'Wonder Woman' casting rumors heat up; Plus our actress odds
Posted Friday, April 14, 2006 at 2:45 PM Central
by Tim Briscoe
Every brunette in Hollywood seems to be rumored to don the bullet-repelling bracelets of Wonder Woman. A film based on the DC Comics character is being put together by mega-producer Joel Silver for Warner Bros.
Let's quickly run through just a few of the names mentioned during the past year or so of Wonder Woman casting speculation: Sandra Bullock. Kate Beckinsale. Catherine Zeta-Jones. Michelle Monaghan. Jessica Biel. Monica Bellucci. Evangeline Lilly. Jennifer Connelly. Eliza Dushku. Alexa Davalos. Mischa Barton. Katie Holmes. Katherine Heigl. Lindsay Lohan. Rachel McAdams. Whew!
The film is in the capable hands of writer-director Joss Whedon. Whedon knows a thing or two about powerful leading ladies. Just look at his first claim to fame, Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Many of the casting rumors look to a Whedon connection for their choice. Buffy/Angel and Veronica Mars (a fave of Joss') star Charisma Carpenter is one of the candidates discussed. Also mentioned, in a teasing sort of way by Whedon himself, is Firefly/Serenity (another one of Joss' creations) star Morena Baccarin. Hell, even Buffy herself Sarah Michelle Gellar has been mentioned for the part.
Since Warner Bros. is the one putting the big money up for the film, they have the biggest say, it seems. And if their investment in an unknown Brandon Routh pays off for the upcoming Superman Returns, they may do the same for WW. MovieHole.net recently mentioned that daytime TV soap actress Nadia Bjorlin is in contention. This 5'8" beauty from "Days of Our Lives" definitely has the stature and killer looks (check out those haunting eyes) for the role.
What do the fans say? The Whedon fans seem to be pulling either for Carpenter or Baccarin. The current poll on SuperHeroHype.com has Charisma in the lead. Similarly, Friday's daily poll on IMDb.com has Kate Beckinsale favored. But take that one with a grain of salt since film site JoBlo.com cooked up her hiring as a April Fool's Day joke.
We'd like to throw our own candidate into the ring with Missy Peregrym. She's the star of the upcoming gymnastics flick Stick It so she definitely has the athletic ability for the superhero part.
Here are our odds for who will earn the keys to the invisible jet:
- Jessica Biel, 3-1 - Definitely has the sex appeal and star status. Plus she kicked butt in Blade Trinity. Apparently she's also Joel Silver's favorite.
- Michelle Monaghan, 5-1 - Tom Cruise's Mission: Impossible III co-star would be an excellent candidate. We can definitely see her swinging that magic lasso.
- Nadia Bjorlin, 6-1 - They could cast an unknown TV soap star but then again she could be the next Matthew Bomer (see what I mean).
- Morena Baccarin, 8-1 - If Whedon really is pulling for her, she could make a play for the Amazon role as another unknown.
- Katherine Heigl, 9-1 - She's great on Grey's Anatomy but she's hard to picture as a brunette, but we thought the same thing about Kate Bosworth as Lois Lane.
- Kate Beckinsale, 10-1 - Though she's proved she's tough enough with the two Underworld films and Van Helsing, we doubt a Brit will get this all-American role, accent or not.
- Charisma Carpenter, 12-1 - She's got the Whedon connection and commanding beauty but alas she's a little too old. They're definitely going to skew this a little younger, just like Superman.
- Jennifer Connelly, Sandra Bullock, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Monica Bellucci, 20-1 - We don't mean to be ageist again, but they are too old. They would've each been perfect 10 years ago.
- Mischa Barton, 25-1 - Sorry, Mischa. We just don't think you have the acting chops to pull off this one. That is, unless this WW is an O.C. socialite.
- Katie Holmes, 30-1 - It seems her relationship with Tom Cruise isn't doing anything to help her career. Plus, she's just too cute for the rugged role. (We'll always know her as Joey.) Mention to mention that she was just in another DC Comics film.
- Lindsay Lohan or Rachel McAdams, 50-1 - Yeah, right. They're just "names."
- Lynda Carter, 100-1 - Although it would be great if she got a cameo nod in the movie!