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    4 Reasons a Female Director for WONDER WOMAN Movie Could Be a Mistake

    Maurice MitchellBy Updated:13 Comments4 Mins Read

    Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2017) – Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot)

    While it appears Warner Bros is looking for a female director for their live-action Wonder Woman movie, there are plenty of reasons why it’s a mistake. Last week reports surfaced that Breaking Bad’s Michelle MacLaren was the front-runner for the film from a short-list of male and female directors. We hope a woman does direct the movie since it would be cool, but there’s one woman out there that disagrees. Lexi Alexander, who directed Punisher: War Zone (2008), is one of the directors rumored to be on WB’s list of potential directors. She spoke with Fast Company and explained why it’s a bad idea to hire a female director.

    1. Too Much Pressure

    “Imagine the weight on my shoulders. How many male superhero movies fail? So now, we finally get Wonder Woman with a female director, imagine if it fails.”

    Right now, female directors are considered successful at independent films and documentaries. This is because Hollywood is uncomfortable with the idea of giving women the reigns on a big-budget movie. If Wonder Woman fails it would be seen as confirmation that female directors can’t handle the job. At the same time, movies about female superheroes are considered too risky.

    2. She Will Represent All Genre Female Directors

    “If [the rumored director] says yes, everybody will be very happy, including me. Still, I don’t see at this point why anyone would say yes. There is huge pressure … If [a female director] does fail, then all of a sudden it’s ‘all women suck at directing.'”

    If Wonder Woman fails it will unfairly signal that no woman should ever direct a big-budget action film. It’ll also tell the industry that movies about female superheroes suck. Putting the two together is way too risky.

    3. No Control

    “And you have no control over marketing, over budget. So without any control, you carry the f**king weight of gender equality for both characters and women directors.“

    Very few directors are given full creative control. Unless your name ends with Spielberg, you’re going to have to answer to the studio. That can be a good or bad thing. When Alexander was making War Zone she fought script rewrites, lead actor recasting and a huge slashing of of the budget. In the end, she said she made the movie she wanted to make, but if they’re not going to give a female director creative control, then what’s the point?

    4. It Doesn’t Matter What Gender Directs Wonder Woman

    Does a movie like this require a female director to capture the full vision and perspective of the character? Not necessarily. Men direct movies for women all the time and women direct movies for men. Alexander herself said when she was making the Punisher movie that she necasarily make it as a “female” movie. She described herself to Comic Book Resources as “a woman who makes very male-oriented movies.”

    So, if it doesn’t matter, then why add all the headache of a female director? Let’s just keep the pressure of having a female superhero movie without adding the pressure of a female director.

    Wonder Woman stars Gal Gadot and will be released on June 23, 2017.

    What do you think? Would the Wonder Woman movie work better with a female director? Who would you hire for the movie?



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    <span class="dsq-postid" data-dsqidentifier="34044 ">13 Comments

    1. Alex J. Cavanaugh on

      I think a woman could direct an action film and it doesn't matter if the director is a man or woman. But what will matter is quality and a big name. That limits things.

    2. jeremy [retro] on

      gender is not an issue… though the long drawn out showers scenes would be better with direction from a woman. cause men do more of a fantasy version where a woman knows what she does better in the shower. wow, that comes off odd doesn't it? read my earlier comment on wonder woman…

    4. LDianeWolfe on

      She'd have so much pressure. If she was successful, it would be a huge triumph, but if she failed, the failure would be even bigger I'm afraid.

    5. MsMariah on

      I have to say I disagree with you wholeheartedly…and kindly. I don't think it matters what gender directs this film. Whoever directs the film will be under tremendous pressure, male or female.

    6. Pat Dilloway on

      It'll be interesting to see who Marvel gets to direct their Captain Marvel film. That's also a female superhero movie and as we've seen, Marvel superhero movies don't fail. If they get a woman to direct it, that would help to take some pressure off the Wonder Woman director.

      But yeah directing is still a boy's club, so if either movie doesn't do well with a female director the sexist establishment would use it as fuel.

    8. Maurice Mitchell on

      Thanks for your feedback Ms. Mariah! The director will have a lot of scrutiny, but isn't it true that female directors have more scrutiny?

    9. Maurice Mitchell on

      Alex, women are great at directing all kinds of films and it's a shame that they don't get more chances.

    11. Maurice Mitchell on

      It's going to be rough Clarissa which is why I hope they find someone strong male or female.

    13. Mark Walters on

      Did everyone (including Warner Bros.) forget how Lexi Alexander's PUNISHER: WAR ZONE came out? Not sure why she's even considered, unless it's only because she's a female director. I think the final point is the most important one. While I'd love to see Kathryn Bigelow (my personal choice) take on a WONDER WOMAN movie, I think it's more important to hire the right person (NOT gender) for the job.