The Amazons' New Clothes
Wonder Woman was a huge success for Warner Bros. With a gross income of over 800 million dollars worldwide and a final score of 92% on Rotten Tomatoes, it breathed new life into the struggling DC Cinematic Universe. The empowering depiction of the film's female characters, including the fighting technique
and stylized culture of the Amazons, were one of the things fans loved most about the movie.
Which is why Zack Snyder caused an Amazonian uproar on social media when he started sharing pictures of Amazons from Justice League in leather bikinis.
This abrupt change of direction is a shock and these outfits look like generic barbarian women from a game of Dungeons and Dragons. They completely lack the unique flavor of the Greco-Roman-inspired armor ensembles that Lindy Hemming put so much thought and historical research into creating for Wonder Woman. The Wonder Woman designs received acclaim from fans and costume fanatics alike. They were clearly inspired by the Amazon's origins in the Mediterranean and were feminine but very functional. Why mess with perfection?
Oh, right. The all-male team of directors and executive directors wanted women to fight in bikinis.
Wonder Woman began filming in 2015, the year before Justice League started filming in 2016. The Amazons' design was finalized and most of the costumes completed while Justice League was still in pre-production. That means that there were discussions about what the Amazons should wear into battle in Justice League and the epic designs from Wonder Woman were rejected in favor of leather bikinis. Let that sink in. They rejected already finished costumes to redesign and remake the armor so that more skin would be showing.
They rejected already finished costumes to redesign and remake the armor so that more skin would be showing.
Feel uncomfortable? You should. This isn't a new formula for comic books, films or TV shows. All these fields are dominated by white men and their creations reflect their own ideals. Women in films are four times more likely to be shown in sexy outfits and three times more likely to show some nudity. Zack Snyder's ideal female warrior wearing about the same as a Victoria's Secret model on the runway is not a new concept, it's just disappointing and insulting in 2017.
Fans have been trying to come up with theories to rationalize the dramatic shift in costumes for the all-female civilization. Memes are making the rounds on social media speculating that the barbarian outfits are from thousands of years ago, or that it is another tribe of Amazons. Not knowing the movie's full plot, I can't say if this was the intention. I guess the theory is that the Amazons didn't know how to make armor when everyone else on earth did... because girls? (insert eye roll) I reject the idea that the Amazons were ever ignorant enough to wear these garments into battle. They have all the knowledge of the ancient world and the Greek pantheon, but based on the production pictures, it looks like the men from Atlantis and man's world had figured out armor while the Amazons were still dressing like bad Conan clichés. There are also plenty of pictures of "modern" Amazon armor that is still leaving their midriffs completely unprotected. An evolution of style would be appropriate but the Amazons would not plan to go into battle with their vital organs exposed.
To be absolutely clear, my issue is not with the lack of modesty. The Amazons in Wonder Woman wore sports-bra-like outfits when they were not in battle and I think that is very realistic for a society that lives in a Mediterranean climate. My problem is a millennia-old military culture wearing bikinis into battle because they are women. My problem is a wise civilization that was created by the gods to protect the world thinking that soft leather is armor. I have a problem with a really great design being thrown out in favor of something that would excite the cis male gaze.
I have a problem with a really great design being thrown out in favor of something that would excite the cis male gaze.
The positive reception of Wonder Woman was a major blow to Zack Snyder's vision and forced Warner Bros. to course correct their failing DC Cinematic Universe. Joss Whedon stepped in as director after Snyder and a massive number of reshoots began. Many of the reshoots were reportedly to add more screen time to characters from Wonder Woman. I hope that some of these changes include more of Hemming's complete armor design.
(Special thanks to fellow Wonder Woman fan Wonder Bira for helping me track down some of the pictures I used in this article!)
Michelle MacLaren will Direct Wonder Woman
The official announcement of Wonder Woman's solo movie was a horribly anticlimactic moment for fans around the world. Warner Bros. released a list of ten upcoming DC titles, and Wonder Woman just happened to be on that list. No press event. No formal announcement at NYCC, which was only a few days prior. The world's most well-known female comic book hero and universal symbol for female empowerment had her movie announced in a list that included Shazam and the Suicide Squad. No offense to them, but they don't really belong on the same billing as Wonder Woman. Needless to say, I was seriously concerned for the fate of the Amazon Princess on screen and so disappointed I couldn't even bring myself to blog about it.
Then the announcement came that Michelle MacLaren would be directing Wonder Woman, and I was suddenly filled with hope.
