One of the undeniable highlights of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice was Gal Gadot’s turn as Wonder Woman. While the character didn’t have a huge role in Zack Snyder’s superhero smackdown, she made a strong first impression, and audiences were immediately eager to see her lead her own film with Wonder Woman. Indeed, next summer Warner Bros. will bring us the first female-led superhero film of the post-Iron Man era, and judging by the film’s incredible first trailer and its promising World War I setting, audiences are in for quite a treat.
As Warner Bros. was developing Wonder Woman, there was much speculation about who the studio might get to direct. Female filmmakers, by and large, are not given the opportunity to helm major blockbuster movies, so the prospect of WB signing a woman director to helm the first big screen iteration of Wonder Woman was a big deal. Breaking Bad alum Michelle MacLaren was the first director signed, but she left the project due to creative differences. Shortly thereafter, Patty Jenkins—the director behind the Charlize Theron film Monster who at one point was set to direct Thor 2—took the helm, and she spearheaded the production that wrapped earlier this year.
Gadot, fresh off wrapping her starring turn in Justice League, recently spoke a bit about what fans can expect from Wonder Woman with Variety, and when asked if it was important to have a female director at the helm, the actress acknowledged the vital female perspective Jenkins brought to the project while also stressing that she was the right person for the job regardless of gender:
“I don’t think it’s a gender kind of thing. Maybe because we’re telling a story of a girl growing up and becoming a woman, it’s easier for it to be told by someone who was once a girl and became a woman. I feel like Patty Jenkins was the right person for the movie because she was the right person for the movie. She knew exactly how she wanted to tell her story. She knew exactly what she wanted to get. She’s brilliant and smart and so passionate.”
Story-wise, Gadot said that Jenkins’ vision for the film involves keeping the fantastical story of Wonder Woman simple:
“For her it was very important to not just portray her as a goddess, but to tell a very simple story of someone who believes in good and believes that people should be happy and lead safe, happy lives. We cared a lot about simplifying Wonder Woman’s agenda, because it is simple. It was her heart that we cared about, not her being this warrior. When you tell a story from the heart, all of us can relate, because all of us want to live in a safe, quiet, and peaceful world.”
Additionally, as Wonder Woman comics writer Greg Rucka recently asserted that given the character’s upbringing on an island of exclusively women it’s safe to assume that she’s queer, Gadot was asked for her thoughts on the character’s sexuality:
“It’s not something we’ve explored [in the film]. It never came to the table, but when you talk theoretically about all the women on Themyscira and how many years she was there, then what he said makes sense. In this movie she does not experience any bisexual relationships. But it’s not about that. She’s a woman who loves people for who they are. She can be bisexual. She loves people for their hearts.”
Gadot clearly has a strong handle on this character (especially after playing it in three back-to-back movies), and it’s nice to hear her so thoughtfully answer these kinds of questions. Playing a character as important to the culture and young women across the world comes with a serious amount of baggage, and thus far, Gadot has carried the Diane Prince torch perfectly.
Who else can’t wait until the film’s June 2, 2017 release date?
