Casting Wonder Woman for James Gunn’s DCU: 8 Actresses Who Could Replace Gal Gadot

Given Superman‘s smash success, it’s safe to say that James Gunn’s DCU is off to a strong start. Even though solo Supergirl and Clayface movies are set to release next year, fans are already clamoring for more iconic DC heroes on the big screen. One of the most popular? Wonder Woman, especially since Gunn has confirmed both a film about the Amazon warrior and a series about her homeland of Themyscira are currently in the works. With director Patty Jenkins and actor Gal Gadot not making the leap into the rebooted DCU, the career-making role of Diana Prince is up for grabs.

Here are our top eight picks for who could best fill Diana’s boots on screen.

8) Adria Arjona

The Star Wars: Andor star has swiftly emerged as the frontrunner to take up the mantle of Wonder Woman, with James Gunn himself going so far as to say that Arjona “would make a great Wonder Woman.” She’s actually worked with Gunn before in The Belko Experiment, and her supporting roles in action films like Triple Frontier and Pacific Rim: Uprising, along with the hit series Andor, have perfectly positioned Arjona for a starring role in the DCU.

7) Alexandria Daddario

Not only is Daddario a dead ringer for the more classic look for Diana, she has the resume to match. Daddario first shot to fame in Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief and her roles in films like Baywatch and San Andreas mean she’s no stranger to big-budget productions and physically demanding roles. Plus, as the star of the AMC series The Mayfair Witches, Daddario’s proven she’s more than capable of carrying a project.

6) Melissa Barrera

Though Barrera is best known for her work in the horror space, headlining the recent Scream films and Abigail, Barrera’s demonstrated her range in musical projects like In the Heights and Carmen. Therefore, even though she may not have much action on her resume, Barrera has the look for Diana and has proven herself a versatile enough actor who could take on the challenge that playing Wonder Woman would provide. Especially since casting an actor with a musical theater background as Superman seemed to work out pretty darn well.

5) May Calamawy

Calamawy made history over in the Marvel Cinematic Universe on their series Moon Knight as the Scarlet Scarab, the first female Arab superhero on screen. We’d love to see her do the same in the DCU, since she shown she can handle the nonstop action of a superhero project. Calamawy radiated a quiet, compelling intensity in Moon Knight that, if channeled as Wonder Woman, could provide an engaging, entertaining contrast to David Corenswet’s unabashedly earnest Superman.

4) Elizabeth Debicki

Australian actor Elizabeth Debicki has much working in her favor when it comes to playing Wonder Woman in the DCU. She’s already worked with James Gunn in the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy, where Debicki is nearly unrecognizable as the Sovereign high priestess Ayesha. Plus, she’s already played another worldwide famous princess, Princess Diana of Wales, on the highly acclaimed series The Crown. Standing at 6’1″, Debicki wouldn’t be dwarfed by Corenswet and the award-winning actress has an innate warmth that would complement his Superman well.

3) Cailee Spaeny

After leading last summer’s sci-fi horror hit Alien: Romulus, we’re dying for another kick-ass action role for Cailee Spaeny. In addition to looking like she could be a relative of the OG Wonder Woman, Lynda Carter, Spaeny has also put in the reps in action films like Romulus and Pacific Rim: Uprising, which would allow her to handle a role like Wonder Woman with ease.

2) Sophie Thatcher

Thatcher’s star has been on the rise lately with her roles in Yellowjackets and Companion, and it feels like she’s one project away from international stardom. The youngest on this list, she could be a great choice for Gunn if he’s looking for a Diana to grow along with the emerging DCU. Thatcher could also add an interesting bit of edge and grunge to Wonder Woman that we’ve yet to see on the big screen, and unlike Superman, she wouldn’t need to defend her “punk rock-ness.”

1) Alicia Vikander

Vikander is no stranger to playing an iconic action hero. She got into impressive shape to play Lara Croft in 2018’s Tomb Raider and the Oscar winner undoubtedly has the acting chops to play the Amazonian princess. Though she’s no stranger to action and sci-fi — who can forget her star-making turn as Ava in Ex Machina — it’s Vikander’s propensity for period dramas like Firebrand and The Danish Girl that makes us think she could bring a unique sense of grace and gravitas to Diana on screen.

Who do you think should play Wonder Woman in the DCU? Let us know in the comments!

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