When Patty Jenkins took on the challenge of bringing the iconic Wonder Woman character to the big screen for the first time, she reached out to one woman for support: Lynda Carter.

“She has been like a sister to us on this journey,” explained Jenkins on the now 65-year-old, who famously played Wonder Woman on TV in the 1970s.

“I wanted her to know: Lynda, we’re not the next generation doing their version of Wonder Woman,” said Jenkins. “We were born of your Wonder Woman and it is a line, it’s a chain. We are a continuation of a vision and a dream of a great character.”

Jenkins grew up watching Carter's take on the superhero and has wanted to bring the character's story to the big screen for more than a decade. Wonder Woman was created in 1941 by DC Comics, yet this is the character's first solo theatrical adventure.

It opens Friday facing lofty expectations from moviegoers and Warner Bros., which hopes it will boost a DC world dimmed by "Batman v Superman" in time for November's "Justice League."

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Jenkins wants the film to inspire audiences as much as Carter and the TV show did. And Carter wants the same.

"Well I think it's time," said Carter. "It's now going onto a new generation of people and I'm thrilled."

The film tells the origin story of comic books' Amazonian princess Diana, played by Gal Gadot, and why she left the idyllic island of Themyscira to fight for justice among humans. Chris Pine plays Steve Trevor, the charming spy who lures Diana to London, where she discovers her superpowers.

Jenkins said Carter told her that fans still approach her to talk about "Wonder Woman," and she wished the same kinds of connections for the director.

"What a beautiful, beautiful thing," Jenkins said. "We aspire to be as graceful and wonderful as she has been as the representative of Wonder Woman.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.