The DC Extended Universe is no stranger to casting controversy. From the casting announcement of the very first hero, Henry Cavill as Superman, fandom has been divided over almost every major announcement. The casting of Ben Affleck as Batman and Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice drew similar criticisms, with Affleck drawing complaints regarding many of his past projects, particularly Daredevil, and Gadot for not having the same body proportions as some of the more unrealistic comic book depictions of Wonder Woman. Needless to say, when it was all said and done, Affleck's Batman and Gadot's Wonder Woman were largely considered the two brightest spots in an otherwise polarizing movie.
The success of bringing Wonder Woman to the big-screen in Batman v Superman is one of the primary reasons there's so much excitement over the potential of Wonder Woman, other than the fact that it's the first modern solo comic book movie about a female here, much less the female hero - Wonder Woman. During our visit to the Wonder Woman editing bay in London, we were able to chat with director Patty Jenkins, who had her own praise for the Isreali actress:
"I had been talking to DC for a long time, and I remember reading in the paper when they cast her and I was like, 'Ugh, they cast somebody, I can't believe it. That was the movie I always wanted to do.' But it wasn't active at that time. But then genuinely - and I honestly couldn't mean this more, it's a lesson to me in how things can happen all kinds of different ways, because I'm very picky about casting... To my great surprise [Gal Gadot] is the greatest person in the universe who could have played [Wonder Woman]. They did an amazing job casting her."
It's kind of funny to see Jenkins admit that her reaction was not drastically different from much of fandom, and that even she had to be won over. Needless to say, she has nothing but praise for the star of her movie, and it looks like the feeling is mutual, as Gal Gadot recently shared a heartfelt message to her Facebook, calling Jenkins her "sister soul"
While Gadot doesn't have as many credits to her name as some of her co-stars, she's been a great addition to the DCEU, regularly sharing gym photos just like Jason Momoa, Henry Cavill, and Ray Fisher, detailing the bulk-up process that seems to be a requirement for all the DC heroes. Even Jim Gordon's sporting muscles these days.