Patricia Lea "Patty" Jenkins (born July 24, 1971 at George Air Force Base, Victorville, California) is an American director and screenwriter.
Her first big break as director was Monster in 2003, about Serial Killer Aileen Wuornos, which earned her much acclaim. She then went mostly unnoticed, working on television projects (she did nearly direct Thor: The Dark World before creative differences got in the way), until her second big break (and first foray into blockbuster territory at that), Wonder Woman, in 2017.
Amusingly, she shares her birthday with a Wonder Woman actress she's fond of, Lynda Carter.
Selected filmography:
Film
- Monster (writer & director; 2003)
- Wonder Woman (director; 2017)
- Wonder Woman 1984 (director & co-writer; 2020)
Television
- Arrested Development — "The One Where They Build a House" (director; 2004)
- Entourage — "Crash and Burn" & "The Release" (2006)
- The Sarah Silverman Program — "Fetus Don't Fail Me Now" (director; 2008)
- The Killing — "Pilot" & "What I Know" (director; 2011 — 2012)
- I Am the Night (director & executive producer; 2019)
Tropes applying to this director:
- Development Hell: In 2020 she was announced to direct a Star Wars Rogue Squadron film (there was even a teaser
). The film then entered Development Hell at some point. Whether it has been replaced by Shawn Levy's Starfighter or is still being worked on is not known at this point. - Production Posse: I Am the Night reunited some of the Wonder Woman and Wonder Woman 1984 crew, namely Jenkins, Chris Pine and Connie Nielsen.
- What Could Have Been:
- She first talked to Warner Bros. about making a Wonder Woman film in 2004. They were nervous that it wouldn't work after Catwoman had failed and it went back to Development Hell.
- Jenkins was originally attached to direct Thor: The Dark World which would have made her the first woman to direct a modern superhero movie three and a half years before she was for Wonder Woman. She signed on in October 2011 and left for Creative Differences in December 2011 under amicable terms. She wanted to change the story but Disney didn't want to run the risk of missing its original release date and going a quarter (especially the holiday quarter) without releasing a live-action tentpole.
- In 2014, Jenkins directed a pilot for the ABC drama Exposed, starring Mary Elizabeth Winstead as an Intrepid Reporter. It didn't get picked up, but videos and screenshots have made their way online. Additionally, she reused one of the other cast members, Pedro Pascalnote , for Wonder Woman 1984.
- In 2020 she was attached to direct a Cleopatra VII biopic with Wonder Woman star Gal Gadot as the lead; however, she later stepped back to a producer capacity, with Kari Skogland (The Falcon and the Winter Soldier) taking over as director. Then the film entered Development Hell.
- Then the third Wonder Woman film project was cancelled, possibly due to a combination of the tepid reception to Wonder Woman 1984 and Creative Differences with James Gunn's DC Universe franchise projects.
