I Wonder... Women?

[eumelia]

Joss Whedon is no longer doing Wonder Woman and Warner Brother have bought a new script.

*sigh*

Not being a huge reader of Wonder Woman I can't say I'm feeling too crushed by all this, not like I was when I discovered that Bryan Singer decided to direct "Superman Returns" (a travesty, IMO) instead of "X-Men: United" (which was full of, well, other bad, bad things).

So Joss had an idea about a movie that the studios didn't agree with... are these people aware that this man has one of the largest (if not the largest) following in fandom, he's created most popular show of the last decade and a successful spin off, he's writing and wrote for major comic book titles... did I mention he has a huge following?!
I'd think that be keeping a man of that fannish stature would serve in the interests of these huge studios, specifically when said man is known for writing female heroines.
I must say that Joss' Emma Frost is "Astonishing X-Men" is the only Emma I ever liked and no, I do not follow blindly in the light of Joss, I'm not a zombie, the same way I don't follow blindly in the light of Neil, I have a critical mind and as readers of mine know, I'm very critical of a great many things including the creators I admire.

That being said, I have to say I find it odd, do they thing Joss changed the character too much (wouldn't be the first time, it's called adaptation), do they think the demographics of the movie goers will be compromised (which I can see happen since Joss' following consists majorly of women of various ages) and that the people (a majority if men) won't flock to see Wonder Woman like they did for Spiderman, X-Men, Batman, Superman, etc.

Yes, I can see how that would come into consideration (even if only in my warped up, socially conscious mind).

I will be going to see the movie in any event, I can't pass up for a comic book flick, but I'll probably, again, be one of the few girls to be going on my own, or dragging someone else and not be dragged as most of the other girls I know first started going to see comic book movies.

Comments

[gonzo21.livejournal.com]

That third x-men film really was wretched.

[eumelia.livejournal.com]

I mean, Jean Grey, the Phoenix... it was... just... sorry I'm getting weepy here.

[gonzo21.livejournal.com]

The first two x-men films I forgave a lot for, because so much of them was Setting Things Up, but then the third one came along, and totally abandoned everything that had been set up in the first two, thus rendering them utterly worthless too.

It was a train wreck. Just. An absolute lowest common denominator train wreck.

Still. Not the worst superhero movie of recent years. The fantastic four still holds that particular crown.

[aesiron.livejournal.com]

You obviously have not seen Elektra.

[gonzo21.livejournal.com]

Actually... *looks shifty* I quite liked the Elektra movie.

*hangs head in shame*

It's just very slashy though! And the wrong kind of bad slash, which makes me happiest.

[aesiron.livejournal.com]

Dude.

If you weren't such an otherwise awesome person, I might seriously consider unfriending you over that but I guess everyone has their shameful secrets. Mine is a completely unironic appreciation for Garth Brooks, the Monkees, and a number of songs off William Shatner's most recent album.

[gonzo21.livejournal.com]

The Monkees were genius, I have, odd memories of doing the monkees walk and singing very loudly in an old stone monument above the ancient port town of Oban on the west coast of Scotland, while locals looked on strangely.

[aesiron.livejournal.com]

Wow. This was a really late reply. :p

[gonzo21.livejournal.com]

Dude, I have LJ comments going back 4 years that one of these days I keep meaning to get around to answering. :)

[aesiron.livejournal.com]

I think you're overanalyzing and it's just as likely that he just didn't appeal to their vision of the adaptation. Remember, as much as we love him, he's still pretty niche and a cult (and critical) favorite. All three of his television series were cancelled and his most recent movie was a financial flop and this is obviously going to be marketed as a summer blockbuster if or when it's ever produced.

That said, I am disappointed (but not particularly surprised) since Joss writing the movie was the selling point of the movie for me. I'm not into Wonder Woman at all ('cause she's DC and I have a deep and irrational distaste for their universe of superheroes :p) but I imagine I will wind up going because, like you, I can't pass up a comic book superhero flick. I might even "drag along" a friend although I doubt she'll actually put up any kind of fight.

Also, what gonzo_21 said.

[eumelia.livejournal.com]

Okay... so I may be a bit of a zombie :)

Are you going to be seeing "300"? Or as I've dubbed it "Look at all the Penises flying in the wind".
That's just from the trailers.

[aesiron.livejournal.com]

Even though I honestly thought it was a video game commerical the first time I saw the trailer, it does appeal to the comic book, history, and epic film nerd in me so I'll probably wind up going.

