Producing comic book movies is a tricky thing. In addition to trying to craft a compelling story with a good script, there is the added pressure of pleasing the generations of loyal fans. Everything from the setting, costumes, and casting is dissected by those in the comic book community, with the majority looking for accuracy to the source material. But the work speaks for itself, and both Ben Affleck and Gal Gadot have been praised for their performances as Batman and Wonder Woman, despite original protestation for lacking the right "look". Gal Gadot, especially, has been criticized for being too thin to play Wonder Woman. But the naysayers will have a hard pill to swallow when Wonder Woman is released in theaters.
DC Entertainment's President Diane Nelson recently to chat with the good folks over at Variety, where she revealed why Gal Gadot is so perfect to play Diana Prince, saying:
It's a testament to Zack Snyder's casting ability. I think Gal was someone who embodied the role so beautifully, and we saw lots of evidence on how audiences responded when she came onscreen for the first time...she and Ben Affleck really stood out as two amazing parts of [Batman v Superman], and the real life Gal has many of the traits that Wonder Woman does. She is athletic and strong, and she has a great deal of integrity. She's a mother, she's a wife. She cares very much about this role, and so we got very lucky to have her.
Take that, haters. Gal Gadot is the only live-action version of Wonder Woman we need, and you better get used to it because the DCEU is only continuing to grow.
Much of the criticism regarding Gal Gadot's casting as Wonder Woman revolves around her physique. Obviously, Gadot is a stunning and extremely physically fit woman, but diehard fans didn't think she looked like the traditional Wonder Woman. In the comics, Diana Prince is a behemoth of a woman, due to her intense physical training while living in Themyscira. She's a warrior, and she has impressive muscles to back up her super strength. Gal Gadot; however, originally comes from the modeling world and has a more typical model body- tall, thin, and striking. She lacks the traditional body mass and curves that seemingly all female superheroes contain.
However, one could easily argue that female comic book characters portray an impossible standard for the female form, and are usually fairly objectified with their costumes. So perhaps Gal Gadot's different (but no less similarly unattainable) body is a step forward for the genre.
But the bottom line is that Gal Gadot's performance as Wonder Woman is more significant than any physical traits her body does or does not have. She was extremely captivating during Batman v Superman, and once she was kicking ass with Superman and Batman a palpable boost of energy was felt in theaters. Plus, the trailer for Wonder Woman and Justice League all point to Gadot maintaining one of the brightest stars in the DCEU.
What do you think of Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman? Is she the perfect choice, or could Zack Snyder have gone in another direction? Sound off in the comments below.
