---
title: Friday Feature: 7 Inspiring Wonder Women From the IMAX Canon
publisher: "IMAX"
description: "Here are some of our favorite, most inspiring wonder women (both fictional and IRL) from past IMAX films."
canonical: "https://www.imax.com/friday-feature-7-inspiring-wonder-women-imax-canon"
date: 2024-01-23
last_updated: 2024-08-12
---

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June 2, 2017

Friday Feature: 7 Inspiring Wonder Women From the IMAX Canon
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It’s an exciting time at the movies as Warner Bros.’ and DC Comics’ eagerly anticipated _Wonder Woman_ launches today in IMAX theatres worldwide.

_Wonder Woman_ — which marks the first live-action blockbuster released in IMAX to be directed by a woman, the incredibly talented Patty Jenkins — stars an amazing roster of supremely kick-ass women, led by Gal Gadot as the titular superhero.

The release of _Wonder Woman_ — the first superhero studio tentpole to feature a female protagonist at its center — really is a watershed moment in Hollywood.

Here are some of our favorite, most inspiring wonder women (both fictional and IRL) from past IMAX films:

— **Toni Myers:** Kicking off our list is none other than the acclaimed filmmaker Toni Myers, who is a trailblazer not only for IMAX, but within the film industry at large. Myers has had a brilliant career that spans decades having directed some of the most successful IMAX documentaries, including _Space Station 3D_ (2002), _Hubble_ (2010) and last year’s _A Beautiful Planet_.

Myers commented on her career as a documentarian saying, “The whole idea of making _A Beautiful Planet_ was \[based on\] the hope that I could inspire a new generation to appreciate their world through that lens, and if this film can inspire \[young people\] to go out and work toward a solution and work together and spread the word then that will make me extremely happy.” Read the full Q & A [HERE](/news/friday-feature-qa-beautiful-planet-director-toni-myers-career-retrospective).

— **Jennifer Yuh Nelson:** While Patty Jenkins marks the first woman to direct a live-action blockbuster in IMAX, Jennifer Yuh Nelson helped pave the way on the animation front having directed _Kung Fu Panda 2_ in 2011 and co-directed 2016’s _Kung Fu Panda 3_ with Alessando Carloni.

— **Scarlett Johannson:** One of the world’s most recognizable movie stars, Scarlett Johannson has had an incredible career in IMAX having been featured in eight IMAX releases, including both _Captain America_ and _Avengers_ films, _Iron Man 2_, _Lucy_, _The Jungle Book_ and _Ghost in the Shell_. IMAX fans will see Johannson next year in _Avengers: Infinity War_.

— **Emma Watson:** Though she’s only 27, Emma Watson likewise has had an extensive career to date in IMAX starring in a remarkable ten IMAX releases, including all eight _Harry Potter_ films (thanks largely to last year’s _Harry Potter_ marathon in IMAX), _Noah_ (2014) and this year’s blockbuster hit _Beauty and the Beast_. Fun fact: Scenes from this year’s indie film _The Circle_, starring Watson and Tom Hanks, were actually filmed at IMAX headquarters in Playa Vista.

— **Jyn Erso (from Disney’s** _**Rogue One**_**):** Switching gears a bit, on the fictional side, one of the most empowering female protagonists to have graced an IMAX screen is Jyn Erso, played by Felicity Jones, in _Rogue One: A Star Wars Story_. A reluctant hero, Erso, who Jones imbues with grace and spunk, represents one of the most pivotal players in the entire _Star Wars_ saga. Let’s face it, **Rey** (an honorable mention here) wouldn’t have even existed if not for the courage of Erso.

— **Katniss Everdeen (from** _**The Hunger Games**_ **franchise):** Another landmark heroine from a massively popular movie series in IMAX, Katniss Everdeen in _The Hunger Games_ franchise, kick-started a whole new wave of empowered female protagonists featured in teen fiction adaptations (think the _Divergent_ series). And for good reason. Katniss, immortalized by the incomparable Jennifer Lawrence, represents the kind of dogged heroine of impeachable character that every person could admire. Fun fact: Lawrence, who narrated _A Beautiful Planet_, told _People_ magazine in 2014 that one of her post-_Hunger Games_ ambitions was to do some voiceover work.

— **Imperator Furiosa (from** _**Mad Max: Fury Road**_**):** Lastly, what’s a list of some of the most kick-ass modern women (fictional or otherwise) without the revolutionary character, Imperator Furiosa? Played by Charlize Theron with the sort of steely fury rarely seen on the bigscreen, Furiosa is a heroine for the ages. So much so, one nearly forgets the movie is called _Mad Max_.

— _By Andrew Stewart, Manager, Corporate Communications_