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Wonder Woman will fly this pilot season after all. New NBC entertainment president Bob Greenblatt capped a day of high-profile pilot pickups with a surprise order to David E. Kelley’s Wonder Woman reboot. Additionally, he formally greenlighted another hourlong project from an A-list showrunner, Michael Patrick King’s Mann’s World. Both shows hail from Warner Bros. TV. Meanwhile, the commitment to the J.J. Abrams/WBTV-produced drama Odd Jobs starring Michael Emerson and Terry O’Quinn, whose script came in very late, is being rolled to next season when it will be applied to the same or new Bad Robot project. And Greenblatt has passed on the Josh Schwartz/WBTV supernatural drama Ghost Angeles starring Rachel Bilson.
WBTV took Kelley’s Wonder Woman spec out to the networks in the first week of January. At the time, NBC was the most interested but, with Greenblatt still on the sidelines, the network couldn’t commit to the type of license fee that the studio was seeking in order to do the show Kelley had envisioned, and WBTV decided to shelve the project. With Greenblatt now firmly taking the reins and Kelley just delivering one of the most promising new series for NBC this season, Harry’s Law, NBC stepped up to greenlight Wonder Woman. The project is described as a reinvention of the iconic D.C. comic in which Wonder Woman — aka Diana Prince — is a vigilante crime fighter in L.A. but also a successful corporate executive and a modern woman trying to balance all of the elements of her extraordinary life. “I had a lot of fun writing it,” Kelley said of the script at TCA last week when the project had just been put on hold. “It’s a huge project, and it was probably a bit too much to ask anyone to try to chew on it for next season. But I’m confident it will still happen. It’s a very complicated piece, which is the most fun thing about it.”
Mann’s World, which King will also direct, is a one hour drama following the complicated life of Allan Mann, a celebrity hair stylist in glamorous Los Angeles as he navigates the complexities of his business, his family life, and his goal to stay relevant in a world that moves quickly. The project is already casting.
The orders for Wonder Woman and Mann’s World come hours after Greenblatt greenlighted musical pilot Smash, based on an idea by and executive produced by Steven Spielberg.
TV Editor Nellie Andreeva - tip her here.
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More middle-aged white men selling pilot scripts… Yeah for diversity!!!
what the heck is “middle aged” anyway? 35 to 60?
would you be happier if they were older or younger?
Are you suggesting a quota system on white people in the working world?
It’s called sarcasm.
no it’s called pissy whining by someone who uses her sex as the catch-all reason why her no-talent ass can’t find work
At least Elia was funny unlike your crude, unoriginal, misogynist post.
Nah… Elia wasn’t funny. Just sarcastic, bitter and whiny.
Why not? There’s a quota on everybody else.
Far as I know, the diversity program is the only surefire way to get into TV writing. Everyone else has hustle.
Alyssa Milano for Wonder Woman!
Too bad she’s too old at 38 and too short at 5’2.
No Way. She is way to old for this roll.
But at least being SO old, she probably knows how to spell ROLE. And TOO.
corporate exec by day and vigilante crime fighter at night? anyone else worried about this?
+1 worried.
I guess this will be retconned so that Paradise Island has a University with a first rate MBA program.
You win!
I’m with you! Would’ve preferred the big screen treatment (like the male heroes) and all I could do was shake my head after hearing the corporate exec by day and crime fighter by night storyline—what a joke!!
Like Incredible Hulk, it gets a TV show because everyone has seen it work in the past.
Male superheros are on TV in the awesome new Young Justic. Alomg with Miss Martian!
Actually, Wonder Woman will be getting the big screen treatment, but probably not until 2015. There are rumors that the movie will tie in with the series, but that will probably depend on the success of the show.
Bruce Wayne called. He said to give him his life back.
Indeed, how lame is it that Kelley just took Batman’s story and made it Diana’s? *groan* Of course there will be plenty of political mumbo jumbo as well, seeing that this is David Kelley. I mean, trying to make a point is fine on a legal show, I’ll just be disgusted if he uses Wonder Woman for similar purposes.
