Patty Jenkins is the future of DC Entertainment’s live-action cinematic universe — and not because she’ll now be a Kevin Feige-like New God who will overlook all films and make sure they fit together perfectly. Jenkins will now lead DC movies into a new frontier of movie making.
That still would have been the case had Warner Bros./DC done the right thing and signed Jenkins to a multifilm deal in the first place. But let’s consider Jenkins’ well-deserved raise as a tax on the ghosts of movies past. “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” and “Suicide Squad” made their money, but the critical reception was average at best and, in many cases, negative. Post-Christopher Nolan, WB/DC hadn’t figured out how to make a superhero movie “just right” before “Wonder Woman” — despite having some of the most iconic characters in comics.
So you can’t fault the companies for playing it safe with Jenkins and waiting to see how her film did at the box office. They paid a heavy price for stalling (reports say Jenkins could earn between $7 and $9 million for a “Wonder Woman” sequel), but you can’t put a price on fans believing in your brand again.
Jenkins will lead WB/DC into a future where story comes first, not multimovie connectivity. Yes, the potential of “Justice League” movies is exciting, but every single DC film doesn’t have to be a two-hour commercial for the super-team’s gathering. “Wonder Woman” taking place in the past — far away from Batman, Superman, Doomsday and horrible Daily Planet story-budget meetings (why is Clark Kent going from the city beat to covering football?) — was the best thing that could have happened to DC. It showed that singular stories and a strong supporting cast are more important than movie-universe building.
