Patty Jenkins
Jenkins’ first film was 2003’s Monster, which tells the story of serial killer Aileen Wuornos. The independently produced film was a big success, gaining over $60 million at the box office and winning Charlize Theron an Oscar for the lead role. Monster was an unconventional portrayal of strong female characters and an unflinching depiction of real world violence. Yes, Wuornos was a mentally unstable murderer but her character provided an avenue to explore the roles of women in society. With this success, Jenkins had enough clout to go to mainstream in a big (and fittingly feminist) way. She immediately campaigned to make a film out of Wonder Woman, but the studio would not follow through with this until 14 years later. During that time Jenkins would not make another film, instead working in television, directing episodes of Arrested Development, Entourage and, in her work that received the most praise, The Killing. With Warner and DC transitioning into their new platform, a Wonder Woman film was finally green-lit and, in 2015, Jenkins was brought on to direct. Sure to be a success, Wonder Woman is a self-reflexive tale of women in power and their role in a world that, on first glance, appears to be dominated by men.
Patty Jenkins on the set of Wonder Woman. Photograph by Clay Enos, courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures
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