- Merciful Minerva, we paid a visit to the Wonder Woman set
and we've got some Amazon-sized scoops
on today's Nerdist News.
(alarm blaring)
And I'm back, yay. (crowd cheering)
Ever since Superman snapped Zod's neck
at the end of 2013's Man of Steel,
DC's cinematic universe has been a little bit of a bummer,
noted more for its gray color palette
and grayer subject matter
than for its sense of fun or wonder,
things that people are apparently
looking for in their superhero stories,
but beyond all the dawns of justice and suicide squads,
there has been a small glimmer of hope on the horizon,
and her name is Wonder Woman.
Technically, Diana Prince.
I mean, I guess you could say Wonder Woman
although that's more of just like a mantle, but whatever.
Semantics.
From trailer one, we've been seeing signs
that Diana Prince's first foray
into the big screen solo adventure
would be breaking the DCEU mold.
It looked more colorful.
It looked more hopeful.
It had dialogue that actually made us laugh.
Simply put, if there was going to be a brighter future
for the DCEU, it was all going to fall
on the shoulders of our favorite Amazonian princess.
Well, today, we are thrilled to report
that there's even more reason to believe in Wonder Woman.
Last week, director Patty Jenkins invited
a few reporters to the film's set in London,
including Nerdist's very own Alicia Lutes,
and the tales they returned with should inspire faith
in even the most ardent of DC dissidents,
so get ready because we are going to break down
everything we learned from the Wonder Woman set visit,
and since I am currently bound by the lasso of truth,
I have to be honest with you guys, there will be spoilers.
Alright, so the first big deal reveal is
a full synopsis of the film's plot.
Until now, we've been stringing together
whatever small details we could from the trailer
to guess what might be going on, but thanks to Jenkins,
we now know Wonder Woman will be an origin story,
something that was very important to the director,
and something we're pretty excited to hear.
At this point, we may not need another retelling
of Bruce Wayne watching his parents get shot
or Peter Parker getting bit by a radioactive spider,
but Wonder Woman's origins have never been given
the proper cinematic treatment that they deserve
and seeing as how she's one of the most
iconic superheroes ever, we say it's about time.
Apparently, the film will start in modern day,
with Diana still working at the Louvre
before she flashes back to her childhood on Themyscira.
In the past, we learn that the Amazonians
were relatively unaware of what was happening
in the outside world until a dashing fighter pilot
by the name of Steve Trevor came crashing onto their shores.
Trevor informs Themyscira that there is a world war
going on, the very first World War, to be specific,
and this sends Diana into action.
She believes that Ares, the god of war,
must be at the front lines of this great war,
and the only way to end it is to end him,
so she takes off for man's world to find and kill Ares,
wielding the deity-slaying sword,
the God Killer, which is pretty cool.
We love how this plot sets the stage
for a lot of fun fish out of water hijinks
while still giving Diana a truly epic destiny to fulfill.
She's going to kill the very concept of war,
but she's going to hit a few comedic road bumps
along the way as her matriarchal outlook clashes
with the not-so-woke world of the early 20th century.
If done correctly, this could hit the perfect balance
of fun and ferocity that, up until now,
the DCEU just hasn't been able to achieve.
Of course, the big question is
will they be able to pull it off?
Well, Jenkins kept hope alive by showing off
a series of scenes in progress from the movie,
scenes that she considers her favorites, and by all reports,
they're definitely worth getting excited about.
The first scene showed Steve and Diana leaving Themyscira
for man's world and featured some really funny banter
between the two, including Wonder Woman's badass assertion
that she's the man to end this war,
and a straight faced explanation
of how the Amazonian birds and the bees work.
Next, there was a scene of Danny Huston's
villainous Erich Ludendorff, a German general
meeting with his toxins expert, the aptly named Dr. Poison.
In the scene, the bad doctor presents Erich with a toxin
that grants him some sort of magical blue electrical powers.
Blue, by the way, is the signature color of Ares,
so this means either the Germans are working closely
with the god of war, or perhaps Huston's character
will eventually become the physical embodiment of him.
Then there's another little bit of comedy as Diana
gets her first glimpse of the world outside Themyscira.
Steve takes her on a tour of England
and even insists on a small makeover
when he realizes her armor may be a tad too revealing
for the tastes of old London town,
and then finally, in the fourth and final scene,
we get to see the stuff that we're really here for,
the action, and let me just say how jealous I am
to have only heard about it secondhand
because it sure sounds like everything
a lifelong Wonder Woman fan could have hoped for.
In it, we see Diana charging into the front lines
of World War I, deflecting bullets with her wrist armor
and realizing just what her powers mean
in this brand new world.
Just hearing about it gives me chills,
which means seeing it is gonna be amazing,
but hey, why don't we talk to somebody who actually saw it,
our in-house Themysciran spy, Alicia Lutes,
who brought this new back from the front.
Alicia, coming away from the whole experience,
how are you feeling about the movie?
- You know, Jess, I am really excited about Wonder Woman.
- Good, good. - Like, finally though,
because I have been very, very nervous
and apprehensive about this film.
- I mean, it makes sense.
We talked about it in talks back, is that it could
easily turn really campy. - Yeah.
But you know, Patty Jenkins, the director, I spoke with her.
She has a very nuanced and informed way
of looking at Wonder Woman as a character
and just beyond the idea of putting a comic book character
in World War I, in this very real life setting, you know.
She says at one point, she didn't want it
to look like a BBC documentary
that you just stuff a superhero into.
It's a slow, gradual build to bringing Wonder Woman
into this world in a way that feels very natural,
and based on the footage I saw,
I can completely agree with that.
- So out of what you saw, what got you the most hyped?
- There is a scene.
We've seen a lot of this in the trailer
of Wonder Woman battling, you know, the bullets
and holding some fire back and the extended scene of that
is so overwhelmingly emotional.
I got very emotional and it took me hugely by surprise.
I was sitting in the edit bay screening room,
having to kind of like keep in.
I was getting choked up.
It was incredibly powerful and evocative
and it's Wonder Woman at her most badass Wonder Woman-iness
and I have no words for it.
That's the proper term. - I like that.
That's the proper term. - Yeah.
That's straight out of Themyscira.
- So you're on board, then?
- Yes, very excited. - Awesome.
- And I think everybody else should be too.
- Great, thanks, Alicia, but guys, what do you think?
Is this enough to get you hyped?
What are you hoping for in a Wonder Woman movie?
Let's discuss.
Thank you to Qualcomm for sponsoring today's show.
Qualcomm and Lionsgate have joined forces
to create an incredible VR experience
based on the upcoming Power Rangers film.
To celebrate, we're partnering to send three lucky winners
to LA for the film's premier on March 22nd.
Each winner will also receive
a Google Pixel phone and Daydream Headset.
Check out the link in the description
to learn more and enter to win.
(electronic music)