The camera rolls on a rain-slicked Prague rooftop as Melissa Barrera hurls herself across a three-foot gap between buildings, her coat whipping like a battle flag. One mis-step and the drop is thirty feet. No stunt double in sight. In the shadows, her co-star Simu Liu watches, heart hammering almost as hard as hers. By the time the director yells “Cut,” Liu isn’t merely impressed—he’s convinced. Somewhere between Barrera’s second flying knee and the moment she lands in a perfect crouch, the man who brought Shang-Chi to life decides he’s seeing the next Wonder Woman in real time. And because this is 2024, Liu doesn’t keep the epiphany to himself. He logs on, tags DC Studios kingpin James Gunn, and tells the entire internet: Cast her. Now.
What happened on that rooftop
Most Hollywood endorsements arrive polished by publicists, stripped of spontaneity. Liu’s tweetstorm felt like a barstool confession that accidentally went planetary. “Seen Melissa dodge bullets, motorcycles, and bad Czech weather for eight straight weeks,” he wrote. “She’s already an Amazon—someone give her a tiara.” Within minutes, #MelissaForDiana surged past 30k mentions, colliding head-first into the vacuum DC has been scrambling to fill since James Gunn and Peter Safran began remapping the cinematic universe.
Insiders tell me Liu’s post wasn’t a cheeky throwaway. The pair bonded during Peacock’s frenetic shoot for The Copenhagen Test, a spy thriller that demanded Barrera master Krav Maga throws, parkour vaults, and enough sword work to make a League of Assassins alum blush. “Simu would finish his takes and stay just to watch her stunt rehearsals,” a crew member says. “He kept saying, ‘She’s operating on a superhero frequency.’” By week four, Liu began peppering Barrera with questions about her dream roles. She admitted—half-joking, half-wistful—that Diana Prince topped the list. Liu filed it away for later.
Back in Burbank, Gunn’s team has been quietly canvassing talent for a Wonder Woman re-boot that will sidestep the Gal Gadot continuity and fold Themyscira into the new “Gods & Monsters” chapter. Studio memos show casting targets skew younger, athletic, and—crucially—open to a multi-picture arc that dovetails with Swamp Thing and an Amazons spin-off. Barrera, 33, fits the age sweet spot and already survived the brutal cardio gauntlet Liu witnessed. The only snag: DC’s shortlist reportedly skews toward names with Marvel-level global pull. Liu’s Twitter thread was, in essence, a grassroots coup aimed at that list.
From Scream Queen to would-be Amazon
Hollywood first noticed Barrera wielding a knife in the 2022 Scream relaunch, but her résumé sings wider than horror. She carried the live-TV musical Jesus Christ Superstar, danced through In the Heights, and survived a six-month boot camp for the boxing drama Untitled. Each role built a different muscle—literally. Trainers say she finished Scream with a 4:55 mile, then added twelve pounds of lean fight mass for Copenhagen. The result is a frame that looks sculpted by clay and Greek fire, the kind of physique comic artists sketched before physics was invented.
Yet the Amazon crown demands more than abs. Fans still flinch remembering the Gadot debates—accents, on-screen authority, that intangible regal air. Barrera, born in Monterrey, Mexico, speaks three languages and carries the refugee-granddaughter backstory that could lend Diana a fresh global resonance. “She’s fought for every role,” her long-time agent tells me. “She isn’t daunted by an icon; she’s empowered by it.” Liu echoed that sentiment, tweeting a clip of Barrera sparring with a 220-pound stuntman and captioning it: “Compassionate warrior? Check. Tower presence? Check. Lasso the bad guys? Let’s go.”
Not everyone is ready to anoint her. DC’s core fanbase fractures into camps: some crave an established blockbuster name, others lobby for an unknown discovery. A few Gadot loyalists insist any recasting is sacrilege. Meanwhile, rival hopefuls orbit the project—House of the Dragon’s Milly Alcock tested in October, and agents keep floating Wednesday star Emma Myers. The battlefield is crowded, noisy, and exactly the kind of scrum Liu hopes to tilt with sheer momentum.
Why Liu’s megaphone matters in Gunn’s new realm
James Gunn built his new DC kingdom on transparency—script pages drop on Threads, concept art leaks with winking permission, and fan chatter is mined like open-source code. That ecosystem rewards voices like Liu, whose Marvel pedigree gives him cross-aisle credibility. “Simu isn’t just another actor campaigning for a buddy,” says a studio VP. “He’s a superhero whisperer. If he says someone can carry a shield—or a lasso—we listen.”
Still, Gunn’s playbook prizes screen tests over tweets. Sources say Barrera hasn’t auditioned yet; scheduling conflicts with Copenhagen reshoots kept her off the runway. But the social-media surge has “accelerated internal conversation,” according to an executive close to the project. Translation: a meeting is being penciled, dialect coaches are being floated, and concept artists already doodle Barrera’s silhouette beside glowing Bracers of Submission.
Outside the Warner lot, the campaign simmers. Fan art floods Instagram—Barrera’s face crowned with the eagle crest, glowing Lasso of Truth whipping across neon skylines. Liu keeps liking every post, stoking the fire without another direct word. It’s the quiet before the callback, and somewhere in Prague, Barrera is still jumping rooftops, unaware that each landing reshapes her future—and maybe the future of the DC Universe.
The DC Universe’s Casting Conundrum
DC Studios’ search for a new Wonder Woman has been a longstanding challenge. Since Gal Gadot’s announcement that she would be stepping down from the role, the DC Universe has been abuzz with speculation about who could fill the iconic character’s boots. With James Gunn at the helm, the stakes are high, and the expectations are clear: the new Diana Prince needs to embody the same level of strength, compassion, and complexity that has defined the character for decades.
The casting process for such an iconic role is never easy. A review of past DC casting decisions reveals a pattern of careful consideration and exhaustive search. For instance, when casting Superman, the production team considered several actors before settling on Henry Cavill. A similar exhaustive process is likely underway for Wonder Woman. The table below highlights some of the key factors that are likely being considered in the search for the next Wonder Woman:
| Character Trait | Key Considerations |
|---|---|
| Physicality | Ability to perform stunts, martial arts skills, physical presence |
| Acting Chops | Range, emotional depth, chemistry with other actors |
| Iconic Status | Recognition, cultural relevance, ability to embody the character’s values |
Barrera’s Credentials: A Deeper Dive
Melissa Barrera’s performance in The Copenhagen Test has been making waves in Hollywood, and Simu Liu’s endorsement is not the only one she’s received. Insiders claim that her stunt work and acting abilities have impressed not just Liu, but also the show’s directors and stunt coordinators. According to sources close to the production, Barrera’s dedication to performing her own stunts and her natural aptitude for martial arts have made her a standout on set.
For more information on the DC Universe and its casting decisions, you can visit the official DC website or the Warner Bros. Entertainment IMDb page. Additionally, the