Patty Jenkins Latest Celebrity News & Gossip

Barbie‘s historic opening weekend at the box office proves we’re all living in Barbieland.

The runaway box office success of “Barbie” has set a new record that finds director Greta Gerwig making Hollywood history.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter Three cheers for Director Barbie. Greta Gerwig cemented box office history as her cotton candy-colored blockbuster “Barbie” scored a massive $155 million in its opening weekend, marking the biggest debut ever for a film directed by a woman. “Captain Marvel,” which was co-directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, previously held the title with $153 million in 2019. “Wonder Woman,” from filmmaker Patty Jenkins, stood as the record-holder for a movie solely directed by a woman with $103 million in 2017. “Barbie” has notched several other box office records, including the biggest opening weekend of the year — besting “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” ($146 million).

Greta Gerwig‘s Barbie premiered on Friday (July 21), and it’s already breaking records!

J. Kim Murphy Greta Gerwig’s hot pink fantasia “Barbie” and Christopher Nolan’s intricately bleak historical drama “Oppenheimer” are both putting up box office openings to remember. In a summer movie season that has largely failed to keep spirits up, two bona fide blockbusters are showing that everyone can be a winner. But the more winning winner between the two — the number one movie in North America — is Warner Bros. Discovery’s “Barbie.” After scoring $22.2 million on Thursday, the highest preview ticket sales of the year, the big screen bonanza about Mattel’s ubiquitous doll kept the superlatives going on Friday, adding another $48.2 million from 4,243 theaters. That’s a $70.5 million total — the biggest opening day of the year, blasting past the $51.8 million earned by “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” in June.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Gal Gadot is moving forward with her Cleopatra movie, and she recently told Vogue Hong Kong that it will “change the narrative” about the historical figure. “Israel borders Egypt, and I grew up with so many stories about Cleopatra, and she’s like a household name,” Gadot said. “You know, if Wonder Woman is the imaginary strong female leader, Cleopatra’s actually the real one. That’s a perfect example of a story that I wanted to tell because I started reading different books about Cleopatra, and I said, ‘Wow, that’s fascinating.’ All I ever saw in regards to Cleopatra from film was that she was this seductive woman who had an affair with Julius Caesar and Marc Anthony. But the truth is, there’s so much more to her.”

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor U.S. actor Robin Wright will be awarded the President’s Award at the 57th Karlovy Vary Film Festival’s closing ceremony. In honor of Wright, it will screen “The Princess Bride.” Wright is best known for her performance in Netflix series “House of Cards.” She earned three Golden Globe nominations and a win in 2014. She earned five Screen Actors Guild award nominations for the show, and received five consecutive Emmy nominations. In 2017, Wright played Lieutenant Joshi in “Blade Runner 2049,” and Amazon warrior General Antiope in “Justice League” and Patty Jenkins’ “Wonder Woman.” The following year, she reprised her role as Antiope in “Wonder Woman 1984.” She will be seen this Fall starring opposite Millie Bobby Brown in the fantasy film “Damsel,” and co-starring with Tom Hanks in “HERE,” directed by Robert Zemeckis.

Gal Gadot is ready to focus on her future after Wonder Woman 3 was canceled. The star of Heart of Stone is opening up about what her next projects will look like as she continues to make strides in the industry.

EXCLUSIVE: The Into the Wild actor and the star of TNT’s I Am the Night are boarding the feature Degenerate, we hear.

The Mother is a mutha of an intimately scaled action film, a violent female-centric drama about a hardened combat veteran who has great difficulty adapting to being anything other than a tough soldier, and that includes being a mother. Joining Kathryn Bigelow, Patty Jenkins, Gina Prince-Blythewood, Mimi Leder and the Wachowski siblings among women responsible for notable action features, Aussie director Niki Caro (Whale Rider, Mulan) has delivered a film that could easily have veered into sentiment at any moment but instead remains tough as nails and doesn’t go soft at the end. The film would surely have an even greater impact on the big screen but, as it is, launched Friday on Netflix.

The Tribeca Festival today announced its Storytellers Series, which includes Paul McCartney in conversation with Conan O’Brien for a podcast recording of Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend, and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer John Mellencamp in conversation with David Letterman.

Ana de Armas was asked if she was going to take over the Wonder Woman role as Peter Safran and James Gunn reenvision the DC Universe.

There were lots of big announcements at the Star Wars Celebration in London this past weekend, like James Mangold‘s “Dawn Of The Jedi“ and Daisy Ridley‘s return as Rey in a future film.

Recent reports from earlier in the year had revealed that the “Star Wars” film produced by Marvel Studios‘ Kevin Feige with Michael Waldron (“Loki,” “Doctor Strange In The Multiverse of Madness“) attached to write and director Patty Jenkins’ (“Wonder Woman“) own movie “Star Wars: Rogue Squadron” have been shelved for the foreseeable future.

