If you’ve heard some of the rumors swirling, some of them gossipy and nasty, everything from Patty Jenkins walking away from “Wonder Woman 3,” refusing to make changes to her treatment, and being difficult to work with, well know that the filmmaker has heard them herself and isn’t happy.
Jenkins took to social media this evening to refute some of the claims swirling around about her, some from the Wrap and others from Jeff Sneider’s YouTube Show that really painted her in a hostile, hard-to-work-with light.
“Sigh… I’m not one to talk about private career matters, but I will not allow inaccuracies to continue,” Jenkins said in a statement she shared on Twitter.
However, before launching into her denials about “Wonder Woman 3,” she brought up the “Star Wars” project “Rogue Squadron” that she was initially attached to; the project seemingly fell apart a few years back. The filmmaker insists the project is still on the table, and she only left it because “Wonder Woman 3” came first on the timetable.
“Here are the facts: 1 originally left ‘Rogue Squadron’ after a long and productive development process when it became clear it couldn’t happen soon enough, and I did not want to delay WW3 any further. When I did, Lucasfilm asked me to consider coming back to RS after WW3, which I was honored to do, so I agreed. They made a new deal with me. In fact, I am still on it, and that project has been in active development ever since. I don’t know if it will happen or not. We never do until the development process is complete, but I look forward to its potential ahead.”
The word on the street, the report from the Wrap initially said it was Jenkins who walked away from “Wonder Woman 3” after her treatment was rejected by Warner Bros. brass, even purportedly sending them Wikipedia links to “character arcs” after they reportedly did not like the Wonder Woman’s arcs in the film. Jenkins rejected all that.
“When there started being backlash about WW3 not happening, the attractive clickbait false story that it was me that killed it or walked away started to spread,” she wrote. “This is simply not true. I never walked away. I was open to considering anything asked of me. It was my understanding there was nothing I could do to move anything forward at this time. DC is obviously buried in changes they are having to make, so I understand these decisions are difficult right now.”
“I do not want what has been a beautiful journey with WW to land on [a] negative note,” she continued. “I have loved and been so honored to be the person who got to make these last two Wonder Woman films. She is an incredible character. Living in and around her values makes one a better person every day. I wish her and her legacy an amazing future ahead, with or without me.”
So that’s not “Wonder Woman 3” is over without Jenkins, but the reality is, as she alludes to, DC Studios’ James Gunn and Peter Safran are considering some difficult choices for DC going forward, and it sounds like they do not fit with the direction Jenkins wanted to take “Wonder Woman.”
The filmmaker went on to laud her “Wonder Woman” collaborator Gal Gadot and thanked the fans for all they’ve done for the franchise.
“Gal Gadot. Where do I even begin?” she wrote. “Gal is the greatest gift I have received in this whole journey. A cherished friend, inspiration, and sister. There are no words I can use to convey how magical she is. She is the walking embodiment of Wonder Woman in real life and a better person than the world can imagine. Never once in the millions of moments I have spent with her did I see anything less. She is a gift to this world and even more so to me. Lastly, but most importantly, THANK YOU to the incredible WW fans and for all of your love and support.”
Jenkins ended her note by saying she hopes Wonder Woman, in whatever form she takes next, acts as a “beacon of love, truth, and justice [and] is always there to lead the way for you, as she has done for me.”