Back in March, the Umberto Gonzalez-driven rumor mill suggested Warner Bros. wanted Star Trek star Chris Pine to play Hal Jordan in the studio’s Green Lantern reboot. We haven’t heard anything else about the rumor since then. However, that’s not necessarily because the studio doesn’t like what they’ve seen in the actor.
If Variety‘s sources are to be believed, Warner Bros. is now in talks with Pine to play Steve Trevor, the love interest of Gal Gadot’s Diana Prince in the upcoming solo Wonder Woman film:
Sources tell Variety the “Star Trek” actor is in negotiations to join Gal Gadot in the upcoming superhero pic for Warner Bros.
Pine would play Gadot’s love interest Steve Trevor in the origin story. Warner Bros. had no comment.
Earlier reports had indicated that Scott Eastwood, son of acting legend Clint Eastwood, would be cameoing as Steve Trevor in the upcoming Suicide Squad film. According to the original report though, it seems Eastwood wasn’t actually ever going to play Steve Trevor in that movie, but was simply given the choice to either test for the Trevor role or sign on for a guaranteed, supporting part in Suicide Squad, which he then opted to take.
If you aren’t familiar with the DC Comics storyline, Trevor is a U.S. Air Force pilot who crash lands on Paradise Island, the secret home of the Amazons. Several versions of the character have popped up in various comic universes, rehashes, and reboots, but the main story involves Trevor’s rescue at the hands of Diana. They fall in love, and she follows him back to the main land — all the while adopting the Wonder Woman mantle. Traditionally, Trevor is more often than not portrayed as self assured and cocky, but totally not threatened by Wonder Woman’s incredible strength. We’re sure his backstory goes a little deeper than that—and he’s been an important part of Wonder Woman comics since they started back in the ’40’s—but in light of today’s pro-female superhero movie casting news, let’s just say he’s Wonder Woman’s love interest and leave it at that. Another blow to misogyny!
What is still unknown is just what time frame the Patty Jenkins-directed Wonder Woman movie is taking place in; earlier reports suggested that it was going to be set in the past — during the Crimean War — per a suggestion from producer Zack Snyder (Which: really? The Crimean War??). But the addition of Steve Trevor, who is almost always portrayed as a pilot, would suggest that it is more likely that they’ve transferred Diana’s origin story back to World War II at the earliest, which is fine by me. Who doesn’t want to see Gal Gadot and Chris Pine beat up Nazis?
Whether or not this precise story is adopted remains to be seen. Audiences won’t know for sure until Wonder Woman hits theaters in 2017, after which Chris Pine will finally be able to bring his own superhero movie to the annual White Dudes Named Chris Convention.