Star Wars” movie future just came into sharper focus: Daisy Ridley’s Rey will be the central focus of the first “Star Wars” feature film since 2019’s “The Rise of Skywalker,” Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy announced at Star Wars Celebration in London on Friday. Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy (“Ms. Marvel”) will direct from a script by Steven Knight (“Peaky Blinders”). The film follows the events of “Rise of Skywalker,” and will focus on Rey as she builds a new Jedi Order. The project marks several major milestones for the franchise: Obaid-Chinoy is the first woman and the first person of color to direct a “Star Wars” movie. The Pakistani filmmaker won two Academy Awards for documentary short, in 2011 for “Saving Face” and in 2015 for “A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness,” and she most recently directed two episodes of “Ms. Marvel” for Disney+.

Academy Award winner Michelle Yeoh is set to head to the Cannes Film Festival this year, where she will become the latest recipient of Kering’s Women In Motion Award.

Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight is set to write the screenplay for a new Star Wars film, according to reports.As reported by Variety, original screenwriters Damon Lindelof (Lost) and Justin Britt-Gibson have departed the project, with Knight on board as a replacement.The untitled film, which is expected to be among Lucasfilm’s first Star Wars films since 2019’s Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker, will be directed by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy (Ms. Marvel).More information about the project is expected to be announced at Star Wars Celebration in London on April 7-10.Along with Peaky Blinders, Knight is known for writing and directing 2013 films Locke starring Tom Hardy and Hummingbird with Jason Statham.

This week it was revealed that Lucasfilm had lost writers screenwriters Damon Lindelof and Justin Britt-Gibson, as the pair left last month after working on the script for the latest “Star Wars” film, with two-time Oscar-winning filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy (“Ms. Marvel“) attached to direct.

Adam B. Vary Senior Entertainment Writer “Peaky Blinders” creator Steven Knight is set to write the screenplay for the untitled “Star Wars” movie that Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy (“Ms. Marvel”) is attached to direct, as original screenwriters Damon Lindelof and Justin Britt-Gibson have departed the project, Variety has confirmed. The movie is widely expected to be among Lucasfilm’s first “Star Wars” films since 2019’s “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.” More information about the movie, including a possible title, is expected to be announced at the Star Wars Celebration in London in April. (A representative for Lucasfilm did not respond to a request for comment.)

The next “Star Wars” movie, to be directed by Sharmeen Obaid-Chino, has lost its screenwriters. TheWrap has confirmed that Damon Lindelof and Justin Britt-Gibson (“Counterpart”) have left the untitled, unannounced project.“’Star Wars’ scripts are a lot like James Bond scripts or most tentpoles for that matter.

Star Wars universe is in rude health following a string of well-received Disney+ tv shows but the franchise hasn’t released a full-length movie since 2019’s The Rise Of Skywalker.Following Disney’s acquisition of Star Wars in 2012, work began on a sequel trilogy and the original plan was to release one full film every year, starting with 2015’s The Force Awakens and including spin-offs Rogue One and Solo.However, following the mixed reception to The Rise Of Skywalker, Disney seems to be focusing more on its acclaimed television universe. Season three of The Mandalorian is currently being released onto the streamer with Ahsoka set to premiere later this year.Jude Law’s Skeleton Crew is also due for release in 2023 and there’s a second season of Andor in the works alongside a series focusing on original trilogy hero Lando Calrissian.The next Star Wars movie is currently due for release December 2025.

When Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav installed the new leadership of James Gunn and Peter Safran at DC, heavy decisions were promptly made from the unplugging of Patty Jenkins’ Wonder Woman 3 to Henry Cavill losing his Superman cape.

Despite the historic Best Director wins by Chloe Zhao and Jane Campion over the past couple of years at the Oscars, this year’s nominees proved that there is still a lot of work that needs to be done to make sure women filmmakers are recognized in the same way as their male counterparts. And for someone like Patty Jenkins, a filmmaker who has been in the business for decades, it’s disheartening to see one step forward and two steps back when it comes to the Academy recognizing women directors at the Oscars.

Marion Cotillard, Nicole Kidman, and Kristen Stewart pose together for a photo at last night’s star-studded pre-Oscars party!

Marc Malkin Senior Film Awards, Events & Lifestyle Editor Patty Jenkins says she was more than disappointed that no women were nominated for best director this year. “I give up, I give up,” the “Wonder Woman” director told me Saturday at the Charles Finch and Chanel pre-Oscars dinner at the Beverly Hills Hotel’s Polo Lounge. “I say that even with all of their push to have diversity. The numbers are just hugely imbalanced of who votes for these things. I sort of just stopped paying attention to it. It’s still going to take a long ways to go. It’s going to take a lot more to really see truly more diverse awards. I really appreciate the efforts that they’re making but we have a long way to go.”

