Patty Jenkins Will Direct 'Wonder Woman 2'
by EG
After Wonder Woman became the most financially successful movie ever directed by a woman, it still wasn't clear if Patty Jenkins would return to direct the inevitable sequel. Disney was smart enough to want Jenkins to come back but cagey enough to negotiate instead of giving her the job automatically. This week, we finally got official word that Jenkins will be back for a sequel. But did she get a fair deal? Read on to find out.
Patty Jenkins is returning for Wonder Woman 2.
After an unusually lengthy and tough negotiation, the director has closed a deal with Warner Bros. to direct, co-write and produce the sequel to the movie sensation of the summer.
The deal is precedent-setting, making Jenkins the highest-paid female filmmaker in history, though getting to this point was “challenging,” according to one source.
Jenkins came on to Wonder Woman as a replacement for director Michelle McLaren, who left the project over creative differences. But she became an indispensable figure and, along with star Gal Gadot, the face of the movie in the months before its June opening.
But she only had a deal for one movie.
When the movie became an immediate hit, lassoing over $103 million in its opening weekend, Jenkins and her camp found themselves in a very enviable position.
Negotiations began for her return after that weekend but dragged even as the movie showed remarkable staying power, becoming a true, and rare for summer 2017, phenomenon. The movie grossed over $402 million domestically and crossed $800 million worldwide.
Sources say Jenkins will receive directing and writing fees in the high seven figures (think somewhere in the $7 to $9 million range) on Wonder Woman 2 but, more significantly, will have a considerable backend.
Read the whole story at The Hollywood Reporter.
Do you think Disney needed Jenkins to return, or could another direct have done a decent job with Wonder Woman 2? Let us know what you think in the comment section below.