We always insist you season rumors with a touch of salt around here, but some are more interesting than others. And Lexi Alexander, director of Punisher: War Zone, stating they’ve found a director is definitely one with some credibility.
For the record, it’s not Alexander; she makes that abundantly clear. But she does drop a few hints about who it might be for Forbes:
Alexander said that she has not been approached by the studio, and has discouraged her managers from throwing her hat in the ring. “I can’t say they wouldn’t consider me, but they haven’t reached out.” She said she heard Warner Bros. had been made an offer to another female director.
“If she says yes, everybody will be very happy, including me,” Alexander said. “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.’”
Alexander knows of whence she speaks: Look up who got the blame for Punisher: War Zone not making bazillions of dollars, despite the fact that two Punisher movies before that hadn’t done well, either. Still, the hint is interesting.
When the full directorial list went around, to be honest, it was a mess. Most of them were clearly on said list because they had a vagina, not because they had any interest in, or facility for, the material.
And despite the various problems a Wondy movie has to deal with, Warners really does not want to screw this up. Keep in mind they’ve been developing a Wonder Woman movie for more than a decade now, and they’re building an entire cinematic universe around this character. The scrutiny is intense.
So, from what Alexander is stating, my guess is they gave Kathryn Bigelow whatever she wanted. She was probably their first option, actually; she’s won an Oscar, she doesn’t currently have anything in production according to the IMDb, and she’s an experienced action movie director. But, of course, this assumes Bigelow is interested; we’ll find out soon enough.
