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Warner Bros. acquires another "Wonder Woman" script

By: Karl Schneider
 Date: Thursday, February 01, 2007
Source: Hollywood Reporter

According to the Hollywood Reporter, Warner Bros. Pictures is in the process of purchasing a spec script from Matthew Jennison and Brent Strickland based on Wonder Woman.

The studio is currently developing a seperate big-screen adaptation of the DC superhero with Joss Whedon attached to write and direct the project.

The purchase is said to be a pre-emptive measure in order to get the script off the market and protect itself against the possibility that any similarities between the scripts could be fodder for future legal action.

The new script is said to set Wonder Woman against the backdrop of World War II, while Whedon's piece is set in the present day.  Executives were reportedly impressed with the new script.


KJ's Take:  Well now, that's something you don't hear every day.  I'm not quite sure about all the legal mumbo jumbo, but shouldn't DC and WB already own the rights to Wonder Woman?  Thus couldn't they simply sue the living daylights out of anyone trying to make another Wonder Woman based film with a similar character or copyright infringement?  I mean, I can't just go and write a script to a new Superman Movie set in the year 2030 and shop it to studios ...

This all sounds a bit shady to me.

Could Whedon be having serious trouble with the script?  I have a lot of faith in Whedon, but it has been quite a while and the fact that WB is quietly buying another Wonder Woman script has to be cause for at least SOME alarm in the Whedon camp.

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Comments/Responses
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exfan • Feb 01, 2007, 02:21am •
Enough !!! Can hollywood stop one minute to look at the past ! The suppose to be the light in the movie industry, the liberty statue who give ligth to the world, what is that, they live with shadows from yesterday, Look forward, don t look back, do more matrix things show the world you still the best

woodwraith • Feb 01, 2007, 03:06am •
I just hope this movie turns out good. I loved Serenity. When I saw that movie at the theater, I did not know there was a TV series, which I later bought on DVD. I thought the story was great and well written.

I hope Wedon isn't having troubles with this. But who knows? This is the only news conscerning Wonder Woman that I have heard in a long time. It may not mean much.

dallaswinston • Feb 01, 2007, 07:38am •
I hope its set in the WWII backdrop. The Tv show was the best when she fought the Nazi's. I hate present day adaptations.

teabagging2000 • Feb 01, 2007, 07:50am •
The thing about Nazis is, they're an easy villain. We know they're bad so we're on the side of their enemy automatically. It makes me wonder if they're having trouble coming up with a nemesis for her. In any case, I believe anyone can write a script and have it copyrighted. The only way the writer will make any money off it, in the case of these comic movies, if to sell it to the studio that has the rights to that character. Now, if the studio makes another script into the movie but there are many glaring similarities to the unused copyrighted script, a lawsuit is possible. Again, the problem with comic movie origin stories is that there are going to be a lot of similarities right off the bat so there really has to be some evidence of blatantly ripping off the unused script. So yes, I can write a script for Superman in 2030, have it copyrighted but no studio would buy it unless they had the rights to Supes. "Shopping around" a script usually implies an original idea and script. When the matrix was new unknown, the Wach brothers shopped it around for anyone interested. Does this sound right or is there a lawyer out there to clarify?

myklspader • Feb 01, 2007, 08:37am •
If Whedon is having any toruble it is probably because he wants the script/characters to to go one way and Joel Silver and co. want something either more of a slut WW or simple plot that idiots can follow.

jamesdalton • Feb 01, 2007, 09:07am •
Unfortunately, Whedon is having problems with his script. He says it's the hardest thing he's had to write, thus far.

You can read it from the man himself at Whedonesque.com. Occassionally, he posts on the chat boards under the name "joss".

This sounds like bad news. Personally, I hope WW falls through for Whedon, the other film he's working on -- Goners -- sounds a lot cooler.

kinetoscope • Feb 01, 2007, 09:14am •
Joss, is the man. I am sure he's not having problems with a script. This could be a publicity joke or just a good idea that they heard about that they would like to look into. I agree that Joel Silver and company could be messing things up. Go Joss Go. Please make WW Mrs Charpenter!!!

wessmith1966 • Feb 01, 2007, 09:27am •
Whedon's very good at writing women-centric scripts and characters, so I have faith that he'll get it right. WW fighting Nazis, if done well might be good, but it might also be too close to the TV show. If you set the movie in modern times, who does she fight? Terrorists? Doubtful. Some corporate bad-guy? been done in a couple of fan films you can see at comics2film.com. A rogue Amazon from her past maybe? I don't know. Maybe mix Whedon's style with the tone of DC's large format Wonder Woman story dawn by Alex Ross from a few years ago. She's a warrior, a diplomat and a goddess...not to mention second or third on the DC power tier.

fft5305 • Feb 01, 2007, 10:10am •
From what I've read, the problem isn't with the company owning the rights to the character. The problem is if there are similarities in the plot or story, and the writers have proof that WB has possession of the script, they can sue saying that WB stole their story without paying them. Even if it's not true, just a coincidence etc. So WB is buying the rights now to head off any potential litigation in the future.

mbeckham1 • Feb 01, 2007, 10:25am •
Maybe they want the rights to this script squared away early incase Whedon's movie is a hit and they want to fast track a sequel.

Also, Whedon likes backstory and mythos, so I expect we can expect some greek mythology and a storyline involving her Amazonian past. Rogue Amazon, or problems with the gods, would seem a like likely storylines.

Or maybe Whedon was planning a WWII sequel, or prequel as the case may be and he thought the material in the new script would work wwell with his own ideas so he wanted WB to set up a collaboration. I know Whedomn likes war themes and settings as well, as we've seen in Angel and Firefly.

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