Deepika Padukone to reportedly star in Bollywood's first female superhero franchise inspired by Wonder Woman

Amidst calls for greater representation for women across industries, Bollywood seems to be taking a step in the right direction as Deepika Padukone is reportedly all set to star in the industry's first female superhero franchise.

The as-yet-untitled project is touted to be a science-fiction story and the budget for the first two instalments has been pegged at a massive Rs 300 crore, reported Mumbai Mirror.  The franchise will kick off in 2019 and is currently at the conception stage with the script being worked on. The film and Deepika's costume will be inspired by Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman which had earned rave reviews for its portrayal of the female superhero.

Deepika Padukone/Image from Instagram.

A source told the newspaper that, "the 32-year-old-actress will begin training extensively in mixed martial arts and different styles of hand-to-hand combat. Since this is a first-of-its-kind mega project, the timelines for pre-production will be long and the project will go on the floors next year." The source also added that, "the costume will be sexy, not contrived or gimmicky.... a special outfit is being designed for her character which will be custom-made to facilitate hardcore physical combat and movement."

It had earlier been reported that Deepika was not signing any new roles after the success of her last film Padmaavat. DNA had speculated that the actress might be taking time off for her alleged impending wedding to Ranveer Singh at the end of 2018, or that she is waiting to recover completely from her back and neck injury despite a flood of offers.

Her pickiness was also attributed to the roles coming her way via big banners, and possibly the fee that Deepika expects since she was paid 12 crores for Padmaavat.