Is it because Michelle is a woman? Absolutely not. I honestly don't think that gender can foretell how a writer or director will bring a character to life. There have been many male writers who have perfectly captured Diana on the page. George Perez is responsible for rebooting Wonder Woman and bringing her into the modern age of comics. Without his run, I don't think the Amazon Princess would have stayed relevant in the genre. Greg Rucka also springs to mind. I love his take on Diana and his graphic novel The Hiketeia is one of my favorite Wonder Woman titles. Most recently, Brian Azzarello rebooted Diana again for the New 52. Although his changes were controversial, his Wonder Woman was powerful, intelligent, and ground breaking. He brought Diana out of the shadows and made Wonder Woman one of the most successful titles in DC's new lineup. However, all good things must come to an end. The current FEMALE writer of Wonder Woman, Meredith Finch, is already drawing criticism for her rendition of Diana only one issue into her run. It's about respecting and understanding the character, not what reproductive organs the writer has.
Michelle is a very talented director with a knack for crafting impressive action sequences. She is best known for her directorial work on Game of Thrones, Breaking Bad, and The Walking Dead. Very few directors can bring the graphic sword fights of Game of Thrones to life and also create well-done shoot outs for Breaking Bad. THIS IS INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT! She has successfully navigated the fantasy/historical realm and the modern setting, both of which are necessary to bring Diana to life on the big screen. I think this makes Michelle uniquely qualified to take on the Amazon Princess, who must straddle the ancient traditions of Themyscria and the mean streets of man's world in the same film.
Considering that DC's movie universe is being overseen by the ass-hat who considered Sucker Punch a story of female empowerment, many Wonder Woman fans have been concerned about her film adaptation. Wonder Woman has been a symbol for female 
empowerment for decades, and it is vital that she is depicted as such in the movies. This is another area where Michelle shines. She has directed the female characters on Game of Thrones, The Walking Dead, and X-files, all of which are unique individuals with complex motivations. Any director who can capture the spirit of Arya Stark, the noble warrior nature of Brienne of Tarth, and the intelligence of Dana Scully has the potential to hit Wonder Woman out of the park.
Only time will tell, but this is definitely a step in the right direction.
UPDATE: 4/13/15 - Michelle MacLaren has dropped out of directing Wonder Woman due to what the parties involved are calling creative differences. It is unclear whether MacLaren's departure will affect the movie's scheduled release — it has been slotted for 2017.
Rainfall's Wonder Woman
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XATiV3gmy-Q
A few months ago, I was asked to help bring my hero to life. I thought I was dreaming when Sam Balcomb of Rainfall Films brought the initial idea to me. Was it possible that Wonder Woman might finally be represented well on screen? Would I really get to help make that dream into a reality?
Since that fateful day, I've been able to talk about Wonder Woman even more than usual. Breaking down everything from Diana's history and motivations, to classic comic poses and ancient Greek myths. We decided to heavily base our short on the Perez-era Wonder Woman, complete with Them
yscira and monsters out of Greek mythology. We poured over my collection of Wonder Woman comics to capture all the details, even if they would go unnoticed by most of the audience. Through it all, the Rainfall team was adamant about being true to the character, and making a truly kick-ass female superhero.
Then there was the most daunting task of all: designing the outfit. Costuming is a huge part of my life, and I've tried my hand at Wonder Woman's costume before, but we really wanted something unique that would pay homage to Diana's Greek and warrior roots. It had to be functional, but still capture the iconic look that is so familiar to pop culture. We finally settled on two distinct looks, a more armored suit for the flashbacks to Paradise Island and a sleeker look for the city scenes. Our incredible costuming team, Heather Greene and Sarah Skinner, were able to create the entire costume from scratch, including the leather armor and steel scale maille. Yours truly braided the Lasso of Truth!
The days on set were incredible. Everyone was thrilled to be a part of the project. Rileah Vanderbilt, who plays Wonder Woman in the short, was incredibly dedicated and a huge Wonder Woman fan! The stunt team was incredibly talented and we all watched in amazement as Wonder Woman, with their help, flew for the first time. America Young, Clare Grant, Alicia 
Marie, Christy Hauptman, and myself filled out the rest of the Amazons. It was so much fun getting to know these wonderful women while dressing up and playing with swords. It was even more fun to reconnect with all of them at Comic-Con 2013 a few weeks after shooting. Rileah and I even hit the convention floor cosplaying as Wonder Woman and Big Barda, also from DC Comics.
This was truly a labor of love. By combining our talents and passion for this character, I believe we were able to create something worthy of the Amazon Princess. I will be posting more info about this project in coming weeks, but in the meantime, I hope you enjoy our passion project!