It was widely reported last year that Warner Bros was taking a very unique and possibly controversial approach to their slate of DC Comics movies. Instead of following in the supposedly very well-planted footsteps of rival Marvel, they were not mapping out all their stories a decade in advance with a singular creative vision guiding and corralling the different properties. Instead, risking a lack of cohesion between titles, WB reportedly had different screenwriters simultaneously working on multiple script ideas, and then in the end they would choose the one they like the most.
And when it comes to Wonder Woman, a landmark title in the comic book movie genre, the guy who apparently impressed the most was screenwriter Jason Fuchs. He reportedly came out tops in a group of five possible treatments that were in contention for the gig. Go check on IMDB and you’ll see his name right there on the writing credits, only sharing am honorary billing with the character’s creator William M. Marston. But apparently that’s wrong… according to WB themselves.
The studio unveiled their lineup yesterday for next week’s San Diego Comic-Con and there was an interesting revelation in the film’s first officially released synopsis. See if you can spot it.
“Wonder Woman” hits movie theaters around the world next summer when Gal Gadot returns as the title character in the epic action adventure from director Patty Jenkins. Before she was Wonder Woman, she was Diana, princess of the Amazons, trained to be an unconquerable warrior. Raised on a sheltered island paradise, when an American pilot crashes on their shores and tells of a massive conflict raging in the outside world, Diana leaves her home, convinced she can stop the threat. Fighting alongside man in a war to end all wars, Diana will discover her full powers…and her true destiny.
Joining Gadot in the international cast are Chris Pine, Connie Nielsen, Robin Wright, David Thewlis, Danny Huston, Elena Anaya, Ewen Bremner and Saïd Taghmaoui. Jenkins directs the film from a screenplay by Allan Heinberg and Geoff Johns, story by Zack Snyder & Allan Heinberg, based on characters from DC Entertainment. Wonder Woman was created by William Moulton Marston. The film is produced by Charles Roven, Zack Snyder, Deborah Snyder and Richard Suckle, with Rebecca Roven, Stephen Jones, Wesley Coller and Geoff Johns serving as executive producers. Warner Bros. Pictures presents, in association with RatPac-Dune Entertainment, an Atlas Entertainment/Cruel and Unusual production, “Wonder Woman.” The film is scheduled for release on June 2, 2017, and will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.
Wait, where’s Jason Fuchs’ name? It’s absolutely nowhere to be found! Instead we get “screenplay by Allan Heinberg and Geoff Johns, story by Zack Snyder & Allan Heinberg”, and besides for the Zack Snyder bit, I actually can’t be happier. If you know comics in the slightest, then you know the name of Geoff Johns, who has been the Chief Creative Officer of DC Comics since 2010, but more importantly, has also been responsible for some of the biggest and most popular comic book stories at the publisher for the last decade and a half, including a fan-favourite run on “Wonder Woman”. He also actually started his career in comic book movies as he was a production assist to Superman director Richard Donner, which is what actually led to him working at DC Comics. Since then though, he’s also done an extensive bit of writing/producing on various comic book TV series, and co-wrote the upcoming solo Batman movie with star/director Ben Affleck
As for Heinberg, he is a prolific TV writer/producer who worked on some of the biggest shows of the modern age like Party of Five, The OC, Sex and the City, Gilmore Girls, Grey’s Anatomy and more. More fittingly though, he’s also worked a fair amount in the comics industry, writing the critically acclaimed “Young Avengers” for Marvel, and doing a run on “JLA” with none other Geoff Johns. The most appropriate feather in his cap though, is that following the Johns penned “Infinite Crisis” miniseries which reset the DC Comics universe, it was Heinberg and artist Jim Chung who actually relaunched the new “Wonder Woman” comic book.
In other words, to summarize the above two paragraphs, you could not have asked for two more qualified men to tackle this movie. I mean, no offense to Jason Fuchs, but compare their credentials to his filmography of Pan and Ice Age: Continental Drift. I have to add though that I specifically said “qualified men” two sentences ago, because obviously first prize here would actually have been to get equally as talented/qualified female writers on board, seeing just how important this movie is when it comes breaking new ground in the genre. Seriously, why has nobody offered Gail Simone a screenwriting gig yet?
But with that being said, I really liked what I saw of Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and Patty Jenkins is an intriguing choice of director, so I was already stoked to see what they can deliver. With Heinberg and Johns on board, my hype meter officially just shot sky high.
Last Updated: July 14, 2016
