Uber producer Joel Silver has already expressed his desire to bring Wonder Woman to the big screen, but if he succeeds, who should play Wonder Woman? A couple of names come immediately to mind that could (literally) fill out the role like they were born to it, but a lack of name recognition may mean they’re left off the casting couch. One of the biggest criteria with casting the right Wonder Woman is the body — the actress simply has to be tall enough, and with enough muscle mass, to make the role work, so in that respect, someone like 4-foot-something Rachel Bilson would be out of the question.
There are no directors, no script, and nothing has been set in stone, but Silver has said many times that he wants to get a Wonder Woman movie made, and he uses his pursuit of getting the Speed Racer movie made as evidence that what Joel Silver wants, Joel Silver gets. Eventually.
So with that in mind, here are our suggestions on five women who we think should at least be given a shot at auditioning for Wonder Woman in the upcoming movie. What do all these women have in common? For one, they’re very easy on the eyes, but more importantly, they all have street cred with the fanboys, and as we all know, there’s nothing “streetier” than comic book reading fanboys.
Charisma Carpenter
Famous roles: Angel and Buffy The Vampire Slayer TV Shows
Why she should be Wonder Woman: Just look at her. She’s got the body for it.
Why she might not get the role: Name recognition. Or lack thereof. Unless the director is a big name, the stars have to pick up the slack. See “Speed Racer” — big name directors, small name actors.
Famke Janssen
Famous roles: “X-Men” Franchise
Why she should be Wonder Woman: She’s already proven her mettle playing a badass comic book character, and she’s got the strong, chiseled face (not necessarily a good thing for a woman, but in this case, it works for her) necessary to be an Amazonian Princess who can kick some serious ass. Add her to a semi-famous director, and you have a pretty good core.
Why she might not get the role: She’s in her ’40s. And unless Joel Silver wants to do a single, standalone movie (or replace her when the inevitable sequels get announced), she won’t be able to stay with the franchise, and that’s not a good thing for a comic book property.
Ali Larter
Famous roles: Heroes TV Show
Why she should be Wonder Woman: Dye that hair and she’s Wonder Woman. Plus, she’s still young enough to carry a franchise, and will bring all the Heroes fans with her to the movie theaters. Strike while the iron (Heroes) is still hot, Joel!
Why she might not get the role: You would need a really, really good director with a more household name to carry most of the load; Heroes is popular, but it’s also an ensemble show, and Ali Larter’s character hasn’t exactly been featured like, say, Hayden Panettiere’s.
Yvonne Strahovski
Famous roles: Chuck TV show
Why she should be Wonder Woman: She plays a badass Government agent who has to protect the show’s lead, which invariably involves her beating up guys and wearing different outfits to hide her identity. Basically, she’s Wonder Woman, she just doesn’t have the lasso and tiara yet.
Why she might not get the role: Yvonne Strahovski? Who is Yvonne Strahovski? Exactly.
Kelly Hu
Famous roles: “X2: X-Men United”, “The Scorpion King”
Why she should be Wonder Woman: She’s a beauty queen turned actress who has since become known for her character’s ability to beat people up and look good while doing it. Plus, did I mention she’s a former beauty queen, and would just kill in that bustier?
Why she might not get the role: Hollywood has no problems giving black actresses traditionally white roles, but seems less open-minded about Asian actresses doing traditionally white roles. For shame, Hollywood, for shame.
So who else do you think can pull off the Wonder Woman role?
