Wonder Woman director Patty recalls ‘internal war’ with Warner Bros about film

Director Patty Jenkins has offered more details that continue to alter the perception of how Wonder Woman was made. The filmmaker has been casually dropping tidbits of information that suggest her relationship with Warner Bros was rocky, going back to when she was first approached for the job in 2004.

She recently helmed Wonder Woman 1984, which debuted to muted critical reception on December 24 in India. The filmmaker said that initially, she was brought on board the project as a hired gun, when she was broke and jobless after her Oscar-winning debut feature, Monster.

"They wanted to hire me like a beard; they wanted me to walk around on set as a woman, but it was their story and their vision. And my ideas? They didn't even want to read my script," she said in an appearance on Marc Maron's podcast. "There was such mistrust of a different way of doing things and a different point of view. So that was definitely happening, even when I first joined Wonder Woman it was like, 'Uhh, yeah, ok, but let's do it this other way.' But I was like, 'Women don't want to see that. Her being harsh and tough and cutting people's heads off, that's not what— I'm a Wonder Woman fan, that's not what we're looking for.' Still, I could feel that shaky nervousness [on their part] of my point of view."

When the first Wonder Woman quickly became a critical and commercial success, the filmmaker was brought back for the sequel. In a recent interview, she revealed that the film's final action sequence was a studio mandate, one that she didn't agree with.

"The was an internal war on every level about what Wonder Woman should be," she continued, adding that at one point, there were approximately 30 scripts for the film being considered. Despite Wonder Woman 1984's lukewarm reception, both Jenkins and star Gal Gadot have signed on to return for a third instalment.