Adrianne Palicki Was 'Devastated' By Her Failed 'Wonder Woman' TV Pilot — But She's Moving Forward With 'The Orville'

The DCEU's Wonder Woman blew fans away last summer and became a record-breaking box office smash, but six years before the epic blockbuster movie, NBC had ordered a TV pilot for Princess Diana of Themyscira. Starring Adrianne Palicki as Wonder Woman, along with Elizabeth Hurley and Cary Elwes, the potential series got a lot of hype at the time — but the network ultimately declined to pick it up.

Now playing Kelly Grayson on Fox's The Orville, Palicki admitted to The Hollywood Reporter that she was "devastated" when the series wasn't given the green light, but she believes there is a reason for everything:

“I was devastated when the pilot didn't go. But I also look at it, like, I got paid to wear that costume. And that is one of the coolest moments of my life running down Hollywood Boulevard. Like, that was so cool. And I was — how lucky am I. And you know, everything for a reason. It led me here. You know what I mean? So as dark as those moments were back in the day, I'm happy and so glad that somebody else gets to wear that costume. I'm so glad that [Gadot is] rocking it.”

The images of Palicki wearing that costume — which consisted of rubbery pants and blue boots — caused quite the stir with entertainment magazines. Entertainment Weekly declared it "demphasized patriotism," and Kyle Buchanan of New York was especially critical, saying it "looked less like a superhero outfit and more like a Project Runway challenge gone awry, the kind of thing Nina Garcia would dismiss by sniffing, 'Shiny, cheap, and tacky.'" The criticism finally led Warner Bros to change the costume, but it couldn't save the show.

(Gal Gadot's movie screen version of the Wonder Woman costume earned Palicki's seal of approval: “It's real badass. It looks heavy. Mine was probably more of a TV version.")

Fortunately, Palicki is quite happy to be where she is now, starring alongside her friend Seth MacFarlane, as she added a final bit of commentary:

“Eh, I think I'd [rather] be wearing the Orville costume."

The Orville airs Sundays on Fox.

[Sources: The Hollywood Reporter, Entertainment Weekly, New York]