Extra, Extra!: Director Michelle MacLaren Departs from Wonder Woman

In which I report on the latest entertainment news.

I remember when it was first announced that Michelle MacLaren was tapped to direct 2017's Wonder Woman for Warner Bros.  It was honestly the best news to come out of the nascent DC Cinematic Universe since they slowed their release schedule to only two movies a year instead of three (odd as that might sound when I say it out loud).

MacLaren is an immensely talented, Emmy award winning director who lent her talent, experience and credibility to a shared universe whose start can only be described as rocky.  Her work with Breaking Bad, Game of Thrones and The Walking Dead proved her immense understanding of character-driven "genre" narratives like the one she was tackling for DC.

This is why news of her departure from the film is so utterly distressing.  While there are certainly directors who can replace her, nobody that DC's likely to get will be the equal of what they just lost in MacLaren.  The only way that this can be cast in a good light is if they somehow manage to bag Kathryn Bigelow, who already passed on the project the first time around.

The reason for her departure is irreconcilable creative differences between her and Warner Bros.  Not only could they not agree over something as basic as a time period to set it in, but MacLaren evidently wanted Wonder Woman to have a Tiger sidekick / pet that would have joined her in battle and comforted her in the film's quieter moments.  While I have nothing but respect for the woman, that last caveat is something that I'm glad that DC was resistant to.

Production on the movie shouldn't be hindered too badly, as DC has already vetted her replacements.  Patty Jenkins, the celebrated director of Monster, has stepped in to take over where MacLaren left off.  I can only hope that her relationship with DC proves to be better than MacLaren's was, as I don't think that the production can really afford another directorial walk-out.

So would you have preferred to see MacLaren's version of Wonder Woman, or the version that DC evidently prefers?  Share your thoughts in the comment section below.

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