I forsee this going very far.

[beoweasel]

I posted this in noscansdaily back on livejournal, but given I just got an account here on Dreamwidth, I figured that it should be mentioned here too.

Hopping around the Internet, I've come across some information concerning the new Wonder Woman television series that NBC wants to produce. Chiefly, the audition tape of Tanit Phoenix doing a speaking roll of Diana, and a review of the pilot script.

It's...well, after I read through both articles, I had to slam my head against a wall to get the stupid out.

I guess we should start with one of the more egregious lines. In one scene, Diana laments about the merchandise her company, Themyscyra Enterprises, is releasing of her hero persona, Wonder Woman, and that it makes her feel inadequate about her cup size. Yes, you read that right, Wonder Woman is complaining that her her boobs are too small. Now, I suppose you could see that line as something of an indictment on society, that a beautiful woman is left feeling insecure about her body thanks to said society's impossibly high standards regarding female attractiveness, BUT IT'S COMING FROM WONDER WOMAN.

And then, it gets better as later we see Diana cries in heartbreak over Steve Trevor. Wondie's break up with Steve, her inability to get back to Themyscyra (as it's an alternate dimension, apparently, nice way of writing that out of the plot.) leaves her devastated, and the only cure for this depression is an ice-cream filled slumber party

Soo, lemme get this straight, the woman who, in the comics, did this:


and this:


Is left in such despair by the loss of her boyfriend, that her only way to console herself is by drowning her sorrows in a tub of ice cream? And yeah, I could easily see Wonder Woman conflicted and depressed from being unable to return to Themyscyra, but I don't see her using fucking ice-cream as a coping mechanism.

There's a lot more to this mess beyond that, which you can read here. Including multiple Side-kicks and brightly-colored jets.
http://io9.com/#!5763604/wonder-woman-audition-tape-reveals-diana-prince-obsesses-about-her-breasts-being-too-small
http://www.comicsalliance.com/2011/02/08/wonder-woman-tv-show-pilot-david-kelley/

But I think the worst thing about it, beyond rampant character mutilation, is that the producers have no idea what they're doing with the intellectual property they've been given. Everything about the Woman Woman series reeks of Marketing decisions, a bunch of ideas lifted from other popular franchises (Superman, Batman, and Iron-Man) and cobbled together in some kind of Frankensteinian mess.

Comments

[runespoor]

It's a girl.

...And this is a bad thing why? I get your intent was to complain about the portrayal of 'stereotypical femininity', but that was a poor way of phrasing it.

[zenbro]

Because Wonder Woman is not Wonder Girl?

[lucky_gamble]

I meant that the way the script portrayed her (the constant almost crying, the boob thing, the slumber party), it shows someone who took a dip in the teen angst pool. A far cry from the Wonder Woman from the comics. Cassie (wonder girl) on the other hand, could be seen doing this. She's a teen after all.

Maybe this new spin on the Wondy franchise, someone more vulnerable and easy going for the mainstream, could work and the more i wonder the more i see myself warming up to the idea. I'll likely see it since hey its wonder woman! Just wish they didn't have to tone down the warrior (androgynous) aspect of her so much. But those are adaptations for you.

[radioactivepiss]

Nah, for me it's not to do with femininity, it's age. Wonder WOMAN is one of not that numerous female characters in comics, to me, who comes across as mature and wise in the way Diana does. To emphasise her youth is a waste, and stereotypical in its own way, because women always need to be cute young things, amirite?