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The TV reboot of Wonder Woman is being postponed. David E. Kelley’s high-profile take on the female superhero has been shelved after not landing a deal at a broadcast network because of what sources called unfortunate timing. The project hails from DC sibling Warner Bros. TV where Kelley is based with an overall deal. The Practice creator Kelley had been looking to do a contemporary take on the World War II-era Amazon, and at the end of September, he met with the DC team, who also had been looking for ways to launch a new Wonder Woman TV franchise. Soon after the meeting, Kelley started working on a pilot script, which, like his other recent projects, was written on spec. The script was reportedly taken out to the broadcast networks on Wednesday night. Fox and ABC passed, while WBTV’s sister network the CW could not afford it. While the project was never considered a fit for Fox and was taken to the network mostly out of courtesy, the ABC pass was more politically motivated. With its empowered female lead, Wonder Woman seems well suited for the network, but word is a potential DC-Marvel clash got in the way. ABC parent Disney acquired Marvel last year for $4 billion, and ABC and Marvel have been busy developing Marvel properties, including a Hulk series with Guillermo del Toro and David Eick and an adaptation of a Marvel female superhero, Jessica Jones, with Twilight writer Melissa Rosenberg. This left CBS and NBC in play. I hear the CBS executive team was split, while the fluid situation at NBC where new programming chief Bob Greenblatt is yet to take the reins, made it impossible to get the type of license fee that the studio was seeking in order to do the show Kelley had envisioned. So a decision was made not to go with the show at this time. The script may be taken out again in the future.
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one wonders why it was too expensive for the CW?
it would be a nice fit, especially with Smallville ending.
Well, Smallville is too expensive for the CW.That’s why the production isn’t so great, because they don’t have the cash to adequately produce it.
The CW can only handle about 1.5 or so million per episode.Wonder Woman would be over 2, maybe 3 million.
You’ve got the Greek sets for Themyscira, not to mention Diana has a lot of powers that need to be displayed, including flight, strength and speed.There’s also the elaborate action sequences with her villains.Alot of her enemies are monsters that require makeup and prosthetics.A network like The CW couldn’t handle it.
Also, Kelley is a big name producer.He would also be very expensive.Notice how the network doesn’t really have anyone big, in terms of actors, writers or producers?Because they can;t afford them.
But the production of Smallville is great. Always has been. I would agree that the production is not AS great as the first 5 or so seasons, but it is great. The writing has always grated on my nerves, but the production is amazingly first rate. CW is already planning a magic fx-heavy show in Raven. They also do monsters all the time on Supernatural. The action scenes on Smallville has rivaled some blockbuster movies in quality. I don’t think it is a case of the CW can’t do it.
I agree more with Dillan, down below. Wonder Woman could be made on the CW, but Warners has bigger ambitions.
I’ve been watching Smallville since the first episode and the production is anything but great.
There are only about 4 sets on the show.They are rarely able to fully use Clark’s powers.They are also rarely able to stage elaborate fights or action sequences.Hell, the producers themselves talk about how they have to save up money from each episode if they want to do a really big one.They even had to use stock footage this season.What about not being able to bring actors and characters back because they don’t have enough money?
Yes, they do have pretty good FX on Supernatural, but that’s because they only have 2 castmembers.They don’t have to spend any of the budget on other regular actors like a show with a bigger cast would.
As for Raven, magic FX aren’t that expensive, as they’ve been doing them since the 90s with Buffy, Charmed and Angel.
It feels like this was going to be a real superhero show, with all the trimmings.Costumes, villains and Greek mythology.Sorta like the first season of Heroes, when their budget was $4 million per episode.
there are legal rights issues to explain why Smallville does not stage Clark Kent’s super powers
if the show does not portray Superman, then its profits are not shared by the estates of Superman’s creators.
Big sets and effects? Big name producers? Gee, that sounds like a MOVIE!
I’m a Marvel – AND – DC fan, but I’d take a new Wonder Woman TV show over the Hulk anytime.
I don’t buy the “it’s too expensive” excuse…
Kelley needs a hit show on fast. Especially since “Harry’s Law” ain’t gonna work.
Let’s be honest, Wonder Woman just isn’t cool.
What a shame.
It’s just as well. WW needs to be on the big screen with a writer/director team that respects the character. Nothing in Mr. Kelley’s oeuvre suggests he can pull off a true take on Wonder Woman, IMO.
Adrienne Palicki or Eliza Dushku would have been great for Wonder Woman
Tiny little Eliza Dushku playing an Amazonian women?
No.
