Wonder Woman Poised To Save TV?

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She’s been through triumph and tragedy on the comics page, multiple reboots for different generations and a surprisingly successful redesign that only goes to prove how many people really wanted to see her in leggings, but can DC Comics’ Wonder Woman survive David E. Kelley? The Hollywood Reporter has the news that DC Entertainment and Warner Bros. Television have recruited the former Ally McBeal and Boston Legal creator to write and produce a new television incarnation of DC’s third most iconic character.

The news comes as a surprise, considering the often-discussed Wonder Woman movie that has been on-and-off for almost a decade now, with Joel Silver as executive producer and, at one time, Joss Whedon as writer, but perhaps it shouldn’t; not only has the WW movie failed to come together despite multiple tries – in part because, unlike fellow DC icons, Wonder Woman doesn’t have a definitive “story” – There isn’t a well-known origin, famous nemesis or singular anything that sticks out in the collective pop-cultural consciousness about the character, aside from her costume, and so any attempt to give her an identity all at once in a movie, as opposed to slowly and with the ability to course-correct dependent on viewer feedback on television, could doom the character to even longer in obscurity as a result. Also, television has historically been good to Wonder Woman – Hi, Lydia Carter! – so who says lightning can’t strike twice?

Personally, I’m cautiously looking forward to what Kelley comes up with, although I admit to hoping that DC Entertainment CCO Geoff Johns – as well as, ideally, past-Wonder Woman comic writers like Greg Rucka and Gail Simone – are looking over his shoulder and offering advice every step of the way.

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