Wonder who the new Woman is?

As a kid, I was a hardcore fan of Linda Carter’s iconic TV version of Wonder Woman. Even though the show was pretty campy at times, she played the role with grace and dignity. To depict being both strong and sexy is not an easy one for modern day heroines which is probably why it’s so rare to see a successful version on the big screen. After the failed WB series Birds of Prey and the even bigger failure of the Catwoman movie, we have all learned our lesson and appreciate Carter even more. After numerous attempts and false starts, it looks like Wonder Woman will finally fly again. While we all thought she would emerge in a theatrical form, it looks like she is returning to her roots as a new TV series. After a dozen actresses were connected to this project, Adrienne Palicki finally won the coveted role as the Amazon princess. Palicki’s most notable role has been the main bad girls on high school drama Friday Night Lights. She was in the dreadful angel movie with Paul Bettany called Legion but that movie is not worth the ink of this post. David E Kelley of Ally McBeal is the driving force behind the series. Kelley is also the master mind behind Boston Legal and the most recent Harry’s Law. It is reported that this new version of Wonder Woman will be a high power exec of corporation by day and a costumed vigilante by night. Online fans are already groaning what they are reading and have nicknamed this ‘Ally McWonder Woman’.

Looks like they will be departing from cannon and not sure if it will include her home island, the Justice League, or her role as traditional heroine. While this makes me worried, I am open for a reboot of the story. To me, Wonder Woman is too valuable of a character to just sit on the bench in this golden age of TV and movie heroes. Smallville was a pretty big departure- while far from perfect, it still managed to entertain when at it’s best. As a fan, to me it comes down to creative characters, compelling story telling, and the costume….oh the costume. It’s been rumored that the newest, modernized version of the costume has been to prepare the way for a potential TV show/movie. In this version, WW has traded in her patriotic swimsuit for a pair of black tights and a half jacket. More practical yes, more appealing, no. In my opinion, if the suit was good enough for Cater, its good enough for Palicki. As much as I would love to believe in a creative coordination between the comic book and TV universe, I am doubtful that is what happened. It was probably more of a coincidence. In either case, if Kelley can create a great looking Wonder Woman, both powerful and sexy, then much of the battle will be won. However, my biggest fear is that if this fails, so will any potential big screen incarnation. That is truly where Wonder Woman belongs. Palicki is also an interesting casting choice. While she has donned many looks over the years, she is a natural blonde. I know you can always dye hair, but I have always pictured someone with the power brunette locks like Jennifer Connelly or Monica Bellucci. I’ll wait to pass judgment until I see her- Hopefully we’ll get a little sneak peak at this year’s Comic Con.

Regardless of my personal bias, my hope is that this new Woman will just be Wonderful, even if it’s Ally McWonder Woman. Palicki has big boots to fill (that was tricky to say) and I hope she can help usher in a new era of female heroines on both TV and film. What are your thoughts- skeptical or excited?