PREFACE:
I am by no means a comic book scholar. Pretty much all the knowledge I have of both Wonder Woman and comics in general is second hand(Thank you MovieBob's The Big Picture) or by interpretation of watching the movies or other things pertaining to the comic. So I apologize for any inconsistencies with existing mythos or misunderstandings of the comic.
THESIS:
BUT! I still think DC needs some major retooling or reworking if they ever hope to make worthwhile superhero movie, or even keep their comic book business alive. So even though this may be a retooling of an existing, and MAJOR, character, I think it could have a net gain instead of a loss. What I propose could check several boxes that I think DC needs to hit in order to not only make a good movie, but also make one that stands out from the crowd. Not to mention that this retooling could tap into a massive, but underappreciated demographic.
THE PITCH:
Wonder Woman's origin has always been as an Amazon, right? Now I'm pretty sure it used to be that she came from an island or something, but the retooling would actually put her in the Amazon rainforest, right on the river. No, she would not be some tribal woman. She and the Amazons would pull the whole "secret civilization" schtick and live out in the jungle in a highly civilized... city that's either remained hidden from the world, or concealed via magic/tech/plot/whatever. It's the Amazon rainforest, it already has a reputation for being giant and mostly unexplored, so it could work. More importantly, this gives rise to the major major setting of the movie: Brazil. Rio de Janeiro. Sao Paulo.
Wonder Woman would now, instead of being another white woman, a Brazilian woman. Failing that, she could be generically latin. Whatever the case, she's now dark-skinned and not-american.
This is generally the extent of my pitch so far. But it shouldn't be too hard to come up with a villain or villain group to fight, or a reason to fight. Personally, I'd shy away from any "they're killing the rainforest" angle because that would be too much considering everything else going on in the movie.
THE REASONING:
Look, DC needs something to stand out from other superhero movies, especially Marvel. With this movie, they can hit a glaring weak spot in Marvel movies, and action movies in general. TWO weak spots actually. 1.) A female superhero in the lead, and 2.)A non-white superhero in the lead. That's TWO big bonuses that could in their favor if they can leverage it correctly. The female angle is a no-brainer, but the latin angle is the big one. That's a market that needs attention considering that it's quickly becoming the majority in America, and I'm sure it would look good overseas.
The retooling of her origin may be massive, but I think this would go over better than retools because this one comes with story and plot to back it up instead of just some race swap out of nowhere. Amazon = Amazon rainforest, duh. Plus, that's no reason to change how the Amazons worked in the comics, I believe. They had a Greek aesthetic, right? They can keep that. They can still be all women. Perhaps you can mix in some vaguely Mayan/Incan architecture in there too to really hammer home the change. As a side note, the women of the Amazons can be of all races and you wouldn't really need to explain that cause hey comic books.
Now this taking place in Brazil is a MAJOR point of this pitch. Lets start with WW now being a Brazilian woman. First of all, Brazilian woman tend to have a reputation as being insanely beautiful. But they also tend to be fairly tall and physically fit. That fits WW actually being physically imposing while also being feminine.
Brazil also has a substantial amount of culture that would be a boon to this movie. We're all sick of movies taking place in the same couple of place(New York, Los Angeles, San Fran...), so for a big movie to take place in a new, unfamiliar place could garner some attention. Brazil also has many many recognizable landmarks and cities, perfect for set piece moments. A fight on/near the giant statue of Christ the Redeemer? A chase through the favelas? A superpowered fight through the jungle/waterfalls/river/mountains/cliffs?
But there's also one other thing that could REALLY add some flavor that no other country can give: CARNIVAL! Think about it! A giant party is perfect for crowd scenes, giant panning shots, adding flair to the general area, lots of sound and color. It's perfect. Plus, it would kind of explain her costume. I mean, anything WW would wear would probably be the MOST conservative costume there, and no one would think otherwise! And even more set piece moments! A final fight during the fireworks? Perhaps an elaborate chase scene during the float parade?
MISC:
The Samba is a Brazilian dance style. It's rhythmic and sensual, but also surprisingly physically demanding. Perhaps a scene with WW(Played by, I propose Zoe Saldana) shows her dancing the Samba. Yeah, it could play to the male gaze and stuff, but I think it would establish that she's not only feminine but she also has the physical prowess to do that kind of thing. Maybe she could beat up a couple of thugs immediately afterward.
If I remember correctly, the Amazons had a queen or something, and she's the one who sent out WW into the world. Right? I propose that this queen be played by Sigourney Weaver. Sure she's white, but I already said that the Amazons are multiracial anyway. Anyway, Weaver carries not only the clout of being a tough woman in movies, but she carries herself very well. She's imposing without physically being so. She's just very confident and commanding. Perfect for that position.
Brazil is a growing economic force on the international scene, and I'm pretty sure they'd LOVE to have a big budget American movie shot in their cities. Especially with the Olympics coming up.
I'm pretty sure this is better than anything DC has in the tube right now.
