Just in the last week, Michelle MacLaren left WONDER WOMAN as director to be replaced by Patty Jenkins within days. The reason for MacLaren's departure was cited as the catch-all phrase "creative differences", but now sources are claiming that the reason came down to a much more specific reason: scope.
Surprisingly, Warner Bros was looking to make a more character-driven film while MacLaren was supposedly aiming for an epic origin film along the lines of BRAVEHEART, according to Variety. We already knew there were multiple scripts being developed simultaneously for WONDER WOMAN so the studio and presumably MacLaren could pick their favorite. MacLaren filmed a test for her take on the project and the studio didn't like it and became worried that she was not prepared for such a large scale project.
From these accounts, it sounds like the studio picked MacLaren based on her acclaimed small screen work on Breaking Bad and Game of Thrones, two character driven series. But, working on television has a shorter production window and a massive Hollywood blockbuster is a much more arduous process. When MacLaren left the project (or was fired, that is still not clear), Patty Jenkins was selected because her directorial work is very character driven (The Killing, MONSTER) and they wanted someone to keep the production on track for filming this Fall.
Many have been concerned that DC's push to get their properties out to compete with Marvel is putting the cart before the horse, leading us to get subpar finished movies. Whether that holds true or not remains to be seen. Remember, we all though ANT-MAN was doomed when Edgar Wright left and look at the reception now.
WONDER WOMAN is slated to hit theaters on June 23, 2017.
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