Wonder Woman Director On Fighting Through Gender Issues
Wonder Woman's time on the big screen is almost here, and the journey there has been an eventful one. That includes battling through outdated mindsets about what a female hero can be.
Wonder Woman director Patty Jenkins recently spoke to Total Film about the change in attitude towards a female superhero, and why it took so long in the first place. "I think there's been a lag in catching up to where feminism has gone. It's taken a long time before a woman who can fight can actually be treated like a universal character. I think there was a lot of fear associated with Wonder Woman. People were like, 'How can a woman fight? How can a woman be sexy and be violent at the same time?'" I think it's finally time we can just stop talking about that aspect of it and she can just be a universal character Many other universal female protagonists are showing up on screen where they're the main character, not a 'woman' main character."
It's a stigma that Wonder Woman has fought for many years, even in the comics. For Wonder Woman actress Gal Gadot, the age of the female superhero has been a long time coming. "It's about time we showed the story of a female superhero. It's not pushing for feminism. And what I mean by that is, no one comes and preaches about equality and how come women are not allowed to vote or be in a congress room...it's not about that. It's about the perspective of Diana, coming from an island where everybody has the same rights. When she comes to this 'man's world' she finds it very odd that women don't get treated the same way. Because for her, gender is a non-issue."
Before she was Wonder Woman, she was Diana, princess of the Amazons, trained to be an unconquerable warrior. Raised on a sheltered island paradise, when an American pilot crashes on their shores and tells of a massive conflict raging in the outside world, Diana leaves her home, convinced she can stop the threat. Fighting alongside man in a war to end all wars, Diana will discover her full powers…and her true destiny.
Wonder Woman is directed by Patty Jenkins and is written by Allan Heinberg, Geoff Johns, and Zack Snyder. The film stars Gal Gadot (Diana Prince/Wonder Woman), Chris Pine (Steve Trevor), Robin Wright (General Antiope), Connie Nielsen (Queen Hippolyta), David Thewlis, Elena Anaya, Lucy Davis (Etta Candy), Danny Huston, Ewen Bremmer, Doutzen Kroes, Samantha Jo (Euboea), Florence Kasumba (Senator Acantha), Said Taghmaoui, Eleanor Matsuura (Epione), Emily Carey (Young Diana), and Lisa Loven Kongsli (Menalippe).
The DCEU continues with Wonder Woman opens in theaters on June 2, 2017, followed by Justice League on November 17, 2017; Aquaman on July 27, 2018; Shazam on April 5, 2019; Justice League 2 on June 14, 2019; Cyborg on April 3, 2020; and Green Lantern Corps on July 24, 2020. The Flash, The Batman, Dark Universe and Man of Steel 2 are currently without a release dates.
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