Patty Jenkins

Patricia Lea Jenkins[1] (born July 24, 1971)[2] is an American film and television director and screenwriter. She directed and wrote the films Monster (2003), Wonder Woman (2017), and the upcoming Wonder Woman 1984 (2020). For her work on the pilot episode of The Killing, she received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series and won the Directors Guild of America award for Outstanding Directing in Dramatic Series.

Patty Jenkins
Jenkins at the 2018 San Diego Comic-Con
Born
Patricia Lea Jenkins

(1971-07-24) July 24, 1971
Victorville, California, U.S.
Alma materCooper Union
AFI Conservatory
Occupation
  • Film director
  • film producer
  • screenwriter
Years active1995–present
Spouse(s)
Sam Sheridan
(
m. 2007)
Children1

Early life

Jenkins was born in Victorville, California,[3] to William T. Jenkins, an Air Force captain and fighter pilot who earned a Silver Star in the Vietnam War, and Emily Roth, who worked in San Francisco as an environmental scientist.[4] She has an older sister, Elaine Roth.[3]

When Jenkins was 7, her father died during a NATO mock dogfight at the age of 31. Her mother then took her and her sister to San Francisco so that Jenkins could go to school to become an environmental scientist. There, Jenkins said in 2017, seeing the original Superman starring Christopher Reeve inspired her to pursue film as a career.[5]

She spent kindergarten through her junior year of high school living in Lawrence, Kansas.[6] She received her undergraduate degree from The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art in 1993,[7] and her masters in directing from the American Film Institute's AFI Conservatory in 2000.[8] While a student at AFI, Jenkins, an avid fan of the films of Pedro Almodóvar, made the 2001 short film Velocity Rules, that she describes as a cross between a superhero film and Almodóvar's tone about an accident-prone housewife.[9]

Beginning in junior high school, Jenkins took interest in photography, painting, and screen-printing. At age 20, while interning at a commercial production company, she heeded a suggestion that she could receive film training if she worked on set for free. After doing so for some months, Jenkins advanced to second assistant camera and focus puller, then spent 10 years as a cameraperson. While shooting a Michael Jackson music video, her director of photography recommended she attends the American Film Institute to learn directing. She later made a superhero short film that played the AFI Fest. There she met Brad Wyman, who later introduced her to producer Donald Kushner, leading to her directing her first feature film, Monster (2003).[10]

Career

After Monster, about serial killer Aileen Wuornos, proved a critical and commercial success, Jenkins was approached by former United States Air Force test pilot Chuck Yeager to develop a film about his life. When that project did not reach fruition, she attempted to make a Ryan Gosling movie titled I Am Superman, a film with no relation to the DC Comics character, but development ended when she became pregnant. Jenkins spent the next decade working in television.[1]

In 2011 she directed one segment in the made-for-television anthology film Five. In October 2011, she was hired to direct Thor: The Dark World, the first sequel to Thor, but left the project after less than two months over creative differences.[11] In 2014, she was attached to Sweetheart, a film about a female assassin,[12] but that film was never made. In 2015, Jenkins signed on as director for the DC Extended Universe film Wonder Woman,[13] with a screenplay by Allan Heinberg and a story co-written by Heinberg, Zack Snyder and Jason Fuchs.[14] Wonder Woman was released in June 2017 and gave Jenkins the biggest domestic opening for a female director, surpassing previous record holder Fifty Shades of Grey by Sam Taylor-Johnson.[15] With this film, Jenkins also became the first female director of an American studio superhero movie.[16] Wonder Woman eventually became the highest-grossing film directed by a woman, surpassing previous record holder Mamma Mia! by Phyllida Lloyd.[17]

Jenkins at the 2016 San Diego Comic-Con

While promoting Wonder Woman, Jenkins mentioned that her next project would likely be a limited television series developed with her husband.[1] This project was later revealed as a horror series titled Riprore to premiere on the video-on-demand service Shudder.[18] In July 2017, the US cable network TNT announced Jenkins would direct the premiere of a six-episode television drama, I Am the Night, written by her author husband Sam Sheridan and featuring her Wonder Woman star Chris Pine. She additionally will serve as an executive producer.[19]

