Update (9/11/17): Variety have confirmed that Jenkins’ deal has closed, and the helmer will be returning to direct “Wonder Woman 2.” Excellent news!
To put it bluntly, Patty Jenkins saved DC Films.
Warner Bros.’ plan to emulate Marvel with their own comic book universe had a very rough start. “Batman v Superman: Dawn Of Justice” and “Suicide Squad” were both costly critical failures, and while we can argue about the merits of their box office returns, the bottom line is the brand value really took a hit. However, this summer’s “Wonder Woman” offered a beacon of hope. Not only has it done outstanding numbers — it will likely cross $800 million worldwide this weekend, and it’s currently the third highest grossing movie in WB history — but it has been embraced in a way the preceding DC films simply haven’t. Even more, Jenkins and Geoff Johns did extensive, uncredited rewrite work on the script to get it into shooting shape and the rest, as they say, is history. Now, Jenkins is going to get real paid to return.
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Deadline reports that the director is in the final round of negotiations to get back behind the camera for “Wonder Woman 2,” and it’s going to be a big deal. Once the contracts are signed, Jenkins would not only be the highest paid female director in the industry, but would earn more than your average male filmmaker might in the same situation (exact figures aren’t being revealed). Frankly, Jenkins deserves it, seeing as how she gave DC Films a new lease on life. One can only imagine how different the narrative would be for the company right now — which still isn’t great, given the extensive reshoots going on with “Justice League” — had “Wonder Woman” missed the mark. Not only did the film do well, it was a massive success by almost any possible metric.
When the ink is dry, work will start on “Wonder Woman 2” which opens on December 13, 2019.