I am by no means a comic book scholar. Pretty much all the knowledge I have of both Wonder Woman and comics in general is second hand(Thank you MovieBob's The Big Picture) or by interpretation of watching the movies or other things pertaining to the comic. So I apologize for any inconsistencies with existing mythos or misunderstandings of the comic.
THESIS:
BUT! I still think DC needs some major retooling or reworking if they ever hope to make worthwhile superhero movie, or even keep their comic book business alive. So even though this may be a retooling of an existing, and MAJOR, character, I think it could have a net gain instead of a loss. What I propose could check several boxes that I think DC needs to hit in order to not only make a good movie, but also make one that stands out from the crowd. Not to mention that this retooling could tap into a massive, but underappreciated demographic.
THE PITCH:
Wonder Woman's origin has always been as an Amazon, right? Now I'm pretty sure it used to be that she came from an island or something, but the retooling would actually put her in the Amazon rainforest, right on the river. No, she would not be some tribal woman. She and the Amazons would pull the whole "secret civilization" schtick and live out in the jungle in a highly civilized... city that's either remained hidden from the world, or concealed via magic/tech/plot/whatever. It's the Amazon rainforest, it already has a reputation for being giant and mostly unexplored, so it could work. More importantly, this gives rise to the major major setting of the movie: Brazil. Rio de Janeiro. Sao Paulo.
Wonder Woman would now, instead of being another white woman, a Brazilian woman. Failing that, she could be generically latin. Whatever the case, she's now dark-skinned and not-american.
This is generally the extent of my pitch so far. But it shouldn't be too hard to come up with a villain or villain group to fight, or a reason to fight. Personally, I'd shy away from any "they're killing the rainforest" angle because that would be too much considering everything else going on in the movie.
THE REASONING:
Look, DC needs something to stand out from other superhero movies, especially Marvel. With this movie, they can hit a glaring weak spot in Marvel movies, and action movies in general. TWO weak spots actually. 1.) A female superhero in the lead, and 2.)A non-white superhero in the lead. That's TWO big bonuses that could in their favor if they can leverage it correctly. The female angle is a no-brainer, but the latin angle is the big one. That's a market that needs attention considering that it's quickly becoming the majority in America, and I'm sure it would look good overseas.
The retooling of her origin may be massive, but I think this would go over better than retools because this one comes with story and plot to back it up instead of just some race swap out of nowhere. Amazon = Amazon rainforest, duh. Plus, that's no reason to change how the Amazons worked in the comics, I believe. They had a Greek aesthetic, right? They can keep that. They can still be all women. Perhaps you can mix in some vaguely Mayan/Incan architecture in there too to really hammer home the change. As a side note, the women of the Amazons can be of all races and you wouldn't really need to explain that cause hey comic books.
Now this taking place in Brazil is a MAJOR point of this pitch. Lets start with WW now being a Brazilian woman. First of all, Brazilian woman tend to have a reputation as being insanely beautiful. But they also tend to be fairly tall and physically fit. That fits WW actually being physically imposing while also being feminine.
Brazil also has a substantial amount of culture that would be a boon to this movie. We're all sick of movies taking place in the same couple of place(New York, Los Angeles, San Fran...), so for a big movie to take place in a new, unfamiliar place could garner some attention. Brazil also has many many recognizable landmarks and cities, perfect for set piece moments. A fight on/near the giant statue of Christ the Redeemer? A chase through the favelas? A superpowered fight through the jungle/waterfalls/river/mountains/cliffs?
But there's also one other thing that could REALLY add some flavor that no other country can give: CARNIVAL! Think about it! A giant party is perfect for crowd scenes, giant panning shots, adding flair to the general area, lots of sound and color. It's perfect. Plus, it would kind of explain her costume. I mean, anything WW would wear would probably be the MOST conservative costume there, and no one would think otherwise! And even more set piece moments! A final fight during the fireworks? Perhaps an elaborate chase scene during the float parade?
MISC:
The Samba is a Brazilian dance style. It's rhythmic and sensual, but also surprisingly physically demanding. Perhaps a scene with WW(Played by, I propose Zoe Saldana) shows her dancing the Samba. Yeah, it could play to the male gaze and stuff, but I think it would establish that she's not only feminine but she also has the physical prowess to do that kind of thing. Maybe she could beat up a couple of thugs immediately afterward.
If I remember correctly, the Amazons had a queen or something, and she's the one who sent out WW into the world. Right? I propose that this queen be played by Sigourney Weaver. Sure she's white, but I already said that the Amazons are multiracial anyway. Anyway, Weaver carries not only the clout of being a tough woman in movies, but she carries herself very well. She's imposing without physically being so. She's just very confident and commanding. Perfect for that position.
Brazil is a growing economic force on the international scene, and I'm pretty sure they'd LOVE to have a big budget American movie shot in their cities. Especially with the Olympics coming up.
I'm pretty sure this is better than anything DC has in the tube right now.
