It’s no secret that director Patty Jenkins had to struggle with her teeth and nails to achieve her vision for the first DCEU Wonder Woman movie. Aone of the most convincing ideas to come out of The Wonderful Woman 1984his speech that is, even if Jenkins’ first foray into Themysciran heroism was a resounding success, he was never relaxed enough to come back and let her do things right.
The wonderful woman being an integral part of DC Comics’ brand identity, it’s easy to understand why the studio could have been as precious as the IP when Jenkins was first introduced to the film’s tumultuous production, when he was first offered to conduct a Wonder Woman film in 2007. Jenkins initially turned down Warner – and then signed up, moved away from creative differences in 2011—only to return to project management years later, after leaving what he became Thor: The dark world. But during a recent conversation with Marc Maron WTF podcasts (via Indiewire), Jenkins went into detail about how intensely she felt abandoned after being captured Wonder Woman– so much so that it seemed to Jenkins that the studio only wanted her for optics.
“They wanted to hire me like a beard,” Jenkins said. “They wanted me to walk on the plateau as a woman, but it was their story and vision. And my ideas? They didn’t even want to read my screenplay. “
According to Jenkins, a fundamental difference of perspective was the root of the problem that arose because Warner Bros. did not trust Jenkins’ point of view as a Wonder Woman fan. If Jenkins wanted her movie to explore ideals and values which the Wonder Woman embodies, she felt that the studio was more interested in dissecting the success of Christopher Nolan’s Batman movies, in an attempt to recreate it with Princess Themysciran.
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“Even when I first joined Wonder Woman it was like, “Uhh, yeah, OK, but let’s do it differently,” Jenkins explained. “But I said, ‘Women don’t want to see that. Being tough and tough and cutting people’s heads … I’m a Wonder Woman fan, that’s not what we’re looking for. ‘Still, I felt that trembling nervousness [on their part] from my point of view. “
Of course, there are always more parts to each story and as many scenarios and creative teams that were attached to what would become Jenkins. Wonder Woman, there are certainly other memories as well to what descended. Given how drastically different it is in terms of overall tightness The Wonderful Woman 1984 has come to be compared to its predecessor, it is interesting to consider what kind of conversations took place behind closed doors in the months leading up to its launch …and what kind of discussions Jenkins and Warner Bros. might have. in the near future.
The Wonderful Woman 1984 is currently in theaters and streaming on HBO Max.
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