LATEST NEWS

Rumor: Beyoncé Wants Wonder Woman; Warner Brothers Wants McG

by Kevin Powers
November 10, 2008
Source: Hero Complex, IESB

While other comic properties continue to take off, the prospect of a Wonder Woman film continues to stay grounded. While we've reported tidbits over the years, this past week saw an odd surge in Paradise Island rumors. First came Beyoncé telling Geoff Boucher at Hero Complex that she wants "to do a superhero movie and what would be better than Wonder Woman?" Then, IESB reported that a little bird at Warner Brothers said McG was the prime name for director being talked about around the water cooler. I'm all for movement around Wonder Woman - because, really, it's about time a superheroine film rocked the box office - but I wouldn't call all of this good news exactly. McG, yes. Beyoncé, no.

First, Beyoncé may be near superhuman when it comes to singing, but she falls dramatically short when it comes to acting. She's certainly not out-and-out terrible (e.g. Dreamgirls), but I can only envision another Catwoman fiasco if she were to headline a Wonder Woman film. Not only that, Jay-Z's wife seems only interested in what the film might do for her, not what she could do for the iconic story. Beyoncé seems enamored by the success of The Dark Knight and Iron Man and wants to diversify her career considering her latest two films will be dramatic ones. She said, "after doing these roles that were so emotional I was thinking to myself, 'OK, I need to be a superhero.' Although, when you think about the psychology of the heroes in the films these days, they are still a lot of work, of course, and emotional. But there's also an action element that I would enjoy." She goes on to say, "And it would be a very bold choice. A black Wonder Woman would be a powerful thing. It's time for that, right?" Given other references I've run across as of late, it sounds like she's invoking Obama's presidency as partial reason for her suitability, no?

The surprisingly positive news is that McG might be under consideration as the film's director. I never thought I would mention the guy in such a likable context seeing as how skeptical I've been of his involvement with Terminator Salvation; but it seems he might be earning some respect nowadays. Rumor has it that Salvation is actually looking to be a solid execution, so for right now I don't have anything against McG taking on Wonder Woman. I do worry that he might turn it into another Charlie's Angels, which actually might then be a good fit for Beyoncé - all bubblegum action and gloss. If McG does become a real contender for the job, let's hope he channels some of the gritty realism we've glimpsed in Salvation.

So if we can swallow McG being director, but hurl at the idea of Beyoncé wielding the Lasso of Truth, who do we want for the right lead? The name Megan Fox has been floating around a lot recently. I'm split on that possibility. She definitely has the looks, but at 5'5" she's a touch short. I still think Jessica Beil could be a solid pick. Kate Beckinsale might have been interesting, too, but she seems to have hung up her spandex since withdrawing from the Underworld series. And I'm a huge fan of Jennifer Garner, but I doubt she'll ever get out of the cloud that is 2005's Elecktra. So who do you want for Princess Diana?

Tweet Pin It

Related categories: Movie News, Opinions, Rumors