Wonder Woman gets to be cool, says Batman V Superman director

Beijing — The women in his films have never been damsels in distress (remember 2011’s Sucker Punch?) — so it should come as no surprise that director Zack Snyder has no intention of treating Wonder Woman any differently from her male superhero counterparts in the highly anticipated Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice.

“Hey, I’m very much into equality!” Snyder told TODAY while promoting the upcoming blockbuster starring Ben Affleck and Henry Cavill as the titular superheroes in Beijing.

The 50-year-old did reveal a little about what Gal Godot’s character will be doing in the movie.

“The one thing that Wonder Woman does get the opportunity to do, because she’s not as deeply intertwined in the story, is the cool stuff,” he said. “Like when you just get to show up and be cool, that’s pretty much what she gets to do.”

Reiterating his earlier statement that “Wonder Woman is arguably one of the most powerful female characters of all time and a fan favourite in the DC Universe”, Synder said he had always wanted to bring Wonder Woman into this movie — even though the beloved character is poised for her own standalone film, which is currently filming and scheduled to be released next year.

“I am a big fan of The Trinity, which is Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman. It’s a concept that I’ve always loved,” he said. “And I remember in one of my early sketchbooks on this movie, even before we had Wonder Woman (on board), I drew The Trinity. And I was like, ‘That’s cool’.”

And if you’re wondering how the director thinks his Man of Steel’s Henry Cavill has grown as both Superman and an actor, Snyder was all praise. He revealed that he and the writers wanted to push him and see how far they could take both Superman and Cavill.

“He really went all the way. He’s an amazing Superman,” he gushed. “I don’t think it could be possible to have a better Superman because he really studied the mythology and everything else hard. When he first came into it, he was like, ‘I didn’t know much about Superman except what I’ve seen in the movies’. But he’s really done his homework now and is constantly referencing all the comic books.

So is Henry Cavill officially out-geeking comic book fanboy Zack Snyder?

“A little bit,” Synder replied with a laugh. “But I appreciate that. I could not get mad at that.” GENEVIEVE LOH

Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice opens in cinemas on March 24.