In September 2017, Variety reported Jenkins would return to direct Wonder Woman 2.[20] On December 6, 2017, Jenkins was named by Time magazine as a runner-up for the Time Person of the Year.[21] Wonder Woman 1984 is scheduled to be released by Warner Bros. Pictures in the United States on June 5, 2020, but, due to Covid, release was delayed until August 12,2020 in Belgium, and October 2, 2020 worldwide. It had originally been scheduled for November 1, 2019.[22] She has been negotiating the terms of her contract with Warner Brothers for an estimated 7 to 9 million dollars, which will be a record breaking salary for a female filmmaker. She signed on to the first film with no guarantee of directing a second film, but envisioned the second one during the making of Wonder Woman, which turned out to benefit her greatly. When she was signed on to do the second film, she had the ability to get a much higher salary than she would have if she had been signed on to do both films from the beginning. Her goal with her negotiations were to make sure she would get the same salary that her male counterparts would be getting for doing this movie and she seems to have succeeded.[5]

Other work

Jenkins, Wonder Woman actresses Gal Gadot and Lynda Carter, DC Entertainment President Diane Nelson, and U.N. Under-Secretary General Cristina Gallach appeared at the United Nations on October 21, 2016, the 75th anniversary of the first appearance of Wonder Woman, to mark the character's designation by the United Nations as its "Honorary Ambassador for the Empowerment of Women and Girls".[23][24] The gesture was intended to raise awareness of UN Sustainable Development Goal No. 5, which seeks to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls by 2030.[23][24][25] The decision was met with protests from UN staff members who stated in their petition to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon that the character is "not culturally encompassing or sensitive", and served to objectify women. As a result, the character was stripped of the designation, and the project ended December 16.[25]

Style and themes

In the film Monster, she explored the issues of morality and feminity.[26] In Wonder Woman, Jenkins suggests that the audience experiences the journey of the lead character Diana Prince through Diana's eyes. Diana is portrayed as the universal human character who the audiences never experience from the outside. Jenkins suggests that the major theme of the film is the idea of there being no other villain, but humans themselves. She mentions how she was influenced by Superman and how that is incorporated in her own superhero film.

Some of Jenkins' mentors and influencers includes Gary Ross, Kathryn Bigelow and Steve Perry. She mentions that she often likes to discuss the process of making music with musicians like Steve. The organization and structure of music, according to Jenkins, has a lot of parallels to theater and drama. She uses this rhythm, as a director, to direct the delivery of dialogues.

Personal life

In 2007, Jenkins married Sam Sheridan, a former firefighter and the author of the book A Fighter's Heart.[4] They have a son[27] and live in Santa Monica, California.[1]

Filmography

Film
Year Title Director Writer Producer Notes
2001 Velocity Rules Yes Yes No Short film
2003 Monster Yes Yes No Feature directorial debut
2017 Wonder Woman Yes No No
2020 Wonder Woman 1984 Yes Yes Yes Post-production

Television
Year Title Director Executive
Producer		 Notes
2004 Arrested Development Yes No Episode: "The One Where They Build a House"
2006 Entourage Yes No Episodes: "Crash and Burn" and "The Release"
2011 Five Yes No Television film; segment: "Pearl"
2011–2012 The Killing Yes No Episodes: "Pilot" and "What I Know"
2013 Betrayal Yes Yes Episode: "Pilot"
2015 Exposed Yes Yes Unaired pilot[28]
2019 I Am the Night Yes Yes Episodes: "Pilot" and "Phenomenon of Interference"

Other credits
Year Title Role Notes
1996 A Modern Affair Second Assistant Camera
2008 The Sarah Silverman Program As Jill Talley Episode: "Fetus Don't Fail Me Now"[29]

