Wonder Woman Production Art Room: What We Learned

One of the absolute highlights of any set visit for a comic book movie is when you get to go to the production room. Concept art lines the walls, oftentimes props and maquettes are set up, and there’s just an absolute assault of information coming at you from every direction.

The set of Wonder Woman was no different, as this glorious room full of art and props was the first stop ComicBook and other press made when we arrived at WB Studios London last winter.

While we don’t have the concept art itself, using screenshots from the trailers we can give you some idea of what it was we saw, what each section was titled, and what was revealed about the story from that art work.

Click start slideshow to learn more, and be warned, there are some minor spoilers ahead.

Themyscira

There was concept art of Themyscira, along with a giant scale model of the island taking up most of the table at the center of the room. The concept art featured a beautiful island paradise. Caves in the cliff walls, a massive beach, an arena for training, stables, and the throne room were all pointed out.

Queen Hippolyta’s symbol was found throughout, a coiling design found on her throne, on her weaponry, and even on the sword that she wields and Diana later steals on her way off the island to man’s world. This is where it all begins.

Diana’s Lessons

We’ll see a young Diana growing up, and the warrior spirit inside her awakening. “She wants to train like all of her aunts on the island and all of her sisters, her Amazon family,” we were told by a WB representative. “She’s watching there, and wanting to train. Her mother tries to stop her because her mother knows that her destiny is to fight this ultimate battle. She tries to protect her daughter, and wants her to be educated and go to school and not worry about training.”

But her aunt Antiope understands that Diana needs to learn to fight and trains her in secret until Hippolyta eventually agrees she needs to be made “unconquerable.” The training is where we’ll first discover that Diana is in fact a demigod, with powers beyond those of the average Amazon.

Beach Battle

When Steve Trevor first crash lands on Themyscira, he is quickly followed by the German navy, using the hole he breached on accident in their protective magic shell. A massive fight between the invading Germans and the Amazon warriors ensues, and it looks like the Amazons are outmatched, thanks to their use of archaic weaponry compared to the guns the Germans are wielding.

And indeed, it looks like the Germans are going to be triumphant, until Hippolyta enters the fray. We’ll forego the more spoiler-filled description of that moment here, suffice to say it should be pretty fun.

Steve Tells the Amazons of the War Abroad

The Amazons take Steve Trevor to interrogate him about how and why he’s on their island – the first man ever to step foot there, after all. He won’t talk – until the lasso of truth is used, causing him to describe the events of WWI and the villains he’s up against.

Diana instantly wants to help – Hippolyta and the rest of the Amazons, not so much.

The Departure

When Hippolyta says the Amazons aren’t helping Steve and Man’s world, Diana takes things into her own hands, literally. She steals a sword, shield, the lasso of truth, and the WW armor including the gauntlets from the armory, and the go to escape. Again, foregoing some additional spoiler-y details, but she leaves and next…

Welcome to Man’s World

London, 1918. It’s a lot of culture shock, as Diana, in Wonder Woman armor and carrying ancient weapons, sticks out like a sore thumb. Makeover from Etta Candy time (as seen in the trailer’s final scene). We get parallels of being out of place, like Steve did.

Meet the Team

After once again going to an authority figure (this time a military leader) and being pushed away, Steve and Diana go to recruit people he’s close to: Chief, Sameer, and Charlie, to be their teammates. Here’s how WB described them:

“Sameer is sort of this flirtatious, charming master of disguise, speaks multiple languages. The Chief is an opportunist and a tradesman. He trades with both sides, but he knows how to get people across the front lines. Charlie, he’s this heavy drinking sharp shooter who’s had a tour of duty already and has post-traumatic stress.”

Their mission? You know, head to the front line and kill Ares, the God of War. Their actual use in the movie, though, is to teach Wonder Woman new aspects of humanity.

Journey to War

This is the moment from the new image we saw. In order to get to the town of Veld where their intel says the enemies (including Ares) are, they have to cross No Man’s Land. It’s Diana’s big reveal moment, and you can read all the details here.

More Wonder Woman

 

Wonder Woman hits movie theaters around the world next summer when Gal Gadot returns as the title character in the epic action-adventure from director Patty Jenkins. 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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