Why Wonder Woman belongs on television, where female superheroes thrive.

I have written a couple times about the David E. Kelly Wonder Woman reboot that is apparently scheduled for this fall on NBC. The show will allegedly involve a somewhat 'realistic' take on the Amazon warrior, with Diana being a CEO by day and a vigilante at night. The pilot is allegedly going to be directed by McG, best known for the Charlie's Angels movies but also one of the creative forces behind the popular spy-comedy Chuck (he directed the pilot for that one too). Much of the discussion over the last few months has revolved around 'why television and not a movie?'. Warner Bros. has struggled to get a big screen Wonder Woman feature off the ground for nearly a decade or so, with Joss Whedon giving over three years of his life to make it a reality. But the cold hard truth is that a character like Wonder Woman is frankly a better fit for television. I say this not because the lower budgets for television action shows won't hurt (they will), or that superheroes in television have always been huge successes (catch The Cape before it's gone...), but because television has been a gold mine for three-dimensional female characters for the last twenty years.

NBC picks up David E. Kelly's Wonder Woman pilot.

According to Nellie Andreeva over at Deadline Hollywood, NBC has indeed picked up David E. Kelly's Wonder Woman reboot for next season. The project was announced late last year, and then was initially passed on by the major networks for reasons ranging from cost to brand loyalty (IE - ABC is owned by Disney who now owns Marvel Comics). NBC was apparently interested from the beginning (what else do they have going for them?), but was reluctant to commit due to the regime transition. New NBC entertainment president Bob Greenblatt decided to make the pick up after officially taking over his new position. This is good news for fans of David E. Kelly, fans of Wonder Woman, and parents of Allison Mendelson, who now stand a much better chance of finding Wonder Woman-related party favors for said child's fourth birthday at summer's end. Alison Elizabeth Mendelson's parents are still less-than-optimistic about procuring the oft-requested 'magic lasso' and/or 'invisible jet'. For my personal thoughts on the project, read my initial reactions from last October. And once again I ask you loyal readers, who do you think should play Wonder Woman this time around?

Scott Mendelson

Wonder Woman returns to TV, courtesy of David E. Kelly.

Well, I did not see this one coming at all. The Hollywood Reporter is, um, reporting that David E. Kelly has inked a deal with Warner Bros. Television to create a new Wonder Woman television show. No word on where the show will air or when it might premiere, but this is what happens when you spend ten years not making a movie. First Superman, which spent a decade in development hell only to have its thunder stolen by Smallville, and now Wonder Woman. Well, if the Warner Bros. feature division couldn't get off their asses and put together a big budget Wonder Woman movie (which Warner Bros. would love to have in theaters for July 19th, 2013), then we'd might as well let one of television's quirkier talents take a shot at the pioneering feminist superhero.