Patty Jenkins talks Wonder Woman Film
The upcoming Wonder Woman film is one of the most anticipated superhero films in recent memory. Not the least of which is because this is the first female-led film since the DCEU and MCU arrived, which is saying something. But there’s a lot of pressure to get this film right, and no one knows that more than director Patty Jenkins.
For her, Wonder Woman is meant to be the true symbol of hope and heroism, or at least, for a time, as we see in BVS she’s become more detached from the world of man. But in her solo movie, she’s the bright symbol of what it means to be a hero. In an interview with IGN, she reveals that the biggest inspiration for her was the original Superman film in 1978.
“Right before I came on to do this I watched it again with my son who was 6 at the time,” Jenkins tells me. “I was so stunned. It completely bolstered my plans to do this by watching it with jaded kids who’ve seen a thousand movies…
Her son apparently reacted in an unexpectedly beautiful way when the young Superman lifted the car to save someone, and that meant the world to her.
Her biggest supporter though was Geoff Johns, the legendary comic writer turned Chief Content officer for DC. Johns has a long history with Diana of Themyscira, and Patty and him connected as they tried to make sure that the film showed her in the best light possible:
“Geoff and I were already kindred spirits,” says Jenkins. “So even when I was talking about this project years ago, Geoff was in the room, and [our] eyes connected because I love Richard Donner’s Superman and he loves Richard Donner’s Superman, and we started talking about it years earlier… So when I came on aboard to this movie he was one of my strong allies. He loves her and the comics the same way I do.”
Wonder Woman arrives in theaters June 2nd.