Background was involved in early attempts to make a Wonder Woman film. Development for a live-action
Wonder Woman film began in 1996, with
Ivan Reitman attached as producer and possible director. In 1999, the project became attached to screenwriter
Jon Cohen and producer
Joel Silver with the hope that
Sandra Bullock would play Diana. By 2001,
Todd Alcott was hired to write the screenplay, with
Silver Pictures backing the project. At that time,
Mariah Carey and
Catherine Zeta-Jones were also rumored to be possible candidates for the role of Diana.
Lucy Lawless, the star of
Xena: Warrior Princess, was also under consideration for the part, although she was interested in playing a "flawed hero" version of the character. The screenplay went through various drafts written by Alcott, Cohen, Becky Johnston and Philip Levens. By August 2003, Levens had been replaced by
Laeta Kalogridis. In March 2005,
Warner Bros. and Silver Pictures announced that
Joss Whedon would write and direct the film. Early drafts of Whedon's screenplay included Steve Trevor as the narrator, a fierce battle between Diana and her mother over Trevor's welfare, and Trevor's need to frequently rescue Diana, who was rendered helpless by the modern world. During Whedon's tenure as screenwriter,
Kate Beckinsale was being considered for the role of Diana, although she did not like the script. Whedon, who wanted
Angelina Jolie to star in the film, was not able to complete his screenplay and left the project in 2007. A day before Whedon's departure, Warner Bros. and Silver Pictures purchased a
spec script for the film written by Matthew Jennison and Brent Strickland. Although the screenplay—which was set during World War II—had impressed Silver Pictures executives, Joel Silver said they purchased it to avoid future legal action if Warner Bros.' Wonder Woman film ended up bearing similarities to the script. Around the same time, Warner Bros. began development of a
Justice League film with Michele and
Kieran Mulroney writing the screenplay. The film, entitled
Justice League: Mortal, would have featured Australian model
Megan Gale as Diana in the character's cinematic debut. The film was later cancelled due to production delays and budgetary concerns. By April 2008, Silver had hired Jennison and Strickland to write a new script set in contemporary times that would not depict Diana's origin, but would explore the history of
Themiscyra.
Development in 2018 Between 2010 and 2013, executives at Warner Bros. and DC Entertainment reiterated their intention to produce a Wonder Woman film. In 2013, filmmaker
Paul Feig said he had unsuccessfully
pitched an action-comedy Wonder Woman film to Warner Bros. By October 2014, the studio was searching for a female director for the project.
Michelle MacLaren was selected, but she left the project due to creative differences. In 2015,
Patty Jenkins accepted an offer to direct a Wonder Woman film based on a screenplay by Allan Heinberg and a story by Heinberg, Zack Snyder and Jason Fuchs. Heinberg's script was rewritten and completed by Jenkins and
Geoff Johns, who was given screenplay credit by the studio but was left out of the official credits by the
WGA. It was decided that Jenkins' film would include Diana's origin story. The character would be the same version that appeared in
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016). Diana's origin story would occur during World War I—a departure from her
origin story in the comics, which depicts her supporting the
Allies during
World War II. Jenkins drew inspiration from
William Moulton Marston's Wonder Woman stories of the 1940s and
George Perez's stories of the 1980s, which modernized the character. The film also incorporates elements from
The New 52 comic reboot, which depicts
Wonder Woman as the daughter of
Zeus. Jenkins cited
Richard Donner's
Superman (1978) as a significant influence on the film's tone and storytelling. She wanted Diana to be vulnerable, warm and "filled with love". She also wanted her to be a flawed character as opposed to one who is "impeccably right".
Casting In 2013,
Gal Gadot was cast as Diana for Zack Snyder's upcoming film
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016), and signed a three-picture deal with the studio. Snyder said Gadot's ability to be both kind and fierce made her stand out during auditions. Although Jenkins was at first disappointed that she was unable to assist in casting Diana, she eventually decided that Gadot was the perfect choice. She felt that Gadot shares "every quality" with Diana. Some criticized the casting, arguing that Gadot's
Israeli heritage should have disqualified her from playing a character that is often seen as an American symbol of freedom. Others said she was too thin to portray Diana, who has been traditionally depicted as
busty and muscular. Gadot dismissed the criticism, although she did build muscle for the role. She took lessons in
swordsmanship,
Kung Fu,
kickboxing,
capoeira, and
Brazilian jiu-jitsu, as well as horseback riding. She trained six hours a day for six months, and gained 17 pounds. She said her training for the film was more intense than her training for the Israeli army. Gadot has described the Diana of
Wonder Woman as relatable, compassionate, and
emotionally intelligent, with "the heart of a human". She explained that Diana is naive about the world and unaware of gender norms, inequality between women and men, and the rules of society. Gadot said Diana's ignorance causes her to view the world with genuine curiosity, and that
Wonder Woman can be viewed as a
coming-of-age story. Gadot explained that when she and Jenkins had conversations about the character, they realized that Diana could be a normal woman who can become confused and lose her confidence.