Interesting…. NBC proved this season that people can watch their shows, as long as they’re good.
With mass promotion and if it turns out to be a good show, WOnder Woman could be a hit.
What year are you in?
Did I say something that didn’t make sense?
The Event started with a very good 18-49 demo. WIth little promotion, the sing-off went to 3+ on the demo. Harry’s Law had an over 12 million total viewers premiere. NBC isn’t off people’s radars.
Adrienne Palicki should play the part.
No way, WW is a brunette!
So is Adrianne Palicki, sometimes.
you are dumb, alfonso.
Jack must’ve been PSYCHIC on this one! As I’m sure you already know, Palicki is cast. Good call, man.
So the David E. Kelly spin on Wonder Woman is, “Let me shoehorn her into one of my over-used formulas.” Shame on DC Comics for signing off on this.
DC didn’t sign off on it, Warner Bros. did. And they’re not exactly famous for protecting the integrity of their iconic comic book properties (e.g. “Batman & Robin” [1997]).
Let’s see, in just the last couple of days we’re read about:
Wonder Woman, 2.0
Charlie’s Angels, 2.0
Lethal Weapon reboot
A Star Is Born, version 4
Just astounding.
Sadly, they all sound better than Broadway Smash and Manns World of Mens.
What’s so astounding about it? They’re good stories with perennial themes and the franchises haven’t been exposed to this new generation.
You must be an executive.
What’s astounding is that with all of the ‘talent’ and resources available in entertainment is that they couldn’t come up with something new and different that might incorporate a ‘perennial theme’. Wonder Woman, Charlies Angels, or A Star is Born, et al have been exposed to EVERY generation via reruns, VHS, & DVDs.
Plain and simple this is pure laziness on the part of the creative community as well as the executives. And its one of the primary reasons why with a population that keeps increasing overall audiences keep decreasing.
I no longer watch or go to movies and TV like I used to….now I read.
kelley and king are in for this pilot season but abrams and schwartz aren’t? what year is this? i hope i can send my tivo back in time 10 years and convince it to care.
did you WATCH undercovers?
Well actually, the reason Bad Robot’s pilot didn’t go has nothing to do with JJ. He wasn’t writing the script. It was those hacks Applebaum and Nemec who for whatever reason have been granted a place on JJ’s coattails. What morons. One of the hottest projects of the season, that had one of the current TV Godfather’s shepherding… And they can’t get the script in on time.
Which let’s face it. Even if it was late — but good. They’d be shooting it.
“hope i can send my tivo back in time 10 years and convince it to care.”
funniest comment by far.
Okay, has anyone over there called Bridget Regan to play the part yet? *enough said*
She definitely looks the part. But since she just had a baby, I’m not so sure if she’d be up for it right now…
Seconded.
I must agree.
The actress who plays this roll should NOT be a MILF!
She will need to be a total hottie to attract male viewers, but stong and smart to keep the women watching.
Yeah, ’cause Bridget Regan (and Alyssa Milano) are so unattractive.
I like it. But is she tough enough? Plus i think she’s a ginger, not a brunette.
Yes, she is a redhead, but she dyed her hair for Legend of the Seeker. If you check out some of her images as a brunette, she’s quite stunning (and in some, looks like a dead ringer for WW!).
“Enough said”?????????? Ick.
Is anyone else seriously worried that the guy who brought us “Sex and the City” the movie (and it’s dreadful sequel “Not much Sex and even less City”) is now doing a tv show about a HAIRDRESSER? This is Bravo, TLC, stuff – this is not network television, and it never should be.
Agreed, I was horrified when I read this one. Now this is a script I have to read because the idea sounds so dreadful that the script had to be brilliant to get a pick up.
