NBC Picks Up 'Grimm' & 'Awake'

David Giuntoli
David Giuntoli

According to Deadline.com, NBC has picked up the fantasy/fairytale-touched police drama GRIMM for the fall season.  Created by David Greenwalt and Jim Kouf (ANGEL), it’s from Universal Media Studios.
GRIMM stars David  Giuntoli as police detective Nick Burckhardt, who discovers he can see the fantastical nature of otherwise human-appearing beings, and a “legacy” of having to protect people against them.  
Also green-lit was producer Kyle Killen’s (LONE STAR) AKAKE (formerly R.E.M.), about police detective for who the dream world and reality intermingle following a car crash.  Wilmer Valderrama (THAT 70’s SHOW) and Cherry Jones co-star in the 20th Century Fox Television production.
By all indications, it seems the network has decided to pass on David E. Kelley’s (ALLY  McBEAL) and Warner Brother’s Televisions’s re-imaging of  DC Comics WONDER WOMAN.

'Wonder Woman' Costume Revised

 

Click to Enlarge
Click to Enlarge

SFX broke this picture shows that Warner Brothers Television has revised Adrianne Palicki’s Wonder Woman costume for their NBC pilot.
I’ve got to say it’s a big improvement. Gone are the blue high-helled boots and the shiny, baby blue 80’s pants. A little more practical, and surprisingly less tacky.
via Topless Robot

Palicki in 'Wonder Woman' Costume

Palicki_WWVia OMG.yahoo comes this first picture of Adrianne Palicki in costume as WONDER WOMAN for the NBC pilot by David E. Kelley (ALLY MCBEAL).
Looks a little more early 80’s Trailer Park Queen than timeless Themysciran Princess to me. Though the outfit shows off Palicki’s substantial charms nicely, it might actually look better in with the dark leather jacket the venerable DC character is sporting in a current comic book arc.
Photo credit: Justin Lubin/NBC/TV Guide

Hurely as Villain for 'Wonder Woman'

Elizabeth Hurley _SilverOn her Twitter Account,  actress/model  Elizabeth Hurley (AUSTIN POWERS) revealed she’s joined the cast of NBC’s WONDER WOMAN pilot.
Hurley wrote: “Thrilled to be doing the NBC pilot Wonder Woman. I’ll be playing the evil villain. Can’t wait.”
Already cast is Adrianne Palicki as the lead character in David E. Kelley (ALLY MCBEAL) and Warner Brothers Television’s re-imagining of the venerable comic book character.
Via SuperheroHype

Adrianne Palicki is 'Wonder Woman'

Adrienne_PAdrianne Palicki (FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS) has been signed to star as WONDER WOMAN in the new NBC pilot by David E. Kelley (BOSTON LEGAL).
This is a kind of reboot of the character, with Diana Price reimagined as a corporate executive who is also a crime-fighting vigilante.
Adrianne Palicki has also appeared as the recurring character Jessica Moore on SUPERNATURAL, and played the “fake” Kara on SMALLVILLE back in 2004. She voices Clare on the Cartoon Networks’  stop-motion TITAN MAXIMUM.
The DC Comics-based show is being made by Warner Brothers Television.

