Depending on your view of the man’s directorial abilities, this rumour will either have you punching the air with hopeful cheer or reaching for the lasso of sorrow: McG is apparently the front-runner to direct the pilot for the new Wonder Woman TV series.
For a while, it looked like the character would never make it back to our screens. Long in development as a film, Warners decided late last year to think again and take a shot at getting their heroine back on the goggle box, where, after all, she was relatively successful in the first place. Step one was locking in veteran show creator David E Kelley to take a shot at bashing out a script which the Warners TV bods could to show to the various US networks.
Who all passed on it.
But then, in a sudden twist, NBC decided to take a chance on the show, with new executive Bob Greenblatt deciding that maybe Kelley – and, by extension, Princess Diana – deserved a chance to make it work. It doesn’t hurt that Kelley has also crafted a legal drama for the network (Harry’s Law featuring Kathy Bates as – guess what? – a quirky lawyer) that has gained decent early ratings.
With the ambitious script now back in play, the producers need someone to get it made. And while he hasn’t yet had a meeting about the job, Joseph McGinty Nichol is the favourite to win the task.
While he’s not exactly crafted the best films featuring kick-ass women (neither of the Charlie’s Angels movies is all that great), he does at least have solid credentials in TV*, having helped launch the likes of Chuck, Supernatural and, more recently, Nikita. Plus, with his cinematic career still ticking, he’ll only likely be on board to punch out the pilot. And for now, his participation is simply limited to his name appearing on Warner Bros. TV’s wish list…
**We’re choosing here to forget the whole McSpaced debacle. *