Though she has now become synonymous with her Amazonian character, the initial announcement that Gal Gadot had been cast as Wonder Woman was... well, let's say that the phrase "met with skepticism" doesn't do it justice. Fan reaction to the actor was harsh, as people flooded social media with angry reactions, criticizing Gadot for her accent, her physical appearance and more. And while she wasn't one of the angry mob calling for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice director Zack Snyder's head over the casting, Wonder Woman director Patty Jenkins has admitted she wasn't a fan of the casting either -- at first.

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In an interview with Playboy, Jenkins recalls her less-than-positive reaction to the casting. "I remember when I read in the news that Wonder Woman had been cast and my heart sank," Jenkins recalled. "I had been talking to the studio for so long about doing it and I was like well 'that’s that.' I’m sure we wouldn’t have made the same choice."

Then, like many fans did upon seeing the first trailer for BvS, Jenkins began to change her tune, and quickly came around to understanding what it was that Warner Bros. and Snyder saw in the then relatively unknown actor. "I started paying attention to her, and watching her and looking at her and it was just unbelievable," she said. "Frankly, I think they did a better job than I could have because I don’t know that I would have scoured the earth as hard to find her. I don’t know that I would’ve looked internationally. I would have just looked for an American girl. The fact that they found Gal and chose her is a magical gift to me. They’re incredibly intelligent people and they were looking for all the same things I would have looked for—all the values that Wonder Woman stands for exuding from someone in an honest way, and boy did they find it. She’s the greatest."

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Not only does Jenkins admit her initial reaction was a mistake, she's now such a fan of Gadot's version of Wonder Woman, she believes it will eventually supplant Lynda Carter's version of the character as the one that pops into people's minds when the name Wonder Woman is mentioned. "[E]very once in a while, there’s superhero casting that transcends, because that person is so authentic to the character that it becomes identified with them, like Lynda Carter or Christopher Reeve," Jenkins said. "It’s even more of a miracle that there was another person as authentic as Lynda in every way to that character. She’s brave, strong, kind, loving, badass—every adjective you can think of for Wonder Woman, Gal is. Lynda and all of the world is like “Oh wonderful, carry on,” because it’s the real thing. It’s a gauntlet pass from one Wonder Woman to another."

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Currently screening in theaters, Wonder Woman is a production of DC Films directed by Patty Jenkins and starring Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman, Chris Pine as Steve Trevor, Robin Wright as General Antiope, Danny Huston as General Erich Ludendorff, David Thewlis as Ares, Connie Nielsen as Queen Hippolyta, Elena Anaya as Doctor Poison and Lucy Davis as Etta Candy.

Via Screen Rant