Fans think they have spotted tension between Wonder Woman herself, Gal Gadot, and the director of the DC superhero saga, Patty Jenkins.
With big names like Netflix acquiring rights to material like never before, we truly seem to be in a golden age of online streaming. But this switch from traditional cinema viewing hasn't gone unopposed. Patty Jenkins has been the latest in Hollywood to voice her dissatisfaction about the direction in which the movie industry seems to be headed.
Speaking at this year's CinemaCon, via the Los Angeles Times, Jenkins said, "All of the films that streaming services are putting out, I'm sorry, they look like fake movies to me. I don't hear about them, I don't read about them. It's not working as a model for establishing legendary greatness."
Jenkins' directorial return to DC with 2020's Wonder Woman 1984 was one of the first big-budget features to be affected by the COVID pandemic. As a result, it was released simultaneously in movie theaters and onto the streaming service HBO Max. It was a decision that Jenkins herself described at CinemaCon as "heartbreaking."
However, many fans think that her recent comments are too harsh, especially considering Gadot, the star of the franchise which boosted Jenkins to a household name, debuted the trailer for her new Netflix movie, Red Notice, just yesterday.
Writer Stephanie Guerilus tweeted, "Thank you to all the directors and creatives who moved their projects to streaming during the pandemic. Patty Jenkins may think you're s*** below her heel but your art has been appreciated by myself and many. We've also been able to safely view it."
Another Twitter user wondered whether the mixed critical reception of Wonder Woman 1984 gave Jenkins enough ground to criticize straight-to-streaming releases. They wrote, "I want the confidence that she has because after writing, producing and directing something like WW84 I'd seriously humble myself."
According to Variety, Jenkins will be back at the helm of the DC franchise's third installment, and Warner Bros. is hoping to give Wonder Woman 3 a traditional theatrical release. But some fans are wondering if it will be awkward for Jenkins to reunite with Gadot, whose upcoming project, in which she stars alongside Dwayne Johnson and Ryan Reynolds, seemingly qualifies as what the director calls a "fake movie".
One fan even doubted whether Jenkins would be returning to the directorial seat after her comments, writing, "I am just going to assume Patty Jenkins isn't going to direct Wonder Woman 3, if there is ever going to be a Wonder Woman 3."