Time to polish those bracelets and tiaras, people! The two actresses who’ve embodied Wonder Woman onscreen are set to pay a visit to the United Nations this month! We’ve got the full story in today’s Movie Morsels, as well as the latest on Gal Gadot‘s Wonder Woman movie. Plus, an update on Disney’s live-action The Lion King, a new behind-the-scenes video look at Doctor Strange, and much more!
Wonder Woman
Get us out from under, Wonder Woman! If you grew up in the ’70s or ’80s then chances are Lynda Carter will forever define Wonder Woman for you. But there’s a good chance that the kids of today are starting to feel the same way about Gal Gadot, especially when ‘ol Wondy finally has a movie all to herself next year. But whichever lady you prefer, we can enjoy the sight of both Wonder Women at once when Gadot and Carter appear together in New York on October 21st to celebrate Wonder Woman’s appointment as the U.N.’s honorary ambassador for the empowerment of women and girls. It’s a role the character is perfectly suited for in real life, especially since she once worked for a time at the U.N. Crisis Bureau during her comics career.
Hey, speaking of the Wonder Woman movie, director Patty Jenkins has a few words to say about the hugely anticipated epic. In a new interview with Variety, Jenkins says her film draws inspiration from the Godfather of all comic book movies: Richard Donner’s Superman.
“Superman was all about you,†says the director. “It was about you watching and realizing what it would feel like to have great powers and do great things. It was full of love and emotion.”
As for the film’s depiction of Wonder Woman’s origin, which has changed several times throughout the decades, DC publisher Jim Lee tells Variety, “Patty has really taken a very inclusive approach and tried to weave a lot of these disparate elements into one cohesive whole. Fans who have been reading Wonder Woman for decades will be really blown away by how [the film] synthesizes the origins and brings her into the modern era.”
[LA Times]
The Lion King
Good news for those of you who just can’t wait for Disney’s CG-animated Simba to be king! Director Jon Favreau’s live-action adaptation of the ’90s blockbuster The Lion King has just nabbed itself a screenwriter in the form of Jeff Nathanson (best known for scripting Steven Spielberg’s Catch Me If You Can). The film still doesn’t have a release date, but since it’s described as being “fast-tracked” I’m sure we don’t have too long to wait before Elton John and Tim Rice’s tunes are stuck in our heads once more.
[Deadline]
Don Quixote
And speaking of Disney adaptations… The Mouse House is also developing an adaptation of Miguel de Cervantes’ masterpiece of Spanish literature Don Quixote, with a script by Hunger Games screenwriter Billy Ray. With Terry Gilliam’s looong-planned take on the tale (pictured above in the documentary Lost in La Mancha) stalled once more, this may be the next version of the novel to hit theaters. What worries me just a little bit, however, is that The Hollywood Reporter says the studio’s plan is “to adapt the work in a tone the recalls the madcap and fantastical nature of Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean movies.” As anyone who’s read the witty, lyrical, and meta-before-was-such-a-thing Don Quixote can tell you, it’s about as friggin’ far from Pirates of the Caribbean as can be.
Doctor Strange
Stephen Strange’s beloved Vishanti is indeed as deathless as he incants… With the release of Marvel’s Doctor Strange a mere three weeks away, the folks at Disney (yup, them again) have just released yet another featurette that serves as a primer into the mystic mage’s universe. This one looks at the film’s cast of supporting characters, including Mordo, Christine Palmer, the Ancient One, and Wong…
Open your mind. Change your reality. Watch this featurette and learn about the characters in #DoctorStrange, in theaters November 4th! pic.twitter.com/cHBFTREvTY
— Doctor Strange (@DrStrange) October 13, 2016
[Twitter]
Collateral Beauty
Finally today… Our friends over at Warner Bros. have just shared with us the poster for their tragic-but-ultimately-uplifting holiday drama Collateral Beauty. The film stars Will Smith as an ad exec who suffers a personal tragedy, only to get by with a little help from his friends. What interests me most are the actors who play those friends, all of whom are depicted on the one-sheet below. I mean, can any film with Edward Norton, Kate Winslet, Helen Mirren, Keira Knightley, Michael Pena, and Naomie Harris not be worth watching?
What do you think of today’s top stories? Let us know below!
Featured Image: Warner Bros.
Images: Warner Bros., Disney, IFC Films