The CW can quite easily afford the show, it’s just a case of Warner Bros. wanting to make more $$$ out of the US broadcasts, and not relying on international, syndication and DVD sales as much.
There’s no way. The CW is also fairly cash-strapped as is.
I’m not surprised that CBS passed, it doesn’t seem like the best fit. It definitely could work at NBC, but the Bionic Woman debacle plus the chaos over there right now isn’t the best climate for the show. ABC’s ties with marvel make sense. Fox might not have been the worst network for it, but it depends on the tone of the script. Sounds like it was slower than the average Fox show.
Maybe next year after NBC figures its stuff out.
You do realize that the CW is owned by WB and UPN, right? Can you imagine how expensive it must have been when your OWN netlet couldn’t afford the licensing fees?
So once again Superman and Batman remain DC/Warner’s biggest hopes outside one single new property (Green Lantern)? Only just last year they were still managing 2 *new* potential DC-related franchises a year. So much for that momentum the new enterprise of DC Entertainment was supposed to offer…
Also, they probably don’t want anyone knowing that Green Lantern was well on it’s way to getting made before they slapped their name on it in their DC Ent press releases. Or that the new Superman film was made out pf neccessity due to ongoing litigation and an upcoming massive IP rights reversion. Here’s hoping all the incredible talent of Geoff Johns doesn’t go to waste over all this smoke and mirrors play.
DC Entertainment seem to be loving the video games, the merchandise, the animated movies, the TV shows like Young Justice and the upcoming Green Lantern…but they are slow on the uptake when it comes to the movies. They claim they don’t want to rush them out like Marvel.
But lo and behold, they were c*ckblocked by MARVEL when they tried to relegate Wonder Woman to TV!
DC/WB should take this as a sign to make the Wonder Woman movie.
I honestly have no feel for how Green Lantern will do. It could be the mini Star Wars of its fan’s hopes, or it could be so weird looking to the public that they react to it like Jonah Hex or Scott Pilgrim. Will it be received as too weird for the public to deal with, or will it seen as refreshingly imaginative and bold, the Star Wars of a new generation?
Rumor of the day has the new Superman movie as a Smallville reboot. That’s going to make the show’s three million hardcore fans insanely angry as they feel pissed on and disrespected. Those people who never cared for the idea of young Clark’s struggles before he became Superman, and never watched Smallville, are still not going to care about young Clark and won’t watch the movie either. The DCE brain trust can pat themselves on the back for uniting everyone in anger of Superman’s impending bomb.
The Flash script has been described as “Se7en meets Silence of the Lambs”. Contrary to a generation raised on the cartoons, Flash won’t be the light superhero comedy they were expecting. Another bold decision by DCE. Insanely bold one might say. When one thinks of The Flash, rarely does one think “gritty”, “dark”, “violent”, or “hardcore”. But, it is the dawn of a new day my friend. Gone is the quick-witted, funny, hyper Flash of your youth. Modern Flash is hardcore, yo! Dark Flash should do boffo at the box office, don’t you think?
This is karma for DC.
DC has prevented non-DC comic superhero properties from being developed by Warner Brothers television before. They shouldn’t be surprised to find themselves on the other end of this.
That doesn’t make this fair, but that’s what happens when you allow such huge media conglomerates to exist.
Aside from the fans and the creators involved, the real victims are the creators of books not published by Marvel or DC. There’s now multiple studios and networks that won’t option their film rights.
Being Kelley, this could have been either brilliant or excerable. At least Kelley doesn’t do mediocre. Anyway, it’s a shame.
Until someone gets his act together and realizes Salma Hayek is the only worthy successor of Lynda Carter, this is a dead end road. Wake up Hollywood.
Despite her popularity, durability, and influence Warner refuses to respect Wonder Woman.
In terms of the character’s durability, as a character she is far older than Thor, Hulk and Spiderman. She’s as old as the big three most mature characters of this kind: Superman, Batman and Captain America. At their respective publishers, each of these characters have 4 to 8 books especially devoted to them; Wonder Woman has only one. Most of the big three’s protégé’s, derivative characters and sidekick’s either have their own comic books and in some cases TV shows; and characters influenced by Wonder Woman’s have none.
Though DC comics, Warner’s comic distributor, will continue to put out excuses why Wonder Woman and her legacy characters don’t deserve more books, TV shows or feature films, while continuing to put out a ever greater assortment of failed comic books, TVs shows and films in circulation. It’s clear that women are second class priority at the company and the heads at Warner will continue to tell us keeping her out of circulation is best for the character.
