Directing

Wonder Women: 10 Female Directors Who Made the Jump From Indie to Mainstream

Published by
Ryan Williams

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

Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

Page: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

Ryan Williams

View Comments

  • I think Wonder Woman succesfully reached the hype and that Patty Jenkins saved the DC movie franchise. It had a great storyline, unlike BvS(Martha!), stunning fight scenes, and overall depicted Wonder Woman the right way: Strong, brave, courageous, and somewhat innocent.

Recent Posts

  • Gallery

The 16 Most Convincing Movie Couples

These movie couples had obvious chemistry, whatever was happening offscreen.

1 week ago
  • Gallery

The 11 Most Helpful Ventilation Shafts in Cinematic History

Air shafts turn up an awfully lot in Hollywood productions. Let's vent about it with…

1 week ago
  • Gallery

The 12 Most Devilish Movies We’ve Ever Seen

Here are 12 devilish movies about the devil — and a few thoughts on what…

1 week ago
  • Movie News

How a Naked Starving Man Birthed Reality TV (and Maybe the Eggplant Emjoi)

The craziness of Japanese game shows is a global joke, and The Contestant, a must-see…

1 week ago
  • Movie News

Chris Pine Doesn’t Care If Critics Think Poolman Was ‘A Pile of S—‘: ‘I F—ing Love This Film’

Yeah, Chris Pine has read the reviews for his directorial debut Poolman, and he knows…

1 week ago
  • Movie News

Superhuman Kombucha and a Secret Addiction Highlight NFMLA’s InFocus: Disabilities Program

Kombucha that gives people superhuman powers and woman hiding her secret addiction from her sister…

1 week ago