Although she's been an iconic pop character for more than 60 years and the undisputed star of numerous cartoons and TV series, DC Comics 'Amazon Princess' Wonder Woman has never appeared in a major motion picture.
Now all that's about to change as Warner Bros and Silver Pictures have signed Joss "Buffy The Vampire Slayer" Whedon to write and direct a big screen feature.
Joel "Lethal Weapon" Silver and Leonard Goldberg will produce the film, based on the DC Comics character created by William Moulton Marston.
Whedon created/exec produced "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" for seven seasons on the WB and UPN Networks (based on his screenplay from the 1992 feature), created/exec produced spinoff series "Angel", and wrote screenplays for "Toy Story" and "Alien: Resurrection".
"I think she sort of sprang out fully formed, much like Athena herself," Whedon said.
"In the '40s, when it was first done, she came to the world from 'Paradise Island' and then went about her business, and so that experience, which is really a rite of passage, the same as any hero has to go through, has never really been investigated the way I want."
"Wonder Woman' was created in the 1940's by Harvard-trained psychologist Dr. William Moulton Marston, writing under the byline 'Charles Moulton'.
Among Marston's many world views was that civilization was reverting into a 'matriarchy' and that females would ultimately use their innate powers of 'sexual enslavement' to achieve dominance over men.
These theories secured Marston the position of 'consulting psychologist' to womens' magazine 'Family Circle'.
In an interview published October 25, 1940, Marston touted the positive aspects of the booming war-time comic book industry.
His comments were well received by publisher M. C. Gaines of "All American Comics", sister company of DC Comics, leading to Marston's appointment to the 'Editorial Advisory Board' of both companies.
Marston submitted his first comic book script "Suprema, the Wonder Woman" to DC Comics with illustrations by artist 'Harry Peter' (!)
In 1942, the 'Suprema' name was dropped, and "Wonder Woman" debuted in "All Star Comics 8" (December 1941-January 1942).
The character went on to feature in "Sensation Comics" and "Wonder Woman".
Marston continued to infuse his female 'dominance' themes throughout his scripts for "Wonder Woman".
It was also during this time that Marston's assistant "Dotsie" Richard moved in with Marston and his wife Elizabeth, with Marston fathering two children by each woman.
From the beginning, Wonder Woman was not out to just stop criminals, but to reform them.
Armed with bulletproof bracelets and Amazonian fighting prowess, the powers of 'Princess Diana' came as a gift from the gods.
Her magic lasso was forged from the 'Magic Girdle of Aphrodite', unbreakable, stretchable, and could make any who were encircled in it tell the truth.
In later stories, Wonder Woman's earrings gave her air to breathe in outer space and her 'Invisible Plane' was given an origin.
"There's a reason why she has those bracelets, " said Whedon.
"There's a reason why she's got the lasso... I think it's going to work out really well."
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