Truly one of the worst pilots I have ever read
shocked that anyone bought this
Any setting can work (a celebrity hairdresser, a mortician, a P.I.) IF the other pieces are right, those are the ones that matter: script, casting, directing, pacing, vibe. I’m not a crazed MPK fan, but just because he mis-stepped in the middle of a recession doesn’t mean he’s washed up. I’ll give it a shot. (although I’m actually wondering/concerned about how he’ll do on network TV instead of cable)
just as he did with Showtime, he’s trying to “gay” it up as much as possible with his selections. No this isn’t hate or anything… It’s a statement of fact.
Look at his programming choices on Showtime. And look here… A Hairdresser, A musical, and Wonder Woman — the gay man’s favorite super hero. So no surprise whatsover that they were all chosen by Greenblatt.
Now I can finally put my WW box set DVDs away and light a tremendous candle next to the TiVo!
If/when Kelly’s pilot doesn’t go to series, Warner should fastrack a WW movie with Daniela Ruah (Kensi on NCIS:LA) in the title role.
While making sure that Joel Silver can never, ever get anywhere near it, of course.
I love her, but WW should be tall, fair, blue eyes, a tiny waist and actual hips.
I feel like David E. Kelley and Rick Rosen played us. Shelved my ass. I’m excited though.
Will Emerson and O’Quinn still be attached to Odd Jobs in a year?
WW will be a disaster. It won’t get picked up.
If Kathy Bates isn’t available for the lead, will NBC and David Kelley re-cast WW as a man?
First of all, Greenblatt picked up shows from two men who are over 50, and a woman. I think that qualifies as diversity and anti-ageism.
He also looks to be bringing a cable sensibility to NBC. It might result in some interesting shows.
If MPK, who is in his mid-50s, can do a modern spin on Hal Ashby’s classic “Shampoo”, I will be tuning in. (Why can’t Scott Speedman get the lead in a series?)
Wonder Woman will live or die by the final pilot script, director and actress cast. They can’t take a whiny waif type like Ellen Pompeo or Calista Flockhart or even a good looking non-charismatic no talent like a Rena Sofer type. Yes I realize none of those actresses are the right age I’m using them as examples women who’ve been successful on TV because execs THINK they’re right for parts. Sure Calista was right for Ally McBeal but she’s not lead material overall.
They need to have Kelley saddled with some genre producers who understand how to build exciting arcs.
I don’t see a mention of her being an amazon or a love interest in Steve Trevor. I hope kelley doesn’t ditch those staples or the lasso of truth and bullet deflecting bracelets. NBC purged all the memorable parts of Bionic Woman by losing the signature sound effect and the creepy fem-bots and that show went down the toilet fast.
Please someone call Lynda Carter for a cameo and do NOT use that weird/ugly new costume in the comics for the tv show.
Genre-savvy producers, yes. Exciting arcs — I’m not so sure. So many superhero/genre shows have gone the serial/arc route in recent years that it might be smarter to build WW as an episodic show, more like early-run Buffy the Vampire Slayer (or, for a more current example, Castle).
As far as casting goes…about all I can say is that I don’t think any of the suggestions I’ve seen here are quite right, either for the Kelly concept as described here or for a more straightforward 21st-century take on the character. If I were casting someone for the Kelley-concept series, I’d try for someone like Stana Katic of Castle (since Katic herself isn’t available). This may be a case where the role will be best served by casting a relative unknown, perhaps from the daytime-drama talent pool.
“a vigilante crime fighter in L.A. but also a successful corporate executive and a modern woman trying to balance all of the elements of her extraordinary life.”
Sounds more like the current take on DC Comics’ POWER GIRL than WONDER WOMAN – perhaps that is where he got the idea!
POWER GIRL (who is from a parallel universe version of Superman’s Home planet of Krypton)has the secret identity of Karen Starr who runs an computer software company, STARR-WARE.
Except the difference between POWER GIRL and WONDER WOMAN is Power Girl is a strong tough attitude character who shows it.
