Although it can be easy to forget after the massive success of Wonder Woman, Patty Jenkins very nearly directed Thor: The Dark World for Marvel Studios back in 2012.
The filmmaker parted ways with the sequel three months after signing on, and was replaced by Alan Taylor. At the time, the usual "creative differences" excuse was given as the reason things fell apart, and while that is technically true, we're only now learning the ins and outs of what happened.
During Vanity Fair's profile on Jenkins, the Wonder Woman 1984 director reveals that she decided to step away from the film because she believed it may have ultimately tanked her career!
“I did not believe that I could make a good movie out of the script that they were planning on doing,” explained Jenkins. “I think it would have been a huge deal—it would have looked like it was my fault. It would’ve looked like, ‘Oh my God, this woman directed it and she missed all these things.’ That was the one time in my career where I really felt like, Do this with [another director] and it’s not going to be a big deal. And maybe they’ll understand it and love it more than I do. "
“You can’t do movies you don’t believe in," she added. "The only reason to do it would be to prove to people that I could. But it wouldn’t have proved anything if I didn’t succeed. I don’t think that I would have gotten another chance. And so, I’m super grateful.”
In hindsight, Jenkins probably made the right call. After all, The Dark World is considered a low point for the MCU, and Wonder Woman is one of the most critically and commercially well-received movies in The DCEU.
Jenkins doesn't hold any ill will towards Marvel, however, and praises the studio for taking a chance on a female filmmaker when it wasn't "en vogue" to do so.
Check out the interview in full here, and let us know what you think. Wonder Woman 1984 recently had its theatrical release pushed back to August 14.