With her athletic, 5’11” frame, Nicole Kidman sure looks like an Amazonian queen, and it seems that Patty Jenkins agrees.
According to The Wrap, Kidman’s in talks to play “a high-ranking Amazonian warrior” in WONDER WOMAN, who we can only assume is Diana Prince’s mom, Hippolyta. Even though they’ve got Gadot and Chris Pine attached, there’s no doubt that Kidman would be the biggest star to sign onto WW’s debut film thus far.
Kidman doesn’t have quite the movie star clout she once did, with her GRACE OF MONACO being famously relegated to the Lifetime Channel and without a legit domestic hit since HAPPY FEET (if that counts), but she remains an instantly recognizable figure with movie star appeal, as well as being an Oscar-winner for THE HOURS. Having her in the Anthony-Hopkins-in-THOR role should be a great advantage to the production, as well as giving the marketing department an A-list face to slap on the posters (sorry, Pine, but no one goes to movies just to see you).
Kidman’s Oscar-nominated turn in MOULIN ROUGE! showed that she can use her improbably statuesque body to her advantage while maintaining a strong, feminist persona, and her stylized performances in stuff like BATMAN FOREVER, GOLDEN COMPASS, and PADDINGTON show that she’s completely at home in ridiculous costumes and settings. Whatever tone they're going for here, I'm sure Kidman will acclimate accordingly, though one hopes that what they give her is closer to Hopkins' bombastic Odin than poor Rene Russo's almost-cut-from-the-first-one's Frigga. Needless to say, she can do the regal thing in her sleep, but adding some bare-armed muscle tone and an aggressive, warrior attitude on top could make for some top-notch Kidman.
Aside from being an A-list actress and a staple of international magazine covers, Kidman has stunned me with her talent in films like DEAD CALM, FLIRTING, THE OTHERS, THE PAPERBOY, and, of course, TO DIE FOR. She’s one of my wife’s favorite actresses, and I know that a lot of people out there will be happy to see her be part of this quite-important entry in the DCCU. Even though the ages don’t add up, I could very easily see her playing mama to Gadot’s Wonder Woman, teaching her how to be the upstanding, take-no-shit hero that the character should be.
How does Kidman as Hippolyta jibe with you?
WONDER WOMAN will probably not sing “Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend” quite as well as her mother on June 23rd, 2017.
