Though we’ve heard rumors to this effect, it’s now official. Deadline reports that Israeli model/actress Gal Godot has been cast as the first actress to play Diana Prince in a live-action feature.
“Wonder Woman is arguably one of the most powerful female characters of all time and a fan favorite in the DC Universe,” said director Zack Snyder. “Not only is Gal an amazing actress, but she also has that magical quality that makes her perfect for the role. We look forward to audiences discovering Gal in the first feature film incarnation of this beloved character.”
Godot certainly has the look for the role, and I’m sure she’s thrilled for another chance to look pretty in an action-filled role after departing the Fast & Furious franchise. Additionally, Wonder Woman doesn’t have a huge legacy of memorable onscreen performances for Godot to try and stack up against. Linda Carter’s reign was over before the target demographic was born, after all, and I’m sure we’d all rather pretend that Adrienne Palicki’s attempt never happened.
On the other hand, it must be asked how crowded this “Superman vs. Batman” film is going to be. Either one of those characters could (and were) enough to sustain a whole series of movies, and slamming them together in one movie was ambitious enough. And now DC/WB is trying to shoehorn the entire Big Three into one film?
The Superman/Batman conflict makes sense, since they’re both forces who fight for good in opposing ways (human vs. alien, gadgets vs. superpowers, fear vs. hope, etc.). Put the two of them against each other and it’s going to be amazing. So where does Diana fit in? Hell, since Clark Kent seems to be the first superhuman in this new DC film continuity, how could Wonder Woman’s presence even be explained without throwing the whole story off track?
I look forward to hearing the comic book crowd throw out some ideas as to how this could all fit together. I also look forward to the inevitable flame war over this new casting choice.