Variety is reporting Chris Pine (Star Trek) is in negotiations to join the cast of Wonder Woman, playing the role of Wonder Woman’s love interest, Steve Trevor.
Still early in the development cycle, Wonder Woman has experienced its fair share of adversity. Recently, Warner Bros. had to hire a new director, Patty Jenkins (Monster), to take over for Michelle MacLaren (Game of Thrones) after rumored behind the scenes difficulty. There have also been numerous reports over the studios indecision over what script to go with after hiring multiple writers to work on scripts. None of this takes into account the many years of passing on scripts from the likes of Joss Whedon and the failed TV pilot from 2011.
Now with the news of Chris Pine joining Gal Gadot, as Wonder Woman, in the cast, I am beginning to worry for this film even more. Pine is a fine actor, and I quite liked him as the raving lunatic in Smokin’ Aces, but he’s a polarizing figure in the genre film community. Compared to the strong, out-of-the-box casting over at Marvel Studios, this just seems safe. When you look at the cast of other DC Comics movies, such as the wildly eclectic Suicide Squad cast, you have to wonder if Warner Bros. is hoping just to play it safe with Wonder Woman to ensure they don’t fail with the first female-starring superhero movie.
Another name being brought up in regards to the Chris Pine casting is Scott Eastwood. When Eastwood was cast in Suicide Squad, many thought he was signed to play the same Steve Trevor that Pine is going to portray. Variety clarifies that detail, saying Eastwood was offered the chance to read for Steve Trevor, but instead chose the guaranteed role in Suicide Squad. Is the role in Suicide Squad going to be a throwaway character, or will Eastwood play someone familiar to comic fans? I guess we will find out soon enough when that movie is released August 5, 2016.
I suspect we’ll hear official confirmation of Pine’s casting by July at San Diego Comic-Con. Wonder Woman is set to film next year, presumably after Pine finishes filming the third installment of Star Trek. The movie is set to release June 23, 2017.
