Citing the oft-used saw of “creative differences,” director Michelle MacLaren (TV’s Breaking Bad and Game of Thrones) is parting ways with the DC Universe, stepping down from the helm of the upcoming Wonder Woman, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The movie, originally slated for a 2017 release, would have marked MacLaren’s feature film debut.
A statement from Warner Bros., the studio behind Wonder Woman, reads:
Given creative differences, Warner Bros. and Michelle MacLaren have decided not to move forward with plans to develop and direct Wonder Woman together.
The nature of the conflicting creative views has not been detailed, but the Internet is abuzz with rumors that the planned addition of a tiger sidekick for the title character (to be played by Gal Gadot) might have been the breaking point.
MacLaren would have been the first female to direct a superhero adaptation, but not the first to try. In 2011 Patty Jenkins was attached to direct Marvel’s Thor 2 but was unable to connect her creative vision to the direction the studio wanted to go. The film, renamed Thor: The Dark World, was eventually helmed by Alan Taylor.
There is no information as of yet as to whether the shakeup will force the studio to rethink the planned June 2017 release date.