Wonder Woman Movie: Where’s her Audience?
by Larson Hill

This week we’ve heard more buzz about the always-talked-about Wonder Woman movie, which has never gotten off the ground. Reports surfaced that Transformers actress Megan Fox has been mentioned online about being the perfect candidate to portray Wonder Woman while pop diva turned actress Beyonce has also thrown her hat into the ring. As well, there have been rumors speculating that Warner Bros, might be circling Terminator Salvation director McG to helm the possible big screen project. Still, we’ve heard a ton of Wonder Woman buzz before only with different names. Every year or two, the buzz surrounding a Wonder Woman big screen adaptation kicks into gear only to stall each time. Will we ever see Wonder Woman on the big screen? Probably. But the more the off-again, on-again project gets talked about, the more I "wonder" where the audience is for DC’s super heroine.

How much big screen potential does Wonder Woman have as compared to the sea of new super hero movies we’ll be seeing in the next few years, including the sequels for Iron Man and The Dark Knight? The funny this is, a lot of fans were asking the same question about Iron Man. But still, the more I think about a Wonder Woman movie, I wonder whether it could even keep pace with Iron Man or Hulk in box office receipts. I’m not saying it couldn’t, but in a day and age in which Wonder Woman’s true audience is either a select niche group of fans or now past its prime, it looks like it could be more of a challenge than just the cool thought of a Wonder Woman movie.

Wonder Woman’s Success:

There’s no debating whether Wonder Woman has been a successful property over the past 60 years or whether she’s a pop-culture icon. Over the decades, Wonder Woman has been a symbol of the strength and individuality of women in a male dominated society. But where has she been on the world stage? In fact, given the aspects of liberation and the sexual underpinnings of the character, Wonder Woman is more relevant today than she ever was. Still, beyond the pages of the comics and the many T-shirts and collectables, Wonder Woman has all bust vanished from the forefront of the pop-culture landscape. Can Wonder Woman work on the big screen? Does she have an audience? It’s hard to say.

Is the audience young girls 13-18?

Maybe. But I have serious doubts about the amount of young girls who idolize Wonder Woman over the likes Britney, Jessica, Scarlett Johansson, Rihanna, and Miley Cyrus. Is Wonder Woman even relevant to this generation’s young girls? The recent Beyonce news is interesting simply because she’d be an identifiable celeb to take the role, as would Megan Fox, but if Wonder Woman hasn’t been relevant to young girls in at least a couple of decades, a complete reinvention and reintroduction would be necessary. And even then, the success of Wonder Woman would be reliant on casting the hottest flavor of the day as the lead role. And what happens if that star falls out of popularity from the time of casting to release? Imagine if Britney was cast as Wonder Woman a couple of years ago. At any rate, Wonder Woman might need to be completely overhauled and presented as something new to those who don’t know her or have never picked up a comic. If Wonder Woman’s alter-ego, Diana Prince, is actually a celebrity with super powers, that might be enough to win over a new audience.

Is the audience soccer moms?

No, and yes at the same time. Well, not so much in that they’ll be leaving their kids hanging at school while they go check out a Wonder Woman movie, but rather more in influence and spirit. There’s a good chance that the many moms out there are more familiar with Wonder Woman than their kids, especially middle-aged moms who grew up with the old TV series that starred Lynda Carter. But if your mom is telling you to check out Wonder Woman, that just might be a kiss of death. I mean, it could be a movie that moms see with their young daughters providing the project doesn’t have trouble trying to meet a PG-13 from an NC-17. Imagine that, a Wonder Woman movie that gets slapped with an NC-17. If that ever happened, that’s a Wonder Woman movie I would see. The soccer moms wouldn’t be a huge segment of the audience, but they’d definitely play a part in the numbers somehow.

Is the audience young guys 13-18 (non-geek)?

Yep, depending on who gets cast as Wonder Woman and whether their female counterparts are checking out the movie. And it could very well be the movie young guys and young girls see together. Still, Wonder Woman has to be cool. It’ll be governed by the parameters of popularity and the fear of looking like an idiot. Even if neither one knows Wonder Woman, Warner Bros. will get their money anyway from the popularity contest. But if young girls think the Wonder Woman movie is cheesy, guys will still see it out of the "hot chick" factor (like Alan Heinberg’s Wonder Woman) and keep it to themselves. Comic book fans or not, guys will see anything. Throw in John Cena and a few UFC fighters and the male side of the Wonder Woman audience takes care of itself.

Is the audience soccer dads?

Uh, no. They’ll be the ones waiting for the DVD.

Is the audience diehard comic book geeks, guys and girls?

Absolutely. Obviously this is the largest portion of Wonder Woman’s audience. Not only would young comic book geeks, male or female, go see Wonder Woman, but also so would the middle-aged geeks who grew up with super heroine in the panels and on TV. In fact, since Wonder Woman has been around since the 1940s, there’s a slight-to-remote chance a few grandparents would see the movie. Doubtful, but you never know. Still, Wonder Woman isn’t a guaranteed sell for the older comic fans since most have less free time on their hands than ever before and their attention isn’t as heavily devoted to comics as in the years past. Anyone who has ever been interested or familiar with Wonder Woman will be up for seeing her on the big screen, but that doesn’t mean all of them. No matter the pros and cons of the audience debate, the box-office foundation of Wonder Woman on the big screen will be built around her fans.

Is there a better audience on TV?

To be honest, television is where Wonder Woman belongs. Forget trying to bring her to the theater, TV makes a lot more sense after the success of Smallville. The best way to make Wonder Woman relevant today is to cast her as a young woman relatable to today’s up and coming females and tell her story on a weekly basis. As well, on TV there’s much more room to expand the character and her Amazon backstory from the comics. In terms of true success aside from comic books, Wonder Woman has a proven track record on TV with the Lynda Carter version of Wonder Woman from 1975 to 1979 and her many appearances in animated form. With a movie there’s one shot to get it right or we could see Wonder Woman take a seat next to Catwoman.

The interesting thing is that Joss Whedon was onboard at one point to helm the big screen version of Wonder Woman and he’s also the man who created Buffy the Vampire Slayer, which left a huge void that hasn’t been filled since it left the airwaves in 2003. Even though Whedon walked away from the Wonder Woman movie, why does this sound like a perfect match for TV? Doubtful, but it still sounds perfect.

When exploring her potential on television though, you’d think that if Xena: Warrior Princess could last six seasons then Wonder Woman could easily run for a decade. That would certainly be an interesting litmus test for her popularity.

Can Wonder Woman work on the big screen? Sure. How much potential does the character have to draw huge numbers at the box-office? It’s hard to say. It depends on a lot of factors, namely who gets cast as Wonder Woman, who gets hired to direct, the direction of the project, and whether younger fans care. If the project doesn’t get off the ground in this era when comic book movies are finally hot, Wonder Woman shouldn’t be made at all.