I wouldn’t call Wonder Woman popular, durable, or influential. At least not in the wider sphere of TV/movie fans. People can chop it up any way they want, but in the TV/movie world there is Batman, Spiderman, and to a certain degree Superman, and then everyone else. Sometimes all the stars align and an Iron Man can make the jump, but more often than not all of these other characters are expensive flops.
Yes there are the old reliable superheroes with many incarnations over the years but that is the point of the sudden surge of superheroes now- trying to jumpstart others besides the tried and true three or four. Iron Man did it and there is a chance Captain America, Thor and Green Lantern will too.
Wonder Woman is riskier obviously because it’s a harder sell to a very male genre but that’s why it has to be done just right.
1. smallville’s production values may have gotten better over the years but they are still cheesy by the bigger networks standards.
2. love miss dushku but she is not statuesque,neither is salma hayek.hope that was sarcasm anyway.
3. though nbc has the money for high production values they more often then not miss the target. they either look completely cheesy or look like somebody who never should have been in charge of production values was given carte blanche. either way,cheesy.
4. so since abc wont and nbc sucks, thats leaves cbs and fox for the big 4. cbs has been steller for the last decade but they are embroiled in crime dramas and do them well. no room for sci-fi on cbs. which leaves us fox. great sci-fi in fringe and great action in human target which is a dc property for those who dont know. unfortunately fox is truly in love with the worst tv genre ever to be invented. reality tv. they are happy and reaping the benefits of doing hours of programming that only gay men and hormonally beset females,young and old could stand to watch more then 2 minutes of. fox out.
5. but wait there’s more. cable stations,pay and free. hbo is into violent mob dramas and they do them better then anyone.so they are out. starz/encore does quirky independent movie like series so they are also out. which leaves us with showtime for the pay side. what can i say about dexter and californication. they speak for themselves as well as does weeds. showtime not an option. now here is where it gets interesting. amc has several of the best tv series of all time going for them. the walking dead,breaking bad,mad men,and some others that unfortunately dont come to mind right now.point is amc has the chops to do a wonder woman well,and it would fit in with the rest of its original programming. or you could go to tnt. the closer and a some other original shows which i admit i have not seen but have heard alot of good things about. oh yeah southland,which is done better at tnt then it was at nbc. that whole cheesy thing. here is the big news. spielberg is producing a war against the worlds type of series. high production values. it will most likely elevate tnt status quite a bit. which brings more money to the tables for new programming. we already know they are willing to do sci-fi/fantasy,so it’s kinda of a no brainer for them to do.everybody wins. tnt is the perfect fit for the next linda carters discovery.
6. spike has no production values,likewise tbs and anyone else ive forgotten. the reason im mentioning the sy-fy channel last is because the are owned by the same company as nbc. what did we learn about nbc earlier? even when the spend alot it still winds up looking cheesy. dont get me wrong i love the mini-series and movies but the effects suck.only true sci-fi geeks like myself could sit thru several seasons of “frack”. c’mon,that is a cheesy catch phrase. and the chick that made it semi-famous is homely at best. i do like merlin but it’s cheesy and then some and the stephen king based series the name of which escapes me was really good but it was an exception to the rule and still managed to be a little cheesy. nuff said about sy-fy channel.
7. make it a movie, that way they can do an uncut directors version where we get to see the amazons bathing in a mountain spring fed pond.you know,naked and frolicking like a bunch of attractive young women do when presented with a mountain spring fed pond.by the way it should be filmed in hawaii ala lost.
8.last but not least, diana HAS to be a gorgeoues statuesque brunette like the aforementioned linda carter. no tricks of the camera and no dyed blondes.
What’s the use of vertical integration if you can’t deficit a series?
I think WB has its hands full right now with Batman and Supes. No need to use more real estate on a new show with a high budget and questionable audience.
i’d do it old school and do it as maxi-series pilot over a span of 7 nights and see how the ratings would hold up and if the ratings were fair to good.take it from there and re-start in the next season
“or it could be so weird looking to the public that they react to it like Jonah Hex or Scott Pilgrim.”
There’s a big difference between the two, though. Scott Pilgrim played through the roof, yet failed to open. Jonah Hex was such a complete disaster from the get go that Warner considered not even marketing it. Pilgrim will inevitably catch up in cost on ancillary markets thanks to a cult following, while Hex will disappear like The Lone Ranger 80′s adaptation did.
“The Flash script has been described as “Se7en meets Silence of the Lambs”. Contrary to a generation raised on the cartoons, Flash won’t be the light superhero comedy they were expecting. Another bold decision by DCE. Insanely bold one might say. ”
How about stupid? This direction, as implied anyway, complete contradicts DCE’s mission statement and entire reason for existing. They’re supposed to generate IP franchises to replace Harry Potter, but they’re so confused by Nolan and Goyer’s more accurate approach to Batman, they think all their movies need to have raving sadists (see Peter Saarsgard in Green Lanten).
