If the CW’s current attempt to bring DC’s Wonder Woman to television doesn’t work out, it turns out that writer/producer David E. Kelley would be more than eager to return to the scene of his little-seen crime:
I still believe [Wonder Woman is] viable for a television series. I think it’s ripe to do it. We made mistakes with ours. My only regret is we were never given a chance to correct them. We had a lot that was right about it and a great cast. In time, we could have fixed what we had done wrong, we just didn’t get that chance. All my series have been a work in progress to a certain extent where you figure them out by episodes three, four or five. This one actually gelled sooner than any that I have had in the past. We would have gotten there and I wish we were afforded a little more time. I do believe in the potential of the series and I wish them well with it. I think it could be a great success… I would [try again]. It’s different for me, [superheroes are] a genre that I have a lot to learn about. At this point in your life, everybody should do something that they’re scared of; I was a little scared of it, I remain a little scared of it and be happy to wade into the fear again.
Just think: In some alternate world, this actually made it to our screens:
January 7th, 2013 at 10:07 am
Good lord, NO!!
Kelley, stay away from our amazon!
January 7th, 2013 at 11:02 am
Yeah, wanting to correct mistakes is all well and good…provided one knows and understands what those mistakes are and why the were mistakes.
In the case of this Wonder Woman show, is he aware one of the huge, blaring errors was characterizing Diana as a violent sociopath?
January 7th, 2013 at 11:09 am
To: David E. Kelley
Re: Taking another crack at depicting Wonder Woman
Dear Mr. Kelley……….please, no.
Thank you for your time.
—Charles Ingall’s Pal, Merlin Olsen
January 7th, 2013 at 11:52 am
I actually quite enjoyed his pilot…it was finally a dc tv show that didnt shy away from a bright bold superhero costume…it was refreshing and fun to me…too bad it didnt make it to series…so now we get this tv show called amazon which wont have wonder woman in a costume and will alter/downplay the superhero aspects…sigh
January 7th, 2013 at 12:05 pm
I actually kinda liked it. It certainly had it’s flaws but I thought it was no worse then Smallville. I wrote a review of the pilot on my blog if anyone’s interested.
http://landsharkattacks.blogspot.com/2012/06/tv-review-wonder-woman-2011.html
January 7th, 2013 at 12:54 pm
As comic book fans, we’re almost never going to be satisfied with a superhero show on television. That’s not to say we won’t be happy with any comic book adaptation, The Walking Dead is a good example of something working. But superheroes are difficult. Smallville was good, but it’s best years were while he was in high school with his legendary legacy still off in the future and us seeing glimpses of it. Once he moved to Metropolis it was kind of Superman Lite. Decent, but obviously different then the comic book and therefor disappointing. Bottom line is there are too many things working against us for us to be happy. First and foremost, the television execs are looking to make money, that doesn’t always translate to accurate in terms of mythos. That effects #2 – special effects. Cost is way too high to make something look like a comic book, at least in a weekly format. Plus, if they’re having this much trouble making the adaptation of Powers work WITH Bendis directly involved, what chance does Wonder Woman have.
In the end it doesn’t matter because WB is apparently serious about making the Justice League movie. I can’t see them risking possible multiple spin-off movies with the individual characters to come up with a weekly series. They never let Bruce Wayne/Batman in Smallville for that reason.
January 7th, 2013 at 12:57 pm
Kelley’s pilot just didn’t feel like Diana or her world in any way, shape, or form. Another misfire, Cathy Lee Crosby’s 1974 version, was actually probably closer to being accurate.
Lynda Carter got more right than wrong, but they just don’t make all-ages dramas anymore on network TV. Everything has to be “edgy” with season-long story arcs. This is why the Bionic Woman remake failed as well.
January 7th, 2013 at 2:00 pm
How many truly creative and original shows end up making it? It’s the eternal question – why is Honey Boo Boo on and Firefly isn’t? The business gets in the way of quality storytelling.
January 7th, 2013 at 2:12 pm
Why focus on a TV show?!? Isn’t DC Comics/Warner Bros still trying to get Wonder Woman to the big screen?!?
If not, how many versions of Wonder Woman are going to flood the media? Aren’t disconnects between the various DC Comics properties the reason why everyone is forgetting Bryan Singer’s movie?
To DC Comics and Warner Bros: Please focus on getting Wonder Woman right for the Justice League movie, and then move on from there!
January 7th, 2013 at 2:28 pm
sorry mr. kelly had his chance with wonder woman and screwed her up badly mostly giving her batmans origin of executive by day crime fighter by night not to mention the actress he cast looked like wonder woman aged in the out fit.
January 7th, 2013 at 2:33 pm
The poor quality of Singer’s movie is the main reason everyone is forgetting Singer’s movie.
January 7th, 2013 at 8:11 pm
Elisabetta Canalis. Nuff said.
January 8th, 2013 at 2:53 am
@Kooster – none of the charaters are going to be done right in a Justice League movie made from a standing start. Marvel have shown them the only way this can be done and they’re ignoring it, if they had a Wonder Woman TV series that’d at least be something to work with.