Wonder Woman Director Was Nervous About World War I Setting

Diana of Themyscira is set to make an impact in theaters everywhere.



The DC Comics icon will star in her first major motion picture when Wonder Woman debuts in theaters this Friday, culminating in years of handwork from director Patty Jenkins and the titular star Gal Gadot.

And though the highly anticipated has earned rave reviews, making it one of the highest-rated superhero movies on Rotten Tomatoes before it even releases, there are some significant changes made to the character for the sake of the movie going audience.

Jenkins had been campaigning to make this film ever since her Academy Award-winning movie Monster put her on the map. And after the character debuted in Zack Snyder’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Jenkins was finally selected for the opportunity to tell Diana’s origin story.

But that tale has been altered for the screen.

Though Snyder and DC Films mastermind Geoff Johns had their hands in the story, it was screenwriter Allan Heinberg (who has also written a few Wonder Woman comics) who changed this significant portion of the character’s journey from being the Princess of Themyscira to becoming Wonder Woman.

Changing The Story

The Wonder Woman character’s debut is rooted in World War II, but Heinberg decided to set the film even further in the past during the first Great War.

“We are in a very WWI world today with nationalism and how it would take very little to start a global conflict,” Heinberg said to Entertainment Weekly. “[World War I was] the first time we had an automated war … The machine gun was a new invention. Gas was used for the first time. New horrors were unleashed every day.”

But Jenkins was a little wary about altering creator William Moulton Marston’s own origin for the character.

“At first, I questioned it because it wasn’t her actual origin story, but very quickly I saw the genius behind it,” she said.

“World War I is the first time that civilization as we know it was finding its roots, but it’s not something that we really know the history of,” Jenkins said. “Even the way that it was unclear who was in the right of WWI is a really interesting parallel to this time. Then you take a god with a moral compass and a moral belief system, and you drop them into this world, there are questions about women’s rights, about a mechanized war where you don’t see who you are killing. It’s such a cool time.”

The Original Origin

Wonder Woman originally debuted in 1941 in the pages of All Star Comics. Created by Marston and artist Harry G. Peter, with contributions from Elizabeth Marston and Olivia Byrne.

The character was originally conceived with strong feminist influences and was created to be a symbol of strength for women.

The character’s original origin story has mostly stuck through the ages. She was crafted out of clay on the island paradise called Themyscria by Queen Hippolyta. The queen prayed to the gods for a daughter and her sculpture was brought to life by the goddess Aphrodite.

When the United States intelligence officer Steve Trevor crashes on Themyscira, Wonder Woman accompanies him back to the regular world which is embroiled in the second World War.

She then pledges to fight the Nazis and end the war, even joining up with the Justice Society of America, going on to become a crime fighter.

The movie’s changes to her origin do not directly contradict any aspect of her story. It’s actually pretty interesting to see it set in the first Great War instead of World War II, because then there’s more story in her reaction when the world descends into chaos yet again.

Wonder Woman

Before she was Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot), she was Diana, Princess of the Amazons, trained to be an unconquerable warrior. Raised on a sheltered island paradise, Diana meets an American pilot (Chris Pine) who tells her about the massive conflict that’s raging in the outside world. Convinced that she can stop the threat, Diana leaves her home for the first time. Fighting alongside men in a war to end all wars, she finally discovers her full powers and true destiny.

Wonder Woman is directed by Patty Jenkins, from a screenplay by Allan Heinberg & Geoff Johns, story by Heinberg & Zack Snyder and Jason Fuchs, and stars Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Connie Nielsen, Robin Wright, Danny Huston, Elena Anaya, Lucy Davis, Saïd Taghmaoui, Ewen Bremner and David Thewlis.

Wonder Woman opens in theaters June 2, 2017.

MORE WONDER WOMAN NEWS: Gal Gadot On How Wonder Woman Feeds Into Her Justice League Role / Wonder Woman Director Addresses Criticism Of “Skimpy, Sexy Outfit”/ Director On Diana Versus Other Superheroes / Wonder Woman Artist Reveals What He Loves About The Movie