One of the specific challenges of making a Wonder Woman movie is the creation of Themyscira -- not only in terms of aesthetics, but also from societal and cultural perspectives. Fortunately, this was a task recognized and taken on by star Gal Gadot, director Patty Jenkins and the production team. The film went as far as to not only create a language for the Amazons of Paradise Island, but even had Gal Gadot meter the usage of her accent against her earlier appearance in last year's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.
When I visited the set of Wonder Woman in London early last year (before the release of Batman v Superman), I learned about the film's use of language and accents from Gal Gadot herself. The actress sat down with press for a roundtable interview about her first leading role, and in discussing the way the legendary heroine she speaks she explained why she sounds the way she does. Said Gadot,
Her accent in this one, in Wonder Woman, is more Themysciran. She still has some of the Themysciran accent in B v S, but she knows hundreds of languages, starting here, starting in Themyscira - well-educated to speak every language that we can think of. And in this one, she has a heavier accent. In B v S it's lighter, but it's still there. She's still foreign, She's still from a different place.
Funny enough, this also answers another interesting question: how Wonder Woman already knows English before meeting Steve Trevor (Chris Pine). In the most recent run of the comics by writer Greg Rucka, which retells the origin story, a language barrier exists between the future lovers -- but that won't be something that's incorporated into the growing DC Extended Universe.
Of course, having Diana speak with a weaker Themysciran accent in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice in comparison to Wonder Woman makes all kinds of sense (even if it wasn't intentional and instead an option simply left available because of scheduling). The upcoming film establishes that Wonder Woman left Paradise Island in 1914, and given that Zack Snyder's movie takes place in 2016, that means that she's had over 100 years of experience living in the modern world when we first meet her. That's certainly more than enough time for her accent to soften. Given that Justice League and pretty much every other DCEU movie will take place in a present day setting, Wonder Woman will likely be the single film that winds up featuring the character's heavier Themysciran vocal vibe.
The marketing footage for Wonder Woman has certainly emphasized ass-kicking over dialogue, but fans will be able to hear Gal Gadot's specially-designed accent when the blockbuster arrives in theaters on June 2nd. In the meantime, stay tuned for more about the long-awaited, highly-anticipated film here on CinemaBlend
