Following her head-turning debut as Wonder Woman in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice , Gal Gadot is trading her superhero duds to star as a super spy's wife in Criminal. In the film, Gadot plays Jill Pope, a woman whose husband, CIA Agent Bill (Ryan Reynolds) is killed. After his death, his consciousness is put into the head of serial killer Jericho Stewart, played by Kevin Costner, whose erratic behavior becomes complicated when he begins to have access to Bill's memories, including Bill's love for Jill and their young daughter. It's a far cry from playing an Amazon warrior, but Gal Gadot in Criminal is sure to ease the wait for Wonder Woman.
Gadot's role in Criminal might be easily dismissed as your average wife role. Yes, she's at the emotional center of the film, and, yes, if the trailer is any indication she is literally the only woman that will be on-screen. However, Jill doesn't seem to be the damsel in distress type. In an official clip released from the film, Jill is seen pointing a gun at Jericho, ready to shoot an intruder in her home. Clearly, she knows how to handle herself.
Gadot has often played kick ass women — her breakthrough role as Gisele in Fast & Furious certainly comes to mind — and her role in Criminal appears to follow that trend. Gadot gravitates towards strong female characters and enjoys being established enough to choose roles like Jill in Criminal. "I don't want to do the obvious role that you see in Hollywood most of the time, which is the heartbroken girl who's waiting to be rescued by the guy, blah, blah, blah," Gadot said in an interview with Interview Magazine. Jill might not be Wonder Woman, but she's as close as we're going to get before Wonder Woman is released on June 2, 2017.
If Criminal isn't enough to satisfy your Gadot needs, the actor is also set to star as a spy in Keeping Up with the Joneses, a film tentatively scheduled for release before the end of 2016. In the movie, which is a spy comedy, Gadot plays a spy assigned to live in the suburbs with her partner played by Jon Hamm. Things go awry when their cover is blown by their new neighbors, a regular couple played by Isla Fisher and Zach Galifianakis.
There's really nothing that can make the wait for Wonder Woman go by any faster, but Criminal and Keeping Up with the Joneses are welcome to try.
Images: Jack English/Summit Entertainment
