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[richiek]

https://www.dailydot.com/parsec/joss-whedon-wonder-woman-sexist-screenplay/

Joss Whedon‘s unproduced Wonder Woman screenplay leaked online last month, appearing on sites like Comicbook.com and Screenrant. Due to Whedon’s vocal love of Wonder Woman, many fans viewed it as a tantalizing Hollywood “what if” story. But for some reason, few people mentioned how catastrophically, awe-inspiringly terrible the screenplay actually is.

The script resurfaced on Twitter last night, this time being heavily criticized by female Wonder Woman fans. It’s easy to see why, because this thing is so sexist it’s hard to believe Whedon wrote and submitted it on a professional basis. Constantly sexualizing and demeaning its lead character, it’s like an evil mirror universe version of the movie we eventually got.

Diana’s introduction is the first warning sign, describing her “curvaceous” body instead of her thoughts or personality. It starts an ongoing theme of lurid descriptions of women’s appearances. (Especially their feet. Diana is barefoot in scene one, and we get several foot updates later on.)

Holy shit at the objectification.

The screenplay displays a toxic attitude to Diana, with characters calling her a “bitch” or a “whore,” and commenting on her skimpy costume. Instead of being a feminist paradise, Themyscira is plagued by infighting and a lack of empathy for outsiders, and Diana even fights her own mother. Then there’s Steve Trevor, who overshadows Diana’s role from page one.

Steve Trevor spends the entire movie mansplaining to Diana, arguing and criticizing her brand of heroism. It’s a startling contrast with Allan Heinberg and Patty Jenkins’ depiction in the real movie, where Steve supports Diana, and the two characters enjoy each other’s company.

Whedon’s vision is completely warped by his own perspective: male, horny, and ashamed. Men are universally depicted as sexist pigs, but this isn’t actually beneficial to Diana’s role as a feminist hero. Her interior life is barely explored, making it hard to gauge what she thinks or feels at any given moment. By comparison, Jenkins and Heinberg’s movie focuses on Diana’s emotional journey, depicting her as an optimistic force amid the horrors of World War I. She does face some sexism, but she also befriends men who share her goals and respect her power and agency.

Wow, bad form, Joss. Hopefully he doesn't make the same mistakes with the Batgirl movie.

 

[PhoncipleBone]

So would it be the readers fault for misunderstanding Whedon then? Or would he actually admit blame to writing shit?

 

[StalkerUKCG]

Urm

 

[KHarvey16]

Who actually wrote it, though? Is it 100% his?

 

[odiin]

Yep, sounds like a Joss Whedon script.

 

[PartTimeWarrior]

"wicked sexy"

 

[SpideySenses]

When did he write this? Can't see it mentioned in the article.

 

[HeartlessNobody213]

Yeah, I remember reading a long time ago that his Wonder Woman script was pretty bad.

Curious to see how he does Batgirl.

 

[Baron von Loathsome]

EDIT: This is from All-Star Batman and Robin.

 

[Mr. X]

Looks like a bad fanfic

 

[The Technomancer]

When did he write this? Can't see it mentioned in the article.

Eleven years ago. On the one hand its a super old script and scripts always read badly

On the other hand good lord Joss

 

[robotrock]

Do you know what happens to a toad when it’s struck by lightning? The same thing that happens to everything else.

 

[Mechanized]

After reading that, I feel 2nd hand embarrassed. Man that is pathetic.

 

[whytemyke]

This shows that it's even greater that Jenkins knocked it out of the park with a fresh perspective to the genre.

 

[liquidtmd]

Yeaahhh I can believe this is from Whedon. The 'uglies' closed it beyond all doubt.

Dodged a bullet here I think. Saw WW last night and had a fair good time with it

 

[Discotheque]

Yeah, I remember reading a long time ago that his Wonder Woman script was pretty bad.

Curious to see how he does Batgirl.

Hopefully he doesn't. Still a lot of time for it to get into production.

 

[SpaceWolf]

Do you know what happens to a toad when it’s struck by lightning? The same thing that happens to everything else.

Never got the huge problem everyone seems to have with this line, Halle Berry's not particularly luminous reading of it aside.

 

[Caelus]

I'd like to believe this was satirical, but I have little faith. :/

 

[kmag]

To be (probably too fair) to Whedon, given the producer was Joel Silver I'm not surprised to find it's full of sexy this and that.

Scripts fundamentally, especially early drafts are as much sales pieces to producers and studio execs than anything else.

One of the more refreshing things about Jenkins Wonder Woman was the neutral framing of Diana. A simple example would be the number of close ups of Gadot's face and not the more common face and bust frame you find when women are talking in movies.

 

[Ein Bear]

It's good that we get to see how terrible this is at the script level, before Joss pulls out his usual "My script was great, the directors/studio/actors just filmed it all wrong!!"