Chris Pine was cast as
Steve Trevor, and signed a multi-picture deal. As a boy, Pine had idolized the fighter pilot Goose from
Top Gun, and so the role of Trevor—who is both a pilot and a spy—felt like a childhood dream come true. Pine described Trevor as a worldly, charming and cynical rogue who has seen "the awful brutish nature of modern civilization".
Nicole Kidman was in negotiations for the role of
Hippolyta, but could not commit due to scheduling conflicts with
Big Little Lies.
Charlize Theron turned down the role.
Connie Nielsen recalled that Snyder pushed Jenkins to meet with her, despite Jenkins thinking Nielsen was too tough for the part. When Jenkins and Nielsen finally met, they quickly bonded, which led to Nielsen's casting. According to Nielsen, she worked out six hours a day to prepare for the film—two hours of weight training, two hours of sword training and two hours of horseback riding. She read
The Amazons by Adrienne Mayor to familiarize herself with women warriors and said "I used what I learned in Mayor's book as a rallying cry for how I approached Hippolyta".
Elena Anaya was cast as
Dr. Maru. Anaya said her character is the opposite of Diana, as Dr. Maru "loves rage and enjoys people's pain ... her purpose in life is to kill as many people as possible". Anaya said Dr. Maru's facial scars were the result of chemical tests she performed on herself. To prepare for the role, Anaya researched
Fritz Haber, the scientist who created
mustard gas.
Robin Wright plays the Amazon
Antiope. Wright's preparation for the film included horseback riding, weight training, martial arts, and eating 2,000–3,000 calories a day. Wright said Antiope's duty is to ensure Diana is "the fiercest warrior of all time." According to Wright,
Wonder Woman is about "love and justice."
Eugene Brave Rock was cast as Chief after an audition in which he forgot his lines. Brave Rock, who grew up in the
Kainai Nation of southern
Alberta, raised concerns with Jenkins over the presentation of his character in the film, particularly that he was not comfortable playing into stereotypes and that he was not keen on his character being known simply as "Chief". Jenkins responded by giving him a measure of creative control over his character, which he felt was "unprecedented". It was Brave Rock's idea to have Chief introduce himself to Diana in his native
Blackfoot language.
Danny Huston described his character
Erich Ludendorff as a stubborn and patriotic pragmatist who believes he is acting for the betterment of humanity. Huston said the "diabolical" and "tortured" Ludendorff believes that war is a "natural habitat" for humans. Huston said that
Wonder Woman is an
anti-war film.
Costume design Diana's costume in
Wonder Woman was designed by
Lindy Hemming, who built upon Diana's costume from
Batman v Superman. Hemming's design was influenced by ancient Greek and
Roman armor. It includes leather skirts modeled after
pteruges worn by
Hoplite soldiers, and
gilded breastplates reflecting Amazon warrior culture. Bonetto explained that, "Italy had beautiful weather, a beautiful blue-green sea, not too much tide, not too much wave." The visual effects team would later add some digital cliffs to the location. For the battle sequence between Amazons and German soldiers on the beach of Themyscira, the crew built a rig that allowed the camera to move from a high vantage point down to ground level while capturing the action in slow motion. Jenkins shot
Wonder Woman on
35mm film instead of digital video because she felt it would add to the escapism value of the film. Jenkins and director of photography Matt Jensen said the film's look was inspired by the paintings of
John Singer Sargent.
Principal photography for
Wonder Woman began on November 21, 2015. Filming took place in England in the
Lower Halstow village of
Kent, at
Hatfield House in Hertfordshire, and at
Australia House. Filming locations in southern Italy included
Sassi di Matera,
Castel del Monte Principal photography finished on May 9, 2016, and reshoots took place that November, while Gadot was five months pregnant. A
green cloth was placed over her pregnant belly so it could be edited out during post-production. According to Jenkins,
Warner Bros. mandated that she change the final act of the film near the end of production. She had wanted Diana to face Sir Patrick, but in the original script he did not turn into Ares. However, Jenkins said the studio demanded that Ares appear. Some fans and reviewers have criticized the end of the film for being unsatisfying and utilizing low-quality visual effects. Jenkins said the effects were rushed because they were created at the last minute.
Music Rupert Gregson-Williams composed the film's musical score, with assistance from Evan Jolly, Tom Howe, Andrew Kawczynski and Paul Mounsey. The
Wonder Woman soundtrack was released on CD, digital and vinyl the same day as the film. ==Marketing==