a young Amazonian named Iris who learns to develop her superpowers. Hit the jump for much more.

The following breakdown of the role of Iris comes via Deadline:

“She comes from a remote, secluded country and until now has spent most of her life as a soldier and a leader on the battlefield. Because of relentless brutality of her life at home, Iris looks at our world with absolute awe and astonishment. She’s delighted *and just as often horrified * by the aspects of everyday life that we take for granted: skyscrapers, traffic, ice cream.

It’s all new and fascinating and sometimes slightly troubling * to her. Iris is completely unschooled in our world, our culture, our customs. And she’s completely inexperienced at interpersonal relationships. She has no social filter, does not suffer fools, and tends to do and say exactly what’s on her mind at all times. She’s bluntly, refreshingly honest. She can tell when you’re lying to her. And she doesn’t have time or patience for politics or tact because she’s too busy trying to experience everything our world has to offer. There are too many sights to see * and things to learn * and people to care for. Hers is a true, noble, and generous heart. And she will fight and die for the people she loves. Iris is a fierce warrior with the innocent heart of a romantic * and she will fight to the death to make the world safe for innocents and true romantics everywhere.”

This is potentially a huge role for a young actress out there, as the Smallville stars can attest to, as can breakout Arrow star, Stephen Amell. While the script is still being honed for the pilot, the casting search will commence concurrently. Shine up those bracelets and refresh those lasso skills!

Apparently, fans were up in arms about the character lead "Iris" and the writer provided an update indicating it is really "Diana"...they just didn't want to draw attention Um...well that didn't work.

UPDATE: No reason for panic, Wonder Woman fans. While the warrior princess character is listed on the breakdown as Iris, not Diana, I’ve confirmed that, as writer Allan Heinberg hinted on Twitter after I posted the story, that is just a code name the producers used to avoid attention. So much for that…

Source

[HDMe]

I'm guessing the casting call for "Iris" was done to help keep details of the show under wraps... they often cast shows and characters under false names to help them keep things quiet until they are ready to announce.

It didn't work in this case, obviously.