Why ‘Wonder Woman’ TV Star Lynda Carter Didn’t Appear in the 1st Movie
Gal Gadot is the Wonder Woman of today, however, her Wonder Woman movies might not exist without a certain television actor: Lynda Carter. For several years in the 1970s, Carter played Wonder Woman in the television series of the same name and introduced the character to audiences who didn’t read comic books. Here’s a look at why Carter didn’t appear in the film Wonder Woman.
Lynda Carter tells all about the first ‘Wonder Woman’ film
During an interview with Variety, Brent Lang asked Carter if she gave Galdot any advice for how to play her trademark character in the 2017 film Wonder Woman. “I would never give her advice; that would be presumptuous of me,” Carter said. “I’ve spoken to [director] Patty Jenkins. She talked to me on the phone about the character, and we were trying to see if I could do something with the movie, but it didn’t work out. The timing was off, and I was doing other things and couldn’t get over to where they were shooting.”
Afterward, Lang asked Carter if she would appear in an upcoming movie in the series. “I might, but at this point in my life, I pretty much do new parts in things,” she said. “There’s someone else doing the role now, and that’s OK. They should do it. I support Gal wholeheartedly, and I wish her and Patty all the success in the world.”
What happened when Lynda Carter returned to the Wonder Woman franchise
Let’s take a look at the finished version of Wonder Woman 1984. At one point in the movie, the title character tells the story of an Amazonian named Asteria. “She was our greatest warrior,” Diana says. “When mankind enslaved the Amazons, my mother freed us. But someone had to stay behind to hold back the tide of men so the others could escape to Themyscira.” Asteria appears later in the film played by none other than Carter in a small but memorable cameo role. This makes sense as the movie is nostalgic for an earlier era and Carter represents an earlier era of superhero media.
How the world reacted to this return
So Carter appears in Wonder Woman 1984 and in a touching homage to the original show. This raises an interesting question: Did the film perform well with her presence? According to CBR, the movie outperformed the filmed version of Hamilton to become the most-streamed film of 2020.
In addition, 23% of the people who streamed the film signed up for HBO Max specifically so they could view it. Wonder Woman 1984 also outperformed Soul, a Pixar film released to rival streaming service Disney+. The success of the movie led Warner Bros. to fast-track another sequel. Carter finally appeared in one of the theatrical Wonder Woman films and, judging from the reaction to it, it was a glorious return to the franchise,