K.J. Yossman The first panels and guests for Star Wars Celebration London have been unveiled. The official fan event, which switches each year between the U.S. and an international location, is headed to London, U.K. From April 7-10, the Force is set to take over the ExCel exhibition center in London. Among the highlights are the Lucasfilm Studio Showcase on Friday, April 7, which promises the “current crop of live-action filmmakers” as well as special guests to discuss “Star Wars” projects including “The Mandalorian, “Andor” and more. On Saturday, the Lucasfilm team will give fans a sneak peak at the upcoming “Ahsoka” series, with exec producers Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau on hand to share some secrets while on Monday Ewan McGregor, Hayden Christensen and Indira Varma will make an appearance to discuss “Obi-Wan Kenobi.”

EXCLUSIVE: There is a disturbance in the Force.

Death On The Nile and Tenet, revealed his choices in a poll for Sight and Sound magazine.Since 1952, the magazine has asked various filmmakers every decade for their lists of the greatest films of all time. As part of the Winter 2022-23 issue, directors like Branagh, Martin Scorsese, Wes Anderson, Barry Jenkins and Ari Aster were invited to contribute their favourites.Branagh’s top pick was The Godfather, while Cloud Atlas and Lady Bird also made his top 10.

There’s a minor disturbance in the force, but there always is when it comes to Lucasfilm and “Star Wars” Celebration. And what we mean by that is Lucasfilm always makes major “Star Wars” updates at Celebration—which is coming up in April of this year in the U.K.—and the nature of development over at the company, which has been admittedly a little rocky over the last few years, means, some projects go forward and some get nixed (and honestly, this is a better approach than just releasing a movie with a weak script because it has a release date like a lot of blockbusters).

The Jojo Rabbit Oscar winner is in talks to potentially star in his own Star Wars movie, however, Taika Waititi is still working on the script. It’s very early days for his Star Wars movie, like several projects that Lucasfilm has in the works.

Two longtime Star Wars projects have been officially shelved.

There’s a minor disturbance in the force, but there always is when it comes to Lucasfilm and “Star Wars” Celebration. And what we mean by that is Lucasfilm always makes major “Star Wars” updates at Celebration—which is coming up in April of this year in the U.K.—and the nature of development over at the company, which has been admittedly a little rocky over the last few years, means, some projects go forward and some get nixed (and honestly, this is a better approach than just releasing a movie with a weak script because it has a release date like a lot of blockbusters).

Adam B. Vary Senior Entertainment Writer When Jon Favreau stepped onto the red carpet for the Season 3 premiere of “The Mandalorian” on Feb. 28, the Disney+ show’s creator and executive producer was feeling nostalgic. “It’s been a while since we’ve been all together here like this,” Favreau told Variety, evoking the November 2019 premiere for the launch of the show — and of Disney+ itself. “It was before the first episode aired!” At that time, “The Mandalorian” was a scrappy landspeeder in the vast “Star Wars” galaxy, nipping at the heels of “The Rise of Skywalker,” the culminating feature film from director J.J. Abrams that was expected just a month later to obliterate the box office like a cinematic Death Star. Instead, “The Mandalorian” became a global sensation thanks to the incandescent cuteness of Baby Yoda, blasting Disney+ into light-speed with 26.5 million subscribers in its first six weeks.

There were lots of celebs in attendance at the Dior fashion show during Paris Fashion Week!

Zack Sharf Digital News Director David F. Sandberg, the director of “Shazam!” and its upcoming sequel “Shazam! Fury of the Gods,” told comic book movie fans on Twitter that the new regime at DC Studios does not necessarily signal the end of his Zachary Levi-starring franchise. “Fury of the Gods” was developed and filmed before James Gunn and Peter Safran took over DC Studios and overhauled the DC Universe. Does Levi’s Shazam have a place in the new universe? It will depend on how “Fury of the Gods” performs at the box office, the director says. “Hey David, I don’t feel like watching the movie because of the drama happening around DC studios,” a Twitter user wrote to the director. “It is just killing the vibe of the film. There is a lot of uncertainty about DC’s Future. Just give us an answer, whether Shazam will have a role in future DCU.”

Zack Sharf When James Gunn and Peter Safran unveiled the new DC Universe slate in January, the lineup included a “Wonder Woman” prequel series titled “Paradise Lost” that is set for HBO Max. Not much about the series is known other than it’s a “‘Game of Thrones’-ish story” set on the island of Themyscira before the birth of Diana (a.k.a. Wonder Woman). In a new interview with Yahoo Entertainment, Robin Wright said she would love the chance to star in “Paradise Lost” as her DC character Antiope. “I loved playing an Amazon,” Wright said. “I kinda feel like I was the leader of an Amazon tribe in my past life. I haven’t received that call [about ‘Paradise Lost’] yet. Maybe I’m too old!”