Today, Wonder Woman is our most widely known comic book heroine, but Sheena, Queen of the Jungle was the first female comic book character to receive her own solo movie. In fact, Sheena’s first US adventure was published in 1938, three years before Wonder Woman’s.
Unlike the Amazon Princess, Sheena is a human who battles slave traders, evil white hunters, natives, and wild animals. However, she does have a superpower: the ability to communicate with animals.
We’re not taking Diana Prince lightly. Wonder Woman broke record after record, and the fact that a female-led superhero movie can be a monster box office hit is not lost on the studios. According to Deadline, Millennium Films is planning to capitalize on Wonder Woman’s success with a live action film about Sheena, Queen of the Jungle.
The outlet added that shooting for the Sheena movie will begin sometime in 2018, but it remains to be seen whether that will actually happen. Right now, the studio is actively searching for a lead actress.
Tanya Roberts starred in the live-action film Sheena in 1984. In addition, two television series have featured the character. The first aired way back in 1955 and starred Irish McCalla. In 2000, Gena Lee Nolin took on the role of Sheena.
The TV series didn’t last very long. Gena Lee Nolin’s show made it the longest of the two, with just 35 episodes. Neither critics nor audience was impressed with the live-action film.
With the recent surge in popularity of the comic book movie genre, this may be Sheena’s time to shine.