Accolades

In 2004, Jenkins won the Independent Spirit Award for Best First Feature for her work on Monster[30] and received the Franklin J. Schaffner Alumni Medal from the American Film Institute.[31] In 2011, Jenkins received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series for the pilot of The Killing.[32] She received two nominations at the 2012 Directors Guild of America Awards for Outstanding Directorial Achievement, one for Dramatic Series for The Killing and the other for Movies for Television/Mini-Series for Five; she won the former.[33]

Awards and nominations
Year Award Category Nominee Result
2001Telluride IndiefestShort Film WinnerVelocity RulesWon
2004American Film InstituteFranklin J. Schaffner Award RecipientHerselfWon
Berlin International Film FestivalGolden Bear AwardMonsterNominated
Edgar Allan Poe AwardsBest Motion Picture ScreenplayNominated
Film Independent Spirit AwardsBest First Feature
(Shared with producers Mark Damon, Donald Kushner, Clark Peterson, Charlize Theron, and Brad Wyman.)		Won
Film Independent Spirit AwardsBest First ScreenplayNominated
Las Vegas Film Critics Society AwardsBest ScreenplayNominated
2005Robert AwardsBest American FilmNominated
2011Primetime Emmy AwardsOutstanding Directing for a Drama SeriesThe Killing (episode "Pilot")Nominated
LA Femme International Film FestivalVisionary AwardHerselfWon
2012Directors Guild of America AwardsOutstanding Directorial Achievement in Dramatic SeriesThe Killing (episode "Pilot")Won
Directors Guild of America AwardsOutstanding Directorial Achievement in Movies for Television/Mini-Series
(Shared with: Jennifer Aniston (Segment "Mia"), Alicia Keys (Segment "Lili"), Demi Moore (Segment "Charlotte"), and Penelope Spheeris (Segment "Cheyanne").)		FiveNominated
2017Chicago Indie Critics AwardsImpact AwardWonder WomanWon
Philadelphia Film Critics Circle AwardsSteve Friedman AwardWon
Rondo Hatton Classic Horror AwardsBest FilmNominated
2018Saturn AwardsBest DirectorNominated
EDA Female Focus AwardsBest Woman DirectorNominated
Outstanding Achievement by a Woman in the Film IndustryNominated
Cannes Film FestivalKering Women in Motion Award RecipientHerselfWon
Empire AwardsBest DirectorWonder WomanNominated
Dorian AwardsWilde Artist of the YearHerselfNominated
Hugo AwardsBest Dramatic Presentation - Long Form
(Shared with Allan Heinberg (screenplay/story), Zack Snyder (story), and Jason Fuchs (story).)		Wonder WomanWon
National Board of Review AwardsSpotlight Award
(Shared with Gal Gadot)		Won
North Texas Film Critics AssociationBest DirectorNominated
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See also

