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![Director Patty Jenkins and actress Gal Gadot on the set of Wonder Woman 1984 Director Patty Jenkins and actress Gal Gadot on the set of Wonder Woman 1984](https://cdn.aarp.net/content/dam/aarpe/en/home/entertainment/movies-for-grownups/info-2020/patty-jenkins-wonder-woman-1984-interview/_jcr_content/root/container_main/container_body_main/container_body1/container_body_cf/container_image/articlecontentfragment/cfimage.coreimg.50.932.jpeg/content/dam/aarp/entertainment/movies-for-grownups/2020/12/1140-patty-jenkins-gal-gadot-wonder-woman-1984.jpg)
In any other year, the Christmas Day release of Wonder Woman 1984 would have fans lining up at movie theaters across the country to get a first look. This year, of course, many box offices remain shuttered (and many moviegoers are reluctant to venture inside those that are open). Which means that this blockbuster is coming direct to your home screen on Dec. 25 (provided you've got an HBO Max subscription). Merry Christmas to us all!
Patty Jenkins, Wonder Woman 1984's award-winning director (she also helmed the 2017 original), took a moment out of the holiday swirl to talk with AARP about the fate of movies post-COVID, her own Wonder Woman inspirations, and how she's approaching turning 50 next summer.
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On discovering the magic of Wonder Woman
For me it's actually very easy because I was the little kid in the schoolyard who saw Wonder Woman and was super drawn to very specific things: her warmth, kindness, strength and beauty. It was this interesting combination, and yet even though I'm sure everybody thought she was super attractive, she's not sexualized, she's idealized. There was something super important about her being the ideal version of a woman and yourself.
The feminist challenge of Wonder Woman
My mom is super feminist; I grew up surrounded by that conversation. Now, I feel like next-wave feminism is more, “OK, now I'm going to embrace all of the feminine things all at the same time and still be super strong, still a badass.” That was the thing I found the trickiest and most interesting part in making Wonder Woman. I wanted to make a super-satisfying superhero movie but stay true to what fans loved about Wonder Woman, that magical quality of being loving, kind and thoughtful about what's the right thing to do. I'm passionate about those qualities of Wonder Woman.
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