'Wonder Woman' Casting Sheet

wonder-woman_jim leeHere’s the casting sheet break-down for the (hopefully) recurring characters for David E. Kelly’s WONDER WOMAN pilot for Wanerenr Brothers Television, greenlit by NBC. 
WONDER WOMAN Pilot SAG
DC Entertainment / Warner Bros. Television/ NBC
Draft: 12/16/10
Exec. Producers: David E. Kelley, Bill D’Elia
Producers: TBD
Director: TBD
Casting Director: David Rapaport
Casting Associate: Lyndsey Baldasare
NY Casting Directors: Beth Bowling & Kim Miscia
NY Casting Assistant: Michael Rios
Start Date: March 15, 2011
Location: Los Angeles, CA
SUBMIT ELECTRONICALLY
NO SCRIPT AVAILABLE
NO PHONE CALLS PLEASE
We are committed to diverse, inclusive casting. For every role, please submit qualified performers, without regard to disability, race, age, colour, national origin, ethnic origin or any other basis prohibited by law unless otherwise specifically indicated.
[WONDER WOMAN / DIANA THEMYSCIRA / DIANA PRINCE] Female, late 20s to 30s. A kick-ass Superhero / Powerful C.E.O. / A vulnerable woman. Long flowing black hair, blue eyes. Amazon-like, muscular, an Olympian. The charismatic stage presence of a rock star. A crime fighter. Also, a real woman who yearns to live a normal life. She is accessible and appealing to all people, men and women alike…SERIES LEAD. ASP.
[MYNDI MAYER] Female, open ethnicity, 30s. Publicist, Press Secretary and Wonder Woman’s confidant and nurturing best friend. Worldy and edgy. Sexy and persuasive, her appearance is part of her strength. She is beautiful and put together – dressed expensively in the latest fashions, plus she’s got a bit of bite, clever wit and sass. She’s the prodder of Diana’s social life…SERIES REGULAR. ASP.
[ETTA] Female, open ethnicity, 30s. Diana Themyscira’s always cheerful personal assistant. A bit charactery, but real, pretty and effervescent. She is blindly devoted to Diana. She’s her unrelenting cheerleader, with unwavering, unabated support. On the vulnerable side, she sees the humble and sympathetic sides in everyone, including Diana…SERIES REGULAR. ASP.
[CEO HENRY DEMETER] Male, open ethnicity, 40s. Acting CEO of Themyscira Industries. Grounded, intelligent and deeply devoted to Diana. He runs the day to day operations of the company and acts like an Uncle to Diana although he could be a possible love interest down the line…SERIES REGULAR. ASP.
[STEVE TREVOR] Male, open ethnicity, 30s. A leading man Diana can’t look past. Good looking but a real man. An Army vet, he now works in the Justice dept…SERIES REGULAR, ASP.
[ED INDELICATO] Male, late 30s to early 40s. Stoic and tough, he is a liaison to the police department. Devoted and loyal to Diana, he’s blue collar, a no nonsense kind of guy. A chiseled man who subscribes to the old fashion rules of relationships – men don’t talk much. His job comes first and he wouldn’t make room for the possibility that there is potential romantic relationship with Diana…SERIES REGULAR, 10/13.
Ahh… Sounds very much like a LOT of time will be spent in the office, not an encouraging sign for comic book/action fans. It’s top-heavy with regulars, in my view.
And why would a business have a “police liasion”? Does Themyscira Industries do security work or defense contracting? Odd.

NBC Greenlights 'Wonder Woman' Pilot

wonder-woman_jim lee
New Costume - Designed with Reboot in Mind?

According to Deadline, NBC has decided to greenlight David E. Kelley’s WONDER WOMAN TV pilot, after all.
After failing to get a committment from any of the major broadcasters , Warner Brothers Television had at least temporarily shelved the project earlier this month. NBC was interested at the time, but things were still in transition at the network, with new head of programing Robert Greenblatt slated to take over, but not yet in command.
Kelly’s WONDER WOMAN reboot project was designed a a big-budget concept, and no one felt comfortable in okaying the expensive  pilot in the interim.
At the time of the earlier shelving, David Kelley was quoted as saying:

“I had a lot of fun writing it… It’s a huge project, and it was probably a bit too much to ask anyone to try to chew on it for next season. But I’m confident it will still happen. It’s a very complicated piece, which is the most fun thing about it.”

Description of Kelley’s proposed series sounds a bit more Batman than Wonder Woman, with Diana Prince re-invisioned as a hig-powered corporate executive by day, and crime-fighting vigilante by night, a modern woman trying to balance a dual life.
In the comics and Linda Carter series, Wonder Woman was disctintly not “modern”, she’s an immortal, centuries old Amazon Warrior Princess, posing as an ordinary woman only to aid her in her mission. She might also have a desire to remain close to potential love interest Steve Trevor, but that is secondary to the character.
It’s unknown how closely the sereies will hew to the various incarnations of the venerable comic book heroine.

'Wonder Woman' TV Series Rumor Looks Legit

Wonder Woman_LogoAccording to The Hollywood Reporter and other sources, Warner Brothers Television is developing a  new, modern-day version of WONDER WOMAN for television.
I was initally reluctant to pass on this story, as some of it didn’t seem all that likely, to me. Apparently, Warner Bros. has picked ALLY MCBEAL creator David E. Kelley to write and possibly produce a potential series.
 A TV version does make some sense, as the studio has had a Wonder Woman film stuck in development hell for nearly a decade. In 2005, Joss Whedon signed on to write and direct a film adaptation. After two years, Whedon left the project, Warner Bothers and producer Joel Silver (THE MATRIX) reportedly unhappy with his approach.

Linda Cater as WONDER WOMAN
Linda Carter as WONDER WOMAN

Many viewers will remember the light-hearted Linda Carter WONDER WOMAN TV series of the 1970’s with some affection, and a series is less of a risk than a major theatrical film. However, recent ‘super-woman’ series, such as NBC’s BIONIC WOMAN re-boot and FOX’s DOLL HOUSE (from Whedon) did not fare well in the ratings.
It’s unclear if the potential series would follow the traditional Wonder Woman storyline, or DC Comic’s current re-vamp of the character. It’s unknown if the series might be aimed at one of the big networks or perhaps as a replacement for SMALLVILLE on The CW, now in its final season.
As far as I can tell, neither Warner Brothers Television nor David Kelley have made any comments that would confirm or deny this report.