Photo Source: Wonder Woman Facebook Page
The release of Wonder Woman ended a decade-long drought in terms of female superheroes leading a movie (the last one was 2004’s Elektra). To be fair, Wonder Woman’s momentum may have been influenced by the success of previous female-led action films, such as The Hunger Games. Nevertheless, it exceeded expectations when it became the world’s highest-grossing film directed by a woman and the highest-grossing DC Extended Universe film in the US. It was filled with positive elements as explained in our own review on the Game of Nerds Show.
The princess of Themyscira paved the way for other female superheroes to shine on the big screen. Aside from Venom, The Hollywood Reporter revealed that another Spider-verse project is in the works from Sony Pictures, which centers on two female characters, namely Black Cat and Silver Sable. In the other corner of the ring, Marvel Studios is preparing the 2019 release of Captain Marvel, their first female-fronted film.
To a certain degree, Wonder Woman’s gesture is similar to how Samus Aran (Metroid) paved the way for more female protagonists appearing in video games. Because of Wonder Woman’s impact in film, it was only logical that Princess Diana had a strong presence in this industry as well. Albeit there’s yet to be a Wonder Woman-centered console game, the character has already made her mark in the Injustice franchise and made an impression with her very own Wonder Woman ported slots game on Slingo. As the heroine’s following grows, it won’t be surprising if we hear of a major game studio developing a big-budget Wonder Woman title sooner rather than later.
Of course, while the movie was received well thank largely to Gal Gadot and her chemistry with Chris Pine, the film owes its success to director Patty Jenkins. In recognition, Den of Geek revealed that she recently closed a deal to direct, produce and co-write the Wonder Woman sequel – a decision that was reached after a tough negotiation with Warner Bros. It’s rumored she’ll receive around $7 million to $9 million. If this is the case, Jenkins will become history’s highest paid female director.
The agreement was concluded four months after Wonder Woman’s premiere. The question is, why didn’t it happen sooner?
It’s been a tough journey for the director. The film worked because Jenkins fought for several scenes, including the most memorable “No Man’s Land” sequence. Jenkins stated in an interview with Fandango, “It’s my favorite scene in the movie and it’s the most important scene in the movie. So when I started to really hunker in on the significance of No Man’s Land, there were a couple people who were deeply confused, wondering, like, ‘Well, what is she going to do? How many bullets can she fight?’ And I kept saying, ‘It’s not about that. This is a different scene than that. This is a scene about her becoming Wonder Woman.”
All things considered, Jenkins could very well be the real Wonder Woman. It’s no less astounding for the director to have a clear picture of what the movie should be and actually push through with it instead of bending to the will of the execs. Needless to say, it’s a monumental leap for Hollywood female filmmakers.
