Wonder Woman director Patty Jenkins has broken her silence on the decision made by Warner Bros. Discovery earlier this month to scrap the third Wonder Woman movie, and possibly end the franchise, which stars Israeli actor Gal Gadot, altogether.
In a statement posted on Twitter, Jenkins started by saying that she is "not one to talk about private career matters," but that she wanted to set some facts straight after inaccuracies had started to spread over the cancellation of Wonder Woman 3.
"When there started being backlash about WW3 not happening, the attractive clickbait false story that it was me that killed it or walked away started to spread," she wrote. "This is simply not true. I never walked away. I was open to considering anything asked of me."
"When there started being backlash about WW3 not happening, the attractive clickbait false story that it was me that killed it or walked away started to spread. This is simply not true. I never walked away. I was open to considering anything asked of me."
Patty Jenkins
The third Wonder Woman movie had been in the works since December 2020, the same month that the second film in the franchise - Wonder Woman 1984 - was released.
However, according to sources speaking to the Hollywood Reporter, when Jenkins approached Warner Bros. with her initial scripts for the project, she was told that it did not align with the new direction the DC Movies franchise is heading in.
The sources further added that it is not that the project is simply on hold, but rather that it is "considered dead in its current incarnation."
Following these reports, rumors began to circulate on the internet, blaming Jenkins for the cancellation of the project and the seemingly likely end of the Wonder Woman franchise.
However, in her statement, Jenkins denied these rumors, saying that "the attractive clickbait false story that it was me that killed it walked away started to spread. This is simply not true. I never walked away. I was open to considering anything asked of me."
She continued, saying she understood then that there was nothing she could do to move anything forward. However, she stressed that "DC is obviously buried in changes they are having to make, so I understand these decisions are difficult right now."
On Wonder Woman and Gal Gadot
Despite the difficult news of her third film being canceled, Jenkins said that she didn't want the journey to end on a negative note.
"I have loved and been so honored to be the person who got to make these last two Wonder Woman films," she wrote. "She is an incredible character. Living in and around her values makes one a better person every day. I wish her and her legacy an amazing future ahead, with or without me."
Turning her attention to the film's Israeli star, Gal Gadot, Jenkins called her "the greatest gift" of all.
"Gal is the greatest gift I have received in this whole journey. A cherished friend, inspiration, and sister. There are no words I can use to convey how magical she is," wrote Jenkins.
"She is the walking embodiment of Wonder Woman in real life, and a better person than the world can imagine. Never once in the millions of moments I have spent with her did I see anything less. She is a gift to the world, and even more so, to me."
What's next for the Wonder Woman star?
Fans have been speculating for some time that the DC production team is just going to wipe the board clean, especially with Ben Affleck dropping Batman and the recent tensions surrounding Amber Heard, who played Mera in Aquaman, and Ezra Miller, who played the Flash.
There's a chance, then, that they'll do a whole recast, and fans have given their mixed responses on the matter. While some think it's a necessary move to "do things right," so to speak, others think that it's throwing away everything that was built up and that the team was leading into in the first place.
It's unclear as of now what this means for Israel's sweetheart.
However, just a day prior to the Warner Bros. announcement, Gadot shared a "throwback" post on her Instagram, looking back at the day it was announced that she would be playing Wonder Woman.
View this post on Instagram
"I’ve been so grateful for the opportunity to play such an incredible, iconic character and more than anything I’m grateful for YOU. The fans," she wrote. "The most amazing, warm, loving fans in the world. I’m still pinching myself to see if I will wake up. Can’t wait to share her next chapter with you."
It looks like fans are going to have to wait and see if this next chapter will materialize, and if it does, what form it will take.