It wouldn’t be at all surprising for a studio to sign a director on for a sequel after a film’s success. Given how Wonder Woman shattered all expectations, one would hope that director Patty Jenkins would already be signed on to direct Wonder Woman 2. There were reports going around saying she was.

However, that doesn’t seem to be quite the case. While Jenkins isn’t signed on, Warner Bros. will start a negotiation process with her very soon. More on the story below.

According to THR, Wonder Woman‘s success gives Jenkins a lot of leverage as she goes into these negotiations. There’s no way WB wouldn’t want to follow-up with a sequel. While there is no confirmation on what the story could be about, there are rumors saying that Diana Prince could head to America.

Before she directed Wonder Woman, Jenkins was the director of Monster, a film that gave Charlize Theron an Oscar for Best Actress. She then directed a handful of episodes for The Killing, and was tapped to direct Thor: The Dark World. But Wonder Woman is by far the biggest film on her resume, in terms of production budget and pop culture significance.

So it isn’t as though Jenkins can’t direct. She’s certainly proven that she is more than capable of handling a big-budget blockbuster production. But part of the reason why she isn’t signed on is because the studio has a “more filmmaker-centric approach to its DC slate.” In other words, these sequels aren’t decided before its release. But one thing that Warner Bros. never counted on was Wonder Woman being a hit. Sure DCEU films have a track record for being mildly bad, but this was such a hit, it kind of took them by surprise. Of course, the studio was also a bit preoccupied with other DCEU films like Justice League.

That being said, Jenkins has the most leverage going into these negotiations. Again, she has proven that a relatively unknown director is capable of handling a large-scale production budget. She could also work in a deal that would allow her to work closer to DCEU producers Geoff Johns and John Berg, and possibly other DCEU films. We’ll keep you posted on any developments.

[Source: THR]