[eumelia.livejournal.com]

Um, you are aware that the only accurate thing in that graphic novels are maybe the names and time frame.

If you're really interested the battle of Thermopile, then I recommend the book Gates of Fire by Steven Pressfiled (http://www.amazon.com/Gates-Fire-Novel-Battle-Thermopylae/dp/0553580531/sr=8-1/qid=1170603106/ref=pd_bbs_1/105-1009076-3651610?ie=UTF8&s=books). If they were going to make the movie according to this I'd be standing in line the first day.

I found "300" really abhorrent, especially the history geek in me. It was especially homophobic, it was almost overt is stating that the Spartan men didn't sleep with each other (which is the other thing they're known for, other than being, ya know, Spartan).

[aesiron.livejournal.com]

Well, yes. Neither Braveheart nor Rob Roy were particularly historically accurate either but I still enjoy them for what they are. I watch Hollywood historical epics for entertainment -- their period settings just add to my enjoyment -- and read actual histories for the history. :p

[eumelia.livejournal.com]

No, Rob Roy, Braveheart and one of my faves Michael Collins are based on actual people and events that were, one can only hope, researched and then adapted to the screen.

Frank Miller took the story and mutilated it. Gates of Fire, reminded me of I, Claudius. Really good historical fiction. 300 was eviscerated historical fiction.

[aesiron.livejournal.com]

Based on real people, yes, but still fairly divergent. I can't speak fully for Rob Roy but Braveheart came out when I was in middle school or high school and there were lots of reports written on it and the inaccuracies were not few.

I'm looking forward to Pathfinder (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pathfinder_(film)) which I imagine is even less historically accurate than 300. I just like that kind of film. :p

[gonzo21.livejournal.com]

Oh dear me, no, rob roy and braveheart, Braveheart in particular, very very bad history. Not history at all.

[thecityofdis.livejournal.com]

Buffy wasn't cancelled; SMG decided to end her involvement in it, and after that, well. You kind of have to end without your title character.

Unless you're referring to the WB kicking it off the air after Season 5, in which case yeah, okay.

[aesiron.livejournal.com]

I was.

[thelana.livejournal.com]

Anybody know what exactly it was that Joss was suggesting and that the studio didn't want?

I'm actually a big Wonderwoman fan and while I rather enjoyed Buffy, I was never that convinced that Wonderwoman and Joss were that good of a match. Wonderwoman and DC are just... very iconic. Joss usually writes more realistic and personable characters and I'm not convinced that that would be the right approach for this particular character or universe.

from meta...

[joe-sweden.livejournal.com]

thelana, you're right - DC characters have a mythic angle to them, and Joss is the great unpicker of myths. Monkey see archetype, monkey overturn (monkey in an affectionate way, I love monkeys long time). He's more Marvel really, with the focus on personal relationships and a more sceptical view of destiny. I can imagine him making a spiderman film more than a DC film...unless he did a bizarro one. That would WROK. Or, actually, Supergirl or powergirl, two of the most deconstructed DC heroes.

[puritybrown.livejournal.com]

(Here via metafandom.)

What a lot of fans often lose sight of is... huh, how can I put this without being horribly blunt... when it comes to television and movies, Mr Big in the corner office, the studio exec who makes the decisions, doesn't give a damn about the fans. By definition, the fans are the ones who care passionately -- and that's never going to be a big enough audience to sustain a TV or movie production. Comics or books can be sustained by a fan audience (and frequently are), but movies and TV are too expensive. They need to appeal to a mass audience which includes casual viewers channel-surfing or wandering in off the street. Whatever you think about X3 (and yes, I do think it was a bit rubbish), it did better at the box-office than the first two X-films -- and a hell of a lot better than Serenity, which had nothing but a passionate fan following going for it.

From the point of view of a studio exec, what movies has Whedon done? Alien: Resurrection, the original Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Serenity... not exactly a shining catalogue. To fans he has a Midas touch because of his wit and his skill at characterisation, but to a studio exec he's proved his ability to create movies that flop. They were willing to take him on because of his television work, but they weren't going to give him too long a leash (quite apart from the fact that no writer gets a long leash in Hollywood).

[lifeofresearch.livejournal.com]

For your continued study I have recommended almost any book by Karen Armstrong. She is a great thinker like as you. Another book I read a few years back is another recommendation. That one is "The Alphabet Versus the Goddess" by Leonard Shlain. To agree or disagree with your ideas is pointless I only praise your quest for understanding. The distance makes this impossible but I would love to spend hours discussing this topic with you for our mutual benefit and understanding. In short I respect your mind.