They’re already saying the movie won’t resemble the tone of Geoff Johns’ series, so why did they staff him at DCE in the first place? Who is this film being developed for? The wide variety of ages audience of the Potter films? Nope. The people who read the Flash or might find the source material appealing? Nope. How about movie execs who don’t know what comics are even like, but saw how much The Dark Knight made? Now we’re talking!
DCE is already making the same errors in development that their WB predecessors made. They’re just taking longer and producing less output.
I think Flash will be developed in a similar way to Green Lantern. Sure there are dark elements but they will still go for mass appeal to help with tie-ins and the kiddie market. Green Lantern will not be dark in tone the way Dark Knight was and neither will Flash.
btw Peter Sarsgaard in Green Lantern is a major villain, so of course he is a “raving sadist”. The same could be said of Voldemort in Harry Potter. All these franchises have a deranged villain.
Why not take it to HBO?
Bad timing? Heh. Riiiiiight.
Personally I think its political. Think about it: Sarah Palin was originally from one of the Mormon states before marrying Todd and living in Alaska. AOL got booted from Time-Warner. If WW don’t reflect Eva Braun, the Fundamentalists won’t touch it. What retooling this script needs is something more Ally McBeal where all the characters can be interpreted a full list of different ways. We’re talking more Gilmore Girls and less Girl Interrupted. You combine Lorelai Gilmore with Ally McBeal, you’ll undoubtedly have yourself a deal with CW. The thing is, WW needs to have the public reserve of Star Trek Voyager’s Captain Janeway so as to soothe the fears of UPN. Everyone needs to be properly reflected and in so doing, find a way to trim all the fat 360 degrees that it’ll still keep the franchise’s historic integrity. Meat and Potatoes. Doing that will get the vote of indie audiences too! Think Dazed and Confused or Clerks but on television. Early Fox Network programming perhaps? Something cult classic that doesn’t need to rely on pre-existing superstars.
WTF are you saying??
Huh?
Great satire, Bro.
Yet another reason why media consolidation sucks. Are you paying attention, FCC?
With his penchant for hiring anorexic actresses, Kelly was not my favorite choice for doing a female-empowering character such as “Wonder Woman,” so perhaps this is all for the best.
Five words: Camryn Manheim as Wonder Woman!
Wonder Woman is barely carrying her own book, as it is constantly being rebooted. A movie is a huge risk. Power Girl is more popular in the comics world but less known outside it
The only tv producers who should be allowed near WW is Joss Whedon (Buffy) or Amy Sherman-Palladino (Gilmore Girls). Both producers have shown that strong writing is more important then special effects. In addition these producers show that strong characters can exist in small arenas. This philosophy is much better suited for television.
I actually think a WW coming of age story that at first takes place almost, at first, on the island. Then over the shows run the outside world is slowly unveiled. This would also allow the islands back story to be explored. The main conflict would be between Dianna and her mother about the best way to protect the Island from the outside world. Plus you could throw in some rivals for Dianna. This strategy would have wide appeal among women plus young males will show up to watch the amazon women fight each other!
Unfortunately, all Hollywood suits can do is copy the latest hit, instead of working with what you have and creating interesting stories based on good writing. Joss and Amy understand that small stories with big characters and small budgets can work.
I’d say you have an interesting idea… except for this part:
“…young males will show up to watch the amazon women fight each other!”
While nice in theory, they won’t, unless they’re gay. Because the show is called WONDER WOMAN.
I agree if the show is called WW that it would not appeal to m 18-34. However, who says it has to be called WW.
My pitch is that Diana wouldn’t become WW until the third or fourth season. In the first season a US plane crash lands and the pilot is found and hidden by Diana. The pilot (who will be the first season protagonist) hides and observes the all female society. Eventually he is captured and his discovery begins Diana’s transformation to WW. Males will watch because this is a male fantasy, being invisible on an island full of half clothed females.
IMO i think they would be better off with like Sci-Fi channel, they have the budgets for shows like this and i think it would fit right in with what they do for programming right now
Why don’t they pitch WE, Oxygen, Lifetime or OWN on it? The show is about a female superhero…
An anorexic Wonder Woman. Glad that one failed.
I feel same CW is perfect they need a new superhero to add to the mix Smalville will be missed they need to do more with supergirl too or take Smalville to the next flying level.