[Anonymous]

The primary "fascination" with Baccarin as WW (for me), is the fact that she can act–convincingly become a character.  Height, build, and fighting ability requirements are subject to our individual fantasizing, but they're hardly insurmountable obstacles.

And for those of us who don't see a director and an actor with a previous working relationship working together again as potentially beneficial to a flim, and nothing more than vain quasi-nepotism, I can direct you to hundreds of films available on DVD wherein the performers and the director obviously weren't communicating, and the narrative failed–though every actor might've looked right for her part…

[Dragonsblade77]

That's no excuse to find the best actor for the part.

[00tree]

If they did choose Baccarin they would almost have to use computer tricks like peter jackson did for the dwarves and hobbets in Lord of the Rings. She's waaaaay short. About a foot shorter than WW.

[Dragonsblade77]

I read, in an interview with Whedon, that he would be faithful to Wondy's physical specifications. That means that he will cast an actress that is very close to Wonder Woman's height and her physique. Wondy's 5'11" according to DC, hopefully he'll get a woman who already has some muscle or will insist that whoever they cast should beef up a bit before they shoot. She won't end up looking like Marja Lehtonen, but she'll probably look like a reasonably muscular fitness model, much like they tend to draw her in current comic runs.

[Silent One]

Well, Baccarin has a combination of childlike and worldly qualities, and would probably make for a decent Wonder Woman.  The problem is that physically she is a waif.

I'm having a really hard time getting my hopes up for this.  Wheedon already has a prediliction for casting waifs in ass kicking roles, Sara Michelle Gellar in Buffy, Summer Glau in Firefly.  These woman are hot.  But do they kick ass in a convincing manner?  I loved Serenity right up until the point River Tam, who looks to be about 95 pounds soaking wet, saved the day with her melee battle prowess.  *sigh*  Is it so much to ask that the women kicking the butt look like they at least have the pysical capacity to do so?

[AlexG]

Is it so much to ask that the women kicking the butt look like they at least have the pysical capacity to do so?

😉  Why how dare you suggest something so radical, such as when Cory Everson played Atalanta in the Hercules series.  Why they might actually discover that femuscle is not only a marketable character feature, but heck, perish the thought, we might even get a FMG / Giantess transformation movie with some real thought put into the storyline.  😎

“I like a good story well told. That is the reason I am sometimes forced to tell them myself.”
~ Mark Twain / Samuel Clemens (1907)

[flashHEART.EXE]

I nominate Kelly Brook. A bit of training and she might pull it off. She's 5'8".

Okay.  Damn.  Yeah.  Even without the training she would still be a good choice.  I don't know about her acting chops, but since this is a Whedon vehicle, she would just have to be able to deliver a snarky one-liner or two, right?

[Anonymous]

That's no excuse to find the best actor for the part.

Wha–? Please clarify.

If they did choose Baccarin they would almost have to use computer tricks like peter jackson did for the dwarves and hobbets in Lord of the Rings.

Or a milk crate! Making a person appear taller is not the hardest thing in the world to do. Or do you actually think "John Rambo" is tall?

Obviously "best" is subjective (which is painfully clear from some of the suggestions in this topic) and few of us are bound to agree which actor's best for the part, but it would go a long way towards showing that even "Amazon-at-all-costs" fans have some intellectual integrity, if someone could talk about others' choices with some insight into filmmakers' ability to create illusions, and let go of the weak "too short", "too waifish" cop-out, and the "dream" that this character will be portrayed with any measure of muscle that we'll find acceptable.

[El_Roy_1999]

What about Maria Grazia Cucinotta? She's not a big star, but she was in a Bond-movie, looks Mediterranean (she's from Sicily) and looks like this: http://www.tuxjunction.net/maria.htm

Besides, she was in Il Postino, so she's a kind of star. And she's not teenage.

[Dragonsblade77]

Wha–? Please clarify.

Or a milk crate! Making a person appear taller is not the hardest thing in the world to do. Or do you actually think "John Rambo" is tall?

Obviously "best" is subjective (which is painfully clear from some of the suggestions in this topic) and few of us are bound to agree which actor's best for the part, but it would go a long way towards showing that even "Amazon-at-all-costs" fans have some intellectual integrity, if someone could talk about others' choices with some insight into filmmakers' ability to create illusions, and let go of the weak "too short", "too waifish" cop-out, and the "dream" that this character will be portrayed with any measure of muscle that we'll find acceptable.

The best choice would satisfy the requirements of the role and do it justice. Baccarin was Whedon's choice for a role in one of his creations. Wonder Woman's different, not one of Whedon's creations. I have been reading tons of bboards on this and Baccarin's clearly not the majority choice. Only Serenity/Firefly fans and fans of Whedon's work actually nominate her. I don't see any of the traits of Wonder Woman in her and I know I'm not alone. She has the face of a child and she wasn't that great in Firefly anyway. Wondy should look like a young, yet ageless and womanly Amazon. Baccarin's pretty, but not Wonder Woman.

Filmmakers should not be cheapening the audience out of a great performance by a real actor with real physical similarity to this role. If they can find people that can resemble Superman, Batman, or Spider-Man, then they should be able to find a real flesh-and-blood actress to fill Wonder Woman's boots. I understand that movies are "magic and make-believe", but master filmmakers use reality to create movie magic and don't rely on too many tricks or costly special effects. If you can do it in reality, then do it.

Wonder Woman is a dream in of herself. She's not real, but you can find people out there that approximate the looks of these kinds of characters and help sell the "reality" of the character's world. I'm sure that the majority of people who post here would be considered Wonder Woman or superhero/heroine fans in general, and they would rather see a real woman who actually does the acting and fills out the costume instead of a woman who has to be enhanced (or not, look at other casting choices which the character should be taller, but they don't bother becuase they like the actor they chose to "mold" the character into) because they didn't put out any effort to find a far better choice.  I just don't feel Baccarin can deliver the gravitas and belivability to the role that I'm sure someone with more experience and a better look can provide. I'd be willing to see the movie if Baccarin's casted, but I'm sure that many people would feel as I do and think that there is a far better choice out there and they missed the opportunity to actually cast Wonder Woman rather than Joss Whedon's version of Wonder Woman. 

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