References
  1. Siegel, Tatiana (May 31, 2017). "The Complex Gender Politics of the 'Wonder Woman' Movie". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on July 17, 2017. Retrieved July 27, 2017.
  2. "The Birth of Patricia Jenkins". CaliforniaBirthIndex.org. Archived from the original on July 27, 2017. Retrieved July 27, 2017.
  3. del Barco, Mandalit (June 2, 2017). "'When Time Was New': 'Wonder Woman' Brings Sunlight To The DC Universe". New Hampshire Public Radio. Retrieved July 27, 2017. She was born in 1971 on an Air Force base in Victorville, Calif. Her father had been an F4 fighter pilot during Vietnam. And the family moved around a lot - Cambodia, Thailand and Kansas after he died. In Lawrence, Jenkins' mother worked as an environmental scientist, raising two daughters as a single mother. Elaine Roth remembers her little sister Patty...
  4. "Patty Jenkins, Sam Sheridan". The New York Times. September 2, 2007. Archived from the original on July 27, 2017. Retrieved July 27, 2017.
  5. Setoodeh, Ramin (October 2017). "'Wonder Woman' Director Patty Jenkins on Equal Pay, Hollywood Sexism and James Cameron's Nasty Words". Variety Power of Women LA. Retrieved October 25, 2018.
  6. Niccum, Jon (January 16, 2004). "How to build a 'Monster'". Lawrence Journal-World. Kansas. Archived from the original on June 17, 2017. Retrieved July 27, 2017.
  7. Lynch, Mary (April 16, 2015). "Patty Jenkins A'93 is Director for Wonder Woman Movie". . Cooper Union Alumni Association. Archived from the original on July 27, 2017.
  8. "Congratulations to AFI Conservatory Alumna Patty Jenkins".
  9. Woerner, Meredith (May 30, 2017). "The world needs Wonder Woman. Director Patty Jenkins explains why". Los Angeles Times.
  10. On Directing: Patty Jenkins with Bryce Dallas Howard. American Film Institute. 2017-11-13. Retrieved 2018-11-16.
  11. "'Thor 2' Director Patty Jenkins Exits". The Hollywood Reporter.
  12. "Patty Jenkins Signs On For Second Film – Sweetheart". IndieWire.
  13. Kit, Borys (April 15, 2015). "'Wonder Woman' Movie Finds a New Director (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter.
  14. Chitwood, Adam (June 1, 2017). "'Wonder Woman' Producer Charles Roven on the Many Writers That Tried to Tackle the Script". Collider.
  15. Mendelson, Scott (June 4, 2017). "Box Office: Five Ways 'Wonder Woman' Has Already Made History". Forbes. Retrieved June 4, 2017.
  16. Strauss, Bob (May 31, 2017). "How 'Wonder Woman' lassoed the first female director of a studio superhero movie". The Mercury News.
  17. Williams, Trey (2017-06-24). "'Wonder Woman' passes 'Mamma Mia!' as highest-grossing film by female director". MarketWatch. Retrieved 2017-07-05.
  18. Giroux, Jack (June 6, 2017). "'Wonder Woman' Director Patty Jenkins is Making a Horror Project For Shudder". Slash Film.
  19. Wyche, Elbert (2017-07-27). "TNT orders Chris Pine, Patty Jenkins drama straight-to-series". Screen Daily. Retrieved 2017-07-28.
  20. Kroll, Justin. "Patty Jenkins Closes Deal to Direct 'Wonder Woman' Sequel (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 11 September 2017.
  21. Luscombe, Belinda. "Patty Jenkins: TIME Person of the Year 2017 Runner Up". Time. Retrieved 2018-04-18.
  22. D'Alessandro, Anthony (October 22, 2018). "'Wonder Woman 1984' Flies To Summer 2020". Deadline. Retrieved October 22, 2018.
  23. Serrao, Nivea (October 13, 2016). "Wonder Woman named UN Honorary Ambassador for empowerment of women and girls". Entertainment Weekly.
  24. "Wonder Woman Named the United Nations' Honorary Ambassador for the Empowerment of Women and Girls". Business Wire. October 21, 2016.
  25. Roberts, Elizabeth (December 13, 2016). "UN drops Wonder Woman as honorary ambassador". CNN.
  26. CBS This Morning (2017-05-27), The woman behind "Wonder Woman", retrieved 2018-11-16
  27. Rosen, Lisa (Winter 2013). "Natural-Born Director". DGA Quarterly.
  28. Littleton, Cynthia (February 28, 2014). "Brian F. O'Byrne Joins ABC Drama 'Exposed'". The Hollywood Reporter.
  29. Frese, David (June 1, 2017). "Don't stop believin': Patty Jenkins' journey from Lawrence to 'Wonder Woman'". Kansas City Star.
  30. Hernandez, Eugene (February 28, 2004). ""Lost In Translation" Tops Independent Spirit Awards, "Station Agent" Another Big Winner". Indiewire.
  31. "Monster Screenwriter/Director Patty Jenkins Honored by AFI with 14th Annual Franklin J. Schaffner Alumni Medal" (PDF). American Film Institute. June 7, 2004.
  32. "The Killing Nabs Six Emmy Noms, Including Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series". AMC. July 28, 2011.
  33. Killday, Gregg (January 28, 2012). "Directors Guild of America Awards 2012: Complete Winners List". The Hollywood Reporter.
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