I had missed the Los Angeles locale in my first-pass glance at this item — that really isn’t a good sign, as nearly all of Wonder Woman’s incarnations have been based on the East Coast, and the two urban cultures really are different. LA being LA, I suddenly have the sinking feeling that they may give her an invisible car rather than an invisible jet — or maybe not, since the invisible jet would be more useful for keeping out of traffic jams.
The Power Girl resonance, though, is aptly noted.
First DC Comics does that absolutely bizarre Wonder Woman reboot that started with issue #600. And now they sign off on this.
How much, exactly, does DC hate that character?
What worries me about the Wonder Woman project isn’t the “corporate executive” spin, but the “trying to balance” descriptor. What that suggests to me is that — like 99% of the folks who develop superhero series nowadays — Kelley is going to give us an origin story and go forward from there, showing us a Wonder Woman who’s learning how to be a superhero.
Which would be fine, except that it’s been done many, many times before. And with a franchise as iconic as WW, one doesn’t need an origin story to sell the character. The two best-remembered Batman television series — Adam West’s live-action show, and the animated series produced by Bruce Timm — both simply dropped viewers right into a Gotham City where Batman was up and running and super-villains were par for the course.
So if I’d been developing a Wonder Woman series, the first decision I’d have made would have been to make the show about WW as an established, well-known heroine. A new series retelling WW’s origins and coming-of-age strikes me as likely to fail. A new series about WW facing modern challenges appropriate to her character strikes me as likely to succeed. We’ll just have to see which one Kelley’s going to give us.
When has Wonder Woman’s origin been told “many, many” times before, outside the comics? The Lynda Carter series and … yeah, that’s pretty much it. I guarantee you the average man (or woman) on the street has no idea what Wonder Woman’s origin is.
Not the point I was trying to make. Let me restate:
My issue with the “heroic origin/coming-of-age” template is not specific to the Wonder Woman character. It’s that so darned many of the modern superhero series have used it already. Among them: Smallville. Heroes. No Ordinary Family. The Cape; Going farther back, Greatest American Hero.
Now this doesn’t mean that the “heroic origin” template can’t be well executed. So far I’m cautiously optimistic about what I’ve seen of The Cape, for instance. But it’s neither the only way nor always the best way to frame a superhero series — and in Wonder Woman’s case, I think the “origin” template is the wrong creative choice for the character.
I’m with you, but she hasn’t had a show since the 70s, so starting at the beginning makes sense. The balancing responsibilities thing is a very popular theme with modern women. I think this show will do well with that. It will hopefully appeal to men and women and stick around for a while. At least, I hope it appeals to men. It would be awesome to have an entertaining WW show!
Let’s just all hope this project (if picked up to series) doesn’t turn out as “Bionic Woman 2.0 – from buzz to bust”.
Unfortunately, this sounds exactly like Bionic Woman 2.0 with a bit of “Hancock” added. Why even bother calling it Wonder Women? From the description, it sounds like it has nothing to do with the original Wonder Woman concept at all. Unless they are going to tie in the Greek mythos and Paradice Island, it will be Bionic Woman 2.0.
I’ll watch the first episode and hope they do Wonder Woman justice, but I fear for the worst…
At least MP King won’t be doing comedy anymore. Not that he ever was.
I seriously have to believe that 90% of television viewership during prime time hours are female. We have the sterotypical hot female who is ultra successful and beats up men three times her size and muscle mass while “balancing” her life.
Another waste of a television slot. Too bad our society is softer than a down pillow and we keep being subjected to female dominated nonsense all the time.
Harrys Law was terrible. Embarrassing. The set up (and set – a law office / shoe store?!) was insane and, except for poor Kathy Bates, the cast was dreadful. So let’s give David Kelly another show right away! Yikes!
It’s nice of the new boss to humor Kelly…. but after Heroes and The Cape, it’s clear NBC is not the place to be trying out another lame super hero show.