Last week, actor Saïd Taghmaoui posted two photos on Instagram including an image of himself and Chris Pine in costume, indicating that filming had begun on ‘Wonder Woman’ despite Warner Brothers not making an official announcement.  Taghmaoui’s photos were quickly deleted (but you can still see them here) but this is the Internet and the cat was out of the bag.  ‘Wonder Woman’ is filming for a summer 2017 release.

Finally, WB has owned up and released a press release which reveals the main cast and crew and best of all, a photo of gorgeous Gal Gadot decked out as the title hero.

First, here is the press release:

BURBANK, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Principal photography is underway on Warner Bros. Pictures’ Wonder Woman feature film, the highly anticipated action adventure from director Patty Jenkins (“Monster,” AMC’s “The Killing”), starring Gal Gadot (the “Fast & Furious” movies) in the role of Diana Prince/Wonder Woman. The character will make her big screen debut this spring in “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice,” but the new film will mark her first time headlining a feature.

The film also stars Chris Pine (the “Star Trek” films) as Captain Steve Trevor, Robin Wright (“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,” Netflix’s “House of Cards”), Danny Huston (“Clash of the Titans,” “X-Men Origins: Wolverine”), David Thewlis (the “Harry Potter” films, “The Theory of Everything”), Ewen Bremner (“Exodus: Gods and Kings,” “Snowpiercer”), Saïd Taghmaoui (“American Hustle”), Elena Anaya (“The Skin I Live In”) and Lucy Davis (“Shaun of the Dead”).


The film is being produced by Charles Roven, Zack Snyder and Deborah Snyder, with Richard Suckle, Stephen Jones, Wesley Coller, Geoff Johns and Rebecca Roven serving as executive producers.

Joining Jenkins behind the camera are director of photography Matthew Jensen (“Chronicle,” “Fantastic Four,” HBO’s “Game of Thrones”), Oscar-nominated production designer Aline Bonetto (“Amélie,” “A Very Long Engagement,” “Pan”), and Oscar-winning editor Martin Walsh (“Chicago,” “Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit,” “V for Vendetta”), and Oscar-winning costume designer Lindy Hemming (“The Dark Knight” trilogy, “Topsy-Turvy”).

Principal photography will take place on location in the UK, France and Italy.

Set to open in 2017, the Wonder Woman feature film is based on characters created by William Moulton Marston, appearing in comic books published by DC Entertainment. It will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.

The cast features some pretty recognizable names, but one big name is missing: Nicole Kidman.  The star was rumored to be in talks for a role in the movie as an Amazon (perhaps as Hippolyta?), but her name is not listed in the press release.  Robin Wright is in the same age range as Kidman, so perhaps the negotiations did not work out, with Wright stepping in in her place.

Otherwise, the one casting that jumps out at me is Lucy Davis, who has had many memorable roles, perhaps mostly as Dianne in ‘Shaun of the Dead’ and Dawn in the original British version of ‘The Office’ (she was the Pam part, if you are only familiar with the U.S. show).  If I had to guess, I would say she’d make an excellent Etta Candy!  But we’ll have to wait and see.

And now the first look of Gadot in costume from her own movie:

Okay, so she is draped in a hooded cloak, but the photo is quite striking and dramatic and gives a tease of the probable tone of the film.  Her tiara looks similar, if not identical to the one from ‘Batman V Superman’ and the addition of the leather straps to her hands give her a certain ruggedness.  If you look closely, she appears to have some sort of markings on her neck, which may be a choker like the character currently wears in the comics.

One oddity is her bullet-proof bracelets looks like malleable leather not hard metal.  But it’s just the first look, so maybe they just aren’t reading right or maybe Gadot will wear more comfortable bracelets for distance shots and heavier metallic ones for close ups and action shots.

As a bonus, here is a look at her logo from ‘Batman V Superman’:

This logo will appear on officially licensed products like this tee shirt:

So until ‘Wonder Woman’ arrives, at least you know you can stock up on WW merch from next year’s film!

What do you think so far?  Granted, there isn’t a lot to go on just yet but are you getting excited that after 75 years, Wonder Woman is getting ready to soar in her own big budget Hollywood film?

Gal Gadot debuts as Wonder Woman in ‘Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice’ directed by Zack Snyder and starring Henry Cavill, Ben Affleck, Amy Adams, Jesse Eisenberg, Jeremy Irons, Laurence Fishburn, Holly Hunter, Jena Malone, Michael Shannon, Scoot McNairy and Jeffrey Dean Morgan with (possible) cameos by Ray Fisher, Jason Momoa and Ezra Miller.  The film is set for release on March 25, 2016.

‘Wonder Woman’ is scheduled for release on June 23, 2017

Source: Collider, Comic Book Movie