 

[robotrock]

I follow Joss Whedon on Twitter and he doesn’t seem like someone who would write this

 

[Briarios]

If Jenkins' film hadn't been made, lacking the comparison, a large number of people wouldn't have even realized how sexist the script was ... Possibly myself included.

I'm beginning to believe that Wonder Woman may end up being the most important super hero film made. I'm a huge fan of the MCU, but Wonder Woman was, well, wonderful.

 

[JeffZero]

This is rough. It could always be worse, though. I mean, at least it isn't --

 

[Kusagari]

Well this definitely has me hyped for Batgirl.

 

[Baron von Loathsome]

This is rough. It could always be worse, though. I mean, at least it isn't --

That isn't from Joss' script, it's from All-Star Batman and Robin.

 

[Mechanized]

I follow Joss Whedon on Twitter and he doesn’t seem like someone who would write this

Well apparently it was written 11 years ago, people can change.

 

[sixteen-bit]

Yikes.

 

[SpaceWolf]

Well this definitely has me hyped for Batgirl.

 

[GamerJM]

It's pretty bad, but honestly, who cares? It's 11 years ago and it never got made. Things that don't get made don't get made for a reason.

 

[jon bones]

weird stuff aside, i'm really glad Whedon isn't in the MCU anymore

 

[Zackat]

Yikes that is some garbage

 

[Chamber]

 

[SpaceWolf]

Joss commenting on Jurassic World:

 

[Aselith]

To be (probably too fair) to Whedon, given the producer was Joel Silver I'm not surprised to find it's full of sexy this and that.

Scripts fundamentally, especially early drafts are as much sales pieces to producers and studio execs than anything else.

One of the more refreshing things about Jenkins Wonder Woman was the neutral framing of Diana. A simple example would be the number of close ups of Gadot's face and not the more common face and bust frame you find when women are talking in movies.

I don't think that really lets him off the hook. I mean in the end if you're selling sexist trash, you're selling sexist trash even if you're doing it because "well the OTHER GUY is sexist, I just want to get PAID"

 

[StalkerUKCG]

Well apparently it was written 11 years ago, people can change.

I'm Not saying this isnt Whedon but 11 years ago was post Buffy. And post firefly.

 

[JeffZero]

That isn't from Joss' script, it's from All-Star Batman and Robin.

...oh thank the Maker.

 

[Geist-]

Well apparently it was written 11 years ago, people can change.

11 years ago was after Buffy, it's kind of amazing how much he regressed after that show.

 

[Jamie OD]

Sounds like something out of an Entourage script.

 

[jstripes]

11 years ago was after Buffy, it's kind of amazing how much he regressed after that show.

After Buffy, and after Firefly.

He's not at Kevin Smith level yet, but he's on his way.

 

[tbm24]

I'm at a loss of words after imaging that scene in film.

 

[kitchenmotors]

I think we’re missing some context here and who knows what other hands played a part in this being written and trying to get this made 11 years ago, when the super hero movie genre landscape was different.

I’m willing to give Whedon the benefit of the doubt here.

 

[kmag]

I don't think that really lets him off the hook. I mean in the end if you're selling sexist trash, you're selling sexist trash even if you're doing it because "well the OTHER GUY is sexist, I just want to get PAID"

I'm not saying it does, but it's the context for it.

Whedon has got an decent line in quippy dialogue but he's not really a particularly great writer at all.

 

[Aselith]

I think we’re missing some context here and who knows what other hands played a part in trying to get this made, 11 years ago when the super hero movie landscape was different.

I’m willing to give Whedok the benefit of the doubt here.

After the childless monster shit in Avengers?

 

[shadowkat]

I mean it was written 11 years ago. But good lord Joss this is terribad.

 

[Taramoor]

Perhaps he was just adhering too closely to the original Wonder Woman comics, which were trying really hard to not be blatant bondage porn.

 

[Brandon F]

Given his legacy and prior body of work, something doesn't fit here.

 

[Messofanego]

Lol at people who can't believe Whedon would write this. You remember what he did to Black Widow, right?

😂😂😂😂

Joss Whedon has always seemed a fake feminist like that Devin Faraci.

 

[Alienous]

So Whedon was willing to do a deal with the devil to get a Wonder Woman film made, right? He must have written this thinking it's what it would take to sell the movie, surely.

I don't think much of the recent Wonder Woman movie, but boy it could have been so much worse.

 

[Baron von Loathsome]

Perhaps he was just adhering too closely to the original Wonder Woman comics, which were trying really hard to not be blatant bondage porn.

It was first-wave feminist bondage porn, though.

 

[Tal Shiar Agent]

Not surprising at all from Joss.