The name Michelle MacLaren has steadily become one of the more recognizable monikers to those that pay attention to film and TV, thanks to her eye-catching work on the beloved television series, Breaking Bad. Despite a resume that spans over twenty years – including titles such as The X Files, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, and NCIS – it was the story of Walter White that represented her biggest directorial break, and ultimately led to Wonder Woman.
MacLaren was interviewed recently by Vulture and was inevitably questioned about her involvement with the Amazon Warrior Princess.
“I really, really, really can’t talk about this. I just picture a drone coming in over the hills and crashing through the glass and flying over here and putting duct tape over my mouth, you know?”
However, as the article points out, the director does offer an update of sorts, urging caution.
“…at the moment there is no script, no release date. There’s not even an official green light from the film’s releasing studio, Warner Bros…”
While such an assertion may cause concern among Wonder Woman fans – having waited so patiently for their favourite superhero to have her own film – that anxiety is likely to be proved unnecessary. As previously reported, screenwriter Jason Fuchs (Ice Age: Continental Drift) has been officially tapped to pen the script and, as is the normal course of events for Hollywood studios, that magical greenlight will not appear until the script is approved and locked in. The commitment of Warner Bros. to Wonder Woman was made clear during their release slate announcement, which saw Wonder Woman not only included, but scheduled for the relatively close slot of 2017.
In addition, it was recently rumoured that the studio may have commissioned five additional, different scripts which, while demonstrating hesitation in terms of style and tone, also demonstrates a determination to deliver Princess Diana of Themyscira to the cinema screen, where she belongs. If any doubts remained as to the suitability and qualification of Michelle MacLaren in terms of directing Wonder Woman, Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan effectively dispelled them all in his comments to Vulture.
“When I think of Michelle, I think of very striking, cinematic, visual storytelling. I think of bold action sequences that are balletic.”
Make no mistake – Michelle MacLaren is the best person for the job. Despite her caution, we should look forward to seeing those much-admired directorial skills when Wonder Woman arrives in cinemas in 2017.
