Emerald Fennell is living large in 2021. After becoming a critical darling out of the festival circuit with “Promising Young Woman,” the film was eventually released and has picked up a ton of trophies during awards season, all culminating in multiple Oscar nominations. And even before we know if the writer-director will take home some trophies at the end of the month, it’s already been announced that she is set to pen the script for a new superhero film for Warner Bros, titled “Zatanna.” But don’t go assuming she’s going to direct the film, as well. She’s not even sure if the script will be any good.
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Talking to Variety, Fennell was asked about her upcoming gig as a writer of the DC superhero film, “Zatanna.” The film is inspired by the comic book character that is a superhero that uses her magical abilities to help fight crime and take down bad guys. And judging by her comments, Fennell is really excited about tackling the character for Warner Bros. and JJ Abrams’ Bad Robot Productions. But she’s not ready to sign on as a director, just yet.
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“It’s so exciting. That’s not a conversation that’s happened at all, so I have no insight, and also, we’re still in the early days,” Fennell explained. “It’s something that we’ve been working on for a while. I’ve been speaking to Bad Robot [Productions], who are amazing. You want to get the first bit right, which is the script, before you think of anything else. It’s a very specific thing – the world of superhero movies is incredibly exciting, but it’s also a new different challenge. The main thing for me is making sure that it’s really, really good. I’m such a genre fan. I’m a fan of witchcraft, magic, and comic books, and this is scary and intense.”
As Fennell says, it’s clear “Zatanna” is still in the early days of development. However, as with all of these high-profile superhero films, fan anticipation immediately reaches a fever pitch, with fans hoping WB is going to announce Alexandra Daddario as the lead and everyone trying to figure out if the film will tie into the upcoming “Justice League Dark” project that Bad Robot is also working on?
Those questions don’t seem to have answers coming anytime soon. So, for now, fans should relax and let Fennell work on the script and then figure out if she’s going to direct it or not. In the meantime, she’s probably a bit busy making sure “Promising Young Woman” wins some Oscars.