The increasing lack of certainty that the director of a majorly successful movie will return for the sequel is getting less and less surprising, unfortunately. Especially in the cases of DC and Marvel. So the news that Patty Jenkins is returning to helm the Wonder Woman sequel was wonder- cool. It was really cool. Jenkins reportedly confirmed her directorial return at a Q&A held at a Women-in-Film screening of the first movie, according to Advocate. But…
Hey All. Thanks for the excitement but that wasn't a confirmation. Just talking about ideas and hopes. But still excited and hopeful ;) #WW2 https://t.co/oaFZcPrRWl
— Patty Jenkins (@PattyJenks) June 30, 2017
Whoops.
Well, people had a right to be excited, of course. Wonder Woman as more than just a commercial success. It was met with praise from fans and critics alike. But there was no reason to expect Jenkins to return. Just ask DC. A handful of other superhero franchises have gone through directorial switch-ups. Joe Johnston, the director of Captain America: The First Avenger, was replaced by the Russos in Captain America: Winter Soldier. Every single Thor movie has had a different director.
Meanwhile, Joss Whedon won’t helm the next Avengers movies, due to creative differences with Marvel’s vision. Uh… not that Vision. Instead, Whedon will be finishing up the production of Justice League. This follows Zack Snyder’s stepping down to deal with a family tragedy. A director returning to a superhero franchise isn’t as certain a thing as it was, with the likes of Sam Raimi, Christopher Nolan, and so-on.
So audiences remain uncertain. But perhaps they can have the same level of hope and excitement that Jenkins, herself, seems to have. Unless something happens in the interim, that is. After all, the director of a movie in a franchise can have a tremendous impact on the franchise as a whole. Every director has their own style.Patty did seem to be borrowing a few pages from Snyder’s stylebook though. Gratuitous amounts of Slow-Mo, anyone? Some franchises can pull off having so many styles. However, a shared universe, like this, may call for there to be a few consistent styles across the franchises in them. Lest there be too many cooks in the kitchen, so to speak.
Some franchises can pull off having so many styles. However, a shared universe, like this, may call for there to be a few consistent styles across the franchises in them. Lest there be too many cooks in the kitchen, so to speak.
As for the Wonder Woman sequel, Jenkins has been negotiating it from the jump, but details are still murky on whether or not she’ll once again sitting in the director’s chair. Audiences will have to wait and see what the DCEU has in store for the Amazing Amazon.
