Why Are Tabloids Pretending There’s Drama on the Set of Wonder Woman 1984?

Gossip Cop (formerly a sister site of ours) recently ran an article debunking rumors that Wonder Woman 1984 was in trouble due to reshoots. The report, originally published by Star, said that the studio was panicking over the film, which is why they opted not to screen footage at San Diego Comic-Con, and an anonymous insider claims that the movie’s reshoot process “isn’t how it’s done on other blockbusters and the timing is making the studio nervous.” This is, of course, false information that has since been debunked by Warner Bros.

Gossip Cop’s piece also pointed out the multiple, deeply misogynistic smear campaigns that Star has run about the film. One such article stated that star Gal Gadot was annoyed by costar Kristen Wiig’s jokes on set, and another stated that there was a feud between Gadot and Brie Larson. There is no real reason to talk about actresses hating each other when there’s no basis for it—except to begin a sexist smear campaign against a film starring women.

The reshoot story is not the first time that director Patty Jenkins has been accused of delivering a messy project to Warner Bros. Back before the first Wonder Woman was released, a “studio insider” claimed the film was an unwatchable mess. It turned out to be one of the DCEU’s best-received films, with many praising Jenkins’ direction. People have been trying to smear the film for a while now, and it goes beyond petty Marvel vs. DC bickering.

The idea of pitting Gadot and Larson against each other, or Gadot and her costar, also stems from sexism. There is no reason to pit women against each other, especially when they’re doing nothing except either existing in the same film or leading two separate, female-driven superhero franchises. The Gadot vs. Larson thing seems especially tied to the sexist rants that men post about how much they hate Captain Marvel because she’s not a “good female character” like Wonder Woman apparently is. Two different female heroes can exist without needing to compare them, and they can be different without being “bad.”

This is not saying that disliking Jenkins, Gadot, or Wonder Woman is inherently sexist, but it’s clear that there’s no other real motive here. Jenkins has more than proved herself a worthy director, and she deserves a little better than people saying her film is unwatchable before we’ve seen any sort of footage from the project.

Do better, tabloids.

(via Gossip Cop, image: Warner Bros)