Gal Gadot is getting her Amazon on.
The 28-year-old Israeli who broke out in "Fast & Furious" has been cast as Wonder Woman in director Zack Synder's "Batman vs. Superman," the sequel to "Man of Steel" that also stars Ben Affleck as Batman.
In a statement, Snyder said, "Wonder Woman is arguably one of the most powerful female characters of all time and a fan favorite in the DC Universe. Not only is Gal an amazing actress, but she also has that magical quality that makes her perfect for the role. We look forward to audiences discovering Gal in the first feature film incarnation of this beloved character."
The 5-foot, 9-inch-tall Gadot started her career as a model, and at age 19 won the title of Miss Israel. Then at 20, she enlisted in the Israel Army, serving a two-year term. After making her acting debut on Israeli TV, she scored her first Hollywood role in 2009's "Fast & Furious." She reprised her role in the fifth and sixth installments.
It's been a turbulent week for Gadot, having lost her "Fast" co-star Paul Walker over the weekend in his tragic car accident. She posted memorials to Walker on her official Twitter and Facebook pages.
It had been reported the Galdot was one of the finalists for the female lead in the sequel, but today's annoucement is the first confirmation that the character of Diana Prince, better known to the world as Wonder Woman, would be joining the other two big names of the DC Comics universe on the big screen for the first time. Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, and Laurence Fishburne are set to return as well.
While there's no official word on whether Warners and DC will attempt to launch a new Wonder Woman franchise with Galdot in the star-spangled constume, the studio has been looking to reboot the iconic character for years. Since Lynda Carter hung up her golden tiara and lasso in the 1970s, there have been several attempts to launch a movie franchise, most famously back in 2007, when Joss Whedon took a crack at a script with his "Buffy" pal Sarah Michelle Gellar targeted to star. But that project never got off the drawing board. More recently, David E. Kelley shot an ill-fated Wonder Woman pilot in 2011 for NBC starring Adrianne Palicki in the titular role. NBC ultimately passed on the project, which had been widely derided for its attempt at updating the classic Wonder Woman look with long pants and blue boots.
"Batman vs. Superman" (which still lacks an official title) is scheduled for release on July 17, 2015. LINK
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