Gal Gadot: A look at the actress who will play Wonder Woman

Gal Gadot will be portraying Wonder Woman in the 'Batman vs. Superman' film, according to the film's director Zack Snyder. Gal Gadot starred in the 'Fast and the Furious' films.

Zack Snyder’s upcoming Man of Steel sequel Batman vs. Superman might be introducing a brand new Bruce Wayne in Ben Affleck and setting him up against Henry Cavill’s Superman, but with the main cast sorted out interest soon moved on to the supporting players.

Of these the most prominent is Wonder Woman, who may not have been in her own big-screen adventure yet but could be launched as part of Warner Bros. cinematic DC universe in preparation for a standalone film. Multiple actresses have auditioned for the role, and it seems like everyone has their ideal fan casting.

The time for rumors (these ones, at least) has now come to an end as Deadline reports that newcomer Gal Gadot has been cast in the iconic role. Gadot is best known for her appearances as Gisele in the Fast and Furious franchise, and also starred in James Mangold’s action comedy Knight and Day. Director Zack Snyder made the following statement about the casting choice:

“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.”

Other actresses who have previously been in talks to play Wonder Woman include Olga Kurylenko (Quantum of Solace) and Jaimie Alexander (Thor), but casting a relatively unknown actor is in line with what Warner Bros. has done before; Cavill himself wasn’t particularly well-known until he became Superman.

Gadot was born and raised in Israel and began her career as a model, serving two years in the Israeli army and even competing in the Miss Universe pageant before eventually moving to Hollywood to become an actress. Speaking in an interview about playing a tough female character like Gisele, Gadot said:

“In real life women are strong, and it should be the same on film. I think that because the men we have in this movie are so strong, tough, clever, intelligent, big – physically really big – I think that it’s a good balance to have us girls in the movie. Girls have a different flavor.”

Andrew Dyce blogs at Screen Rant.