How A Wonder Woman Epiphany Led Gal Gadot To Make Heart Of Stone
Gal Gadot isn't a stranger to big franchises. She made her feature debut with "Fast & Furious," joining the property by playing a fan-favorite character who got one of the series' best death scenes — sort of. She also delivered the single best line in the entire Kenneth Branagh Hercule Poirot franchise with her role in "Death on the Nile" (even if the movie wasn't a big hit), and starred in the underrated action comedy "Knight and Day," which features a fantastic Tom Cruise performance.
It was Gadot's role in the DC Universe, mostly in the first "Wonder Woman," that made her a star (a role she got after reading scenes from a Tarantino movie during her audition). "Wonder Woman" also offered a glimpse at a bright future for the DC Universe that has yet to materialize — and even if it does, it will do so without Gadot's Diana of Themyscira.
It was that movie in particular that prompted Gadot to want to develop what would later become "Heart of Stone," the new Netflix movie about an intelligence agent named Stone who has to protect a mysterious artifact known as The Heart (hence, "Heart of Stone," get it?). Speaking with Entertainment Weekly, the film's star and producer said she had an "aha!" moment after the success of "Wonder Woman":
"I was like, 'Wait a second, men go to see [women-led action films too]. We can [make more], so let's do it.' I got some confidence and we decided we're going to start and develop 'Heart of Stone.'"
Holding out for a hero
According to Gadot, who is a self-described action movie fan, the success of "Wonder Woman" made her think of the lack of prominent women-led action franchises. "So many male-led films were made brilliantly, and I just always felt like there's room for more female-led films," said Gadot. "Bond, 'Mission: Impossible,' 'Bourne Identity,' 'Die Hard' — these movies I devour, and I always wanted to play one."
She does have a point. While there are many action movies led by female characters (from "Atomic Blonde" and "Polite Society" to "The Old Guard" and "Salt"), few are part of actual franchises. And even when we do get successful women-led franchises like "Resident Evil" or "The Hunger Games," they are still either adaptations of established properties, or reside in genres that are already traditionally anchored by women. But franchises a la "Mission: Impossible" (which has a notoriously bad track record when it comes to female characters) remain quite male-focused. Will "Heart of Stone" be the one to change the game? Probably not, but it is a commendable effort, regardless.
"Heart of Stone" is now streaming on Netflix.