Gal Gadot cast as Wonder Woman in 'Batman vs. Superman'

Following the rumors that characters like Nightwing and Wonder Woman would appear in Batman vs. Superman, some casting possibilities emerged with Adam Driver circling the role of Bruce Wayne's former sidekick turned solo and names like Gal Gadot and Elodie Yung were potentially up for the Amazon heroine. Now Variety has confirmed that Fast & Furious franchise star Gal Gadot has officially landed the role of Wonder Woman in the gestating sequel to Man of Steel that will introduce Ben Affleck as The Dark Knight opposite Henry Cavill as Superman. And this isn't speculation as Zack Snyder has made a statement.

Snyder confirmed the casting, adding:

"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."

Gadot not only beat out Yung but also Oblivion and Quantum of Solace star Olga Kurylenko for the role that will likely become a much bigger part of Warner Bros. growing DC Universe that begins with this gestating sequel. Oh, and in a little tidbit at the end, Variety also notes that Warner Bros. has their eye on Zero Dark Thirty and 300: Rise of the Empire star Callan Mulvey to play the villain, though it has yet to be confirmed if that will be the long-rumored Lex Luthor or an entirely new villain we haven't seen on the big screen before. The villain role is now the next focus for the studio, so we'll see what happens.

Back on the hero side, it's not clear how integral Wonder Woman will be in Batman vs. Superman, so this could just serve as an introduction to the character before she gets her own movie. After all, rumors have pegged the character as only appearing as Diana Prince with maybe some sort of tease at Wonder Woman. Gadot certainly has the action credits to play the hero, but we're not sure if she can carry her own movie yet. However, if The Hunger Games franchise's succcess has proven anything, it's that audiences are hungry for female heroes.