Director Patty Jenkins says she doesn't think it's always a good idea for studios to try and create shared cinematic universes. These comments come in the midst of a celebratory time for Jenkins, following the release of Wonder Woman last week. The film - which gave Gal Gadot's Diana Prince a chance to finally shine in her own standalone, live-action feature film - has been met with widespread critical acclaim and is currently one of the highest-rated comic book movies of all time on Rotten Tomatoes. But while Wonder Woman's record-breaking box office success can mean hopefully good things for the future of female-led blockbuster outings, it's also an important movie to every DCEU fan around the world.
Following the divisive reactions to both Batman v Superman and Suicide Squad last year, many DCEU critics and supporters had started to wonder when the cinematic universe might be able to finally turn things around. Fortunately, Wonder Woman found a way to do that and has since emerged as the long-awaited turning point in the DCEU that fans had been waiting for. However, just because her film found a way to make its connections to other DC films a strength, Jenkins doesn't think it's always a good idea for shared universes to exist.
During a recent Reddit AMA yesterday, Jenkins opened up about what it was like making Wonder Woman in an already established, functioning cinematic universe, and what she thinks about the current explosion of shared universes that it feels like every major studio is attempting to create right now:
"I would say I have very mixed feelings about that. There's a version of every kind of film that I celebrate, but there seems there's also a tendency to make a mess if there's too much going on - so it's not something I think is always a great idea."
Obviously, this boom in cinematic universes in the entertainment industry right now is a byproduct of the success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which has steadily taken over the industry in the past nine years. While the Warner Bros.-controlled DCEU is the most viable of the universes that have been established since then too, there are a number of shared universes in the works right now that don't feel nearly as believable or necessary.
Jenkins comments also come on the same weekend that The Mummy has hit theaters, which is the first film in Universal's announced Dark Universe franchise. But with overwhelmingly negative reviews and even more disappointing opening numbers at the box office so far, the studio's attempt to bring all of their most classic movie monsters into one universe isn't off to a good start, after already being met with skepticism from both general moviegoers and film insiders alike. So while Wonder Woman has proven to be one of the biggest successes of the year so far, Jenkins comments here may hold even more weight than most studio executives would like them to.
Next: The Mummy: How Not To Start A Shared Universe
Source: Reddit
