Wonder Woman‘s solo movie has hit a fairly serious speedbump. Director Michelle MacLaren has left the project.
THR reports that MacLaren, who has directed superb episodes of Breaking Bad and Game Of Thrones, has stepped away from the movie, starring Gal Gadot in the title role. The official line is “Given creative differences, Warner Bros. and Michelle MacLaren have decided not to move forward with plans to develop and direct Wonder Woman together.”
The choice of MacLaren to direct Wonder Woman was met with a lot of positivity. It was exciting that a female director was being given the chance to direct a superhero movie, and interesting that DC were beating Marvel to that long overdue appointment (we’re referring to Marvel’s current post-Iron Man incarnation. Lexi Alexander directed Punisher: War Zone back in 2008).
However, as THR points out, it does bring Thor: The Dark World to mind, when Marvel hired Monster director Patty Jenkins before she walked away from the project to be replaced by Alan Taylor, which didn’t reflect particularly well on the company, much as MacLaren’s decision doesn’t reflect particularly well on Warner Bros now. Marvel has yet to announce a director for Black Panther, Captain Marvel, Thor: Ragnarok or Inhumans.
It was reported that Warners were actively seeking a female director for Wonder Woman. How will MacLaren’s departure affect that stated aim, given the 2017 release date? It’s also interesting to note that every director linked to the current Justice League spin-off slate is male, with Phil Lord and Chris Miller rumoured for The Flash and James Wan apparently leading the running for Aquaman.
It will be interesting to see if more details come to light about why exactly MacLaren left Wonder Woman, and to see who steps into her shoes. It’s fair to say that fans of Diana Prince are concerned.
Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice will be released on 6 May 2016. Wonder Woman will be released on 23 June 2017. For more on the comics that have inspired the movie, pick up our 100 All-Time Greatest Comics bookazine now!
