Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman: Pros and Cons

Gal Gadot is Wonder Woman in 'Man of Steel' Sequel

Warner Bros. is having a hard time with the ‘Man of Steel’ sequel since announcing its development at Comic Con 2013. People weren’t sure about having Batman in it given that Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy only concluded last year. Christian Bale’s performance, I suppose, is still fresh in the audience’s minds. Then came the news of Ben Affleck’s casting as Gotham’s Dark Knight. The internet was ripe with criticism, particularly regarding Affleck’s acting ability, and a frequently mentioned movie to illustrate this point was ‘Gigli’. The uproar was so great that Change.org even had a petition, requesting, or rather demanding Warner Bros. to cast a new face for the DC superhero. And now, we know that Wonder Woman will also feature in this ‘Man of Steel’ sequel. Isn’t it easier to call it ‘The Justice League’ instead?

We can put a face to Wonder Woman now, and it happens to be Gal Gadot, who starred in the ‘Fast and Furious’ franchise alongside the likes of Vin Diesel and Paul Walker. The internet yet again flooded with dissatisfaction, although it was less intense in comparison to news of Affleck’s casting. There were several reasons as to why Gal Gadot’s inclusion was received with negative feedback.

Cons

·         Many people were expecting to have other actresses vying for the role of the Amazonian. A front runner on most people’s minds was Jaimie Alexander, who plays Sif in the Thor movies. Some of her fans had even posted artwork online, depicting the actress as the female superhero. So when you don’t have your way with things, you are more than likely to pout about it.

·         Acting ability was yet again a concern this time. Besides the Fast and Furious movies, Gadot has no other noteworthy acting credentials to boast about.

·         Appearance was the number one worry among DC comic book fans. Take a look at any of Wonder Woman’s comic book appearances, and it’s clear that she’s somewhat athletic, muscular if I may say so, and generally fleshier than Gadot is right now. One thing that is really striking is her bust for its sheer voluptuousness, something that Gal Gadot doesn’t seem to have in her arsenal.

Not surprisingly, though, I find that most of the setbacks to having Gal Gadot are advantages to the movie.

Pros

·         She isn’t recognized strongly with another franchise. This is where I believe it is better to have Gadot than someone like Jaimie Alexander. Alexander is already associated with another movie series. She is Sif from the Thor movies. When people are overly familiar with an actor or actress playing a specific role for a franchise, it’s difficult for them to process that actor playing someone else. This is especially true if that actor finds work in the same genre. Hugh Jackman is Wolverine. It would be preposterous to have him play another mutant or superhero, because he’s distinctly connected with the character of Wolverine. Since Gal Gadot isn’t linked significantly to a specific franchise, this baggage doesn’t come along with her casting.

·         To me, her appearance is an advantage. Gadot has won the Miss Israel title (2004) and represented her country in the Miss Universe pageant. Is there a greater accolade to represent one’s beauty in this world? She has the same hair color as Wonder Woman and same skin tone as well.

·         She has had military training with the Israel Army and served in the Israel Defense Forces for 2 years. This was the specific reason that she cited for Justin Lin having recruited her for the Fast and Furious movies. Wonder Woman, too, has to exhibit her own share of fighting prowess, not to mention using her “Lasso of Truth.’ Given her training with the military, this stuff should come naturally to her.

I know that people will still pick on her appearance. But remember that Gadot will be working with Zack Snyder. Snyder, through his partnership with Gym Jones, turned the cast of 300 and Henry Cavill into walking army tanks. I’m sure he could do the same with Gadot, though not to such a great extent. Actors have been known to put on weight for their film roles. Christian Bale frequently adjusts his weight for his films, putting on 10 or 20 kilos at a moment’s notice. Chris Pratt recently got in shape for his job in ‘Guardians of the Galaxy.’ It can be done. The only problem is that I’m not aware of any female celebrities putting on weight for their movies. Usually it happens the other way. Charlize Theron put on weight for her film ‘Monster’ but lost her sex appeal along with it (in her defense, she had to play a serial killer). Gadot can’t afford to have that for this movie role.

Personally, I think that this is only a minor qualm. These days, aspects like appearance can be fixed easily due to stellar make up departments and digital technology. Then we mustn’t forge the power of natural exercise. Snyder and co will work hard at making Gadot an Amazonian Princess. Quite frankly, I don’t share the worries and concerns of the masses about Gal Gadot’s casting. I’m more troubled by all these components taking the spotlight off the Man of Steel. I thought this was supposed to be a Superman movie.