Gal Gadot immediately impressed co-star Ben Affleck during her Wonder Woman audition for Justice League. Gadot's Diana Prince has become a DC Extended Universe favorite thanks to her solo film and its upcoming sequel, Wonder Woman 1984. However, she was introduced in 2016's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, when Affleck's Bruce Wayne/Batman ran into her at Lex Luthor's gala. Wonder Woman played a bigger role in Justice League, though the movie itself was poorly received. Following her return in Wonder Woman 1984, Gadot will be seen in the long-awaited Snyder Cut of Justice League, which will restore director Zack Snyder's original vision for the film.
The actor recently shared she didn't take part in reshoots for the movie, unlike many of her Justice League co-stars. However, audiences can still look forward to plenty of Wonder Woman content that was originally left on the cutting room floor. Over the summer, a sneak peek of the Snyder Cut showed Diana discovering an old painting of Darkseid. Meanwhile, images shared by cinematographer Fabian Wagner showed the Amazons guarding a Mother Box. Snyder's Justice League will feature lighter Wonder Woman moments as well, as proven by a photo of Diana and Aquaman sharing a drink.
As the March 2021 release of the new Justice League nears, Snyder continues to share tidbits from both his cut and the film's production. Speaking with TheFilmJunkee during a live-streamed event, the director discussed Gadot's audition as Wonder Woman and Affleck's reaction to it:
When we did the casting of Gal... They were doing a scene that's not in the movie, we had just written it for the audition and she was just confronting him about his drinking, or, I don't know, something intense, and so she says something to him at the end of the scene - it's kind of a riff on the "you've never known a woman like me." And then in casting, he's doing the scene like this [serious face], and then she says it and he goes [looks at the camera and raises eyebrows] "whoa." And it was awesome because we were just like "I guess this is Wonder Woman. You kind of got checkmated there, so, I guess we're done with the casting."
Not only is Snyder's reveal a fun behind-the-scenes detail, it's also further evidence Gadot was the perfect choice to play Wonder Woman. It's clear from the director's story she embodied the character immediately, while also more than holding her own against Affleck. This is even more impressive considering Wonder Woman is such an iconic hero, putting additional pressure on Gadot during her audition. Luckily, it all worked out in the end, with Gadot's masterful take on Diana shocking everyone in the room, including Affleck.
It's also worth noting Wonder Woman has arguably gone on to become the DCEU's most important character, partly due to the strength of Gadot's performance. The franchise was largely overshadowed by the Marvel Cinematic Universe at its inception. However, the positive reaction to Wonder Woman made many stop and take notice of the DCEU for the first time. The film brought in new fans and increased excitement for the franchise as a whole. Based on that, it's clear Snyder made the right decision casting Gadot in Justice League.
Source: TheFilmJunkee
