David E. Kelley‘s re-imagining of the D.C. comic’s character has found it’s leading lady, with 27 year old Adrianne Palicki landing the iconic role of Wonder Woman. The actress was last seen in the short lived series ‘Lonestar’ and played the tough-as-nails Tyra Collette in ‘Friday Night Lights’. She also had guest stints on ‘Smallville’ and ‘Supernatural’, and she’ll next be seen in the upcoming remake of ‘Red Dawn’.
At one stage Wonder Woman almost didn’t make it to television with the major networks passing on the pilot, including NBC. Though with the recent Comcast merger there was a change of heart in the NBC boardroom and the show was ordered to pilot.
Last week it was announced that Jeff Reiner will be helming the all important first episode which can make or break a show. Reiner recently directed the pilot for ‘The Event’ and has served as director/co-executive producer on ‘Friday Night Lights’ where he first worked with Palicki.
The Wonder Woman image was recently overhauled in the comics so don’t expect a bikini clad super hero but a suave and sensibly dressed crime-fighter. The part has dual roles which makes things interesting; the business exec Diana Themyscira and her alias Diana Prince. As the Crime Fighter and C.E.O. of Themyscira Industries, her company sells Wonder Woman merchandise to help fund her missions, but since the public knows Diana Themyscira is Wonder Woman, she’s invented a secret identity, Diana Prince, complete with glasses and contact lenses that allow her to do her thing without attracting attention.
Snippets from the pilot script have leaked online and reveal the concept offers a tongue in cheek rendition of the comic that will certainly lend itself to Kelley’s penchant for dialogue. Kelley will serve as executive producer along with frequent collaborator Bill D’Elia.
This marks the first big outing of the character since the 1970s TV series that’s been synonymous with Lynda Carter‘s portrayal. Admittedly it will be cool to see this classic super-hero in today’s hi-tech world and Adrianne Palicki seems a good fit for the role. Whether audience’s are ready for a new Wonder Woman is yet to be seen, but if Kelley can make a courtroom inquisition fun, then he should be able to draw inspiration for the updating of this iconic character.
via: Deadline
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