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If you’re not familiar with the name Michelle MacLaren, it’s understandable, though chances are you’ve enjoyed her work. When Warner Bros. announced plans to produce a big budget WONDER WOMAN movie, there was a lot of speculation surrounding who would direct the film. A popular concept was bringing in a female director, and names like Kathryn Bigelow and Lexi Alexander were thrown about. One of the more popular choices was MacLaren, and she has now officially signed on to sit in the director chair for the project. This will be her first big screen feature film, but her history of television work is quite remarkable.
Her first professional work was as a production manager on the short-lived Richard Grieco show BOOKER in 1989. She served as production manager on the film K2 (1991) and the popular Dick Van Dyke series DIAGNOSIS MURDER. In the 1990s Michelle produced several TV movies, and eventually became a co-executive producer on shows like HARSH REALM and THE X-FILES, the latter of which led to her first gig as a director on the 2002 episode “John Doe.” In the 2000s MacLaren would occasionally direct an episode here and there for lots of popular genre shows, but 2009 was the beginning of her best years, as she directed her first of 11 episodes for AMC’s BREAKING BAD, reuniting her with X-FILES alum Vince Gilligan. In fact her first episode of the show was “4 Days Out”, considered by many to be one of the best of the series. Michelle also directed three episodes of THE WALKING DEAD, four episodes of GAME OF THRONES, and ended up being executive producer on BREAKING BAD from 2011 through 2013. She’ll be returning to that universe with the second episode of BETTER CALL SAUL this January on AMC.
So you may be saying, “That’s cool and all, but why give her WONDER WOMAN? Isn’t that a big film for a TV director?” Well, sure, but you have to understand that MacLaren has contributed to the success of some of the most popular television series out there, to the point of where her episodes are actually put on a pedestal by fans. She also gets the female sensibilities (something important for WONDER WOMAN) but really gets the guys’ side too. And she can handle action, emotion and suspense with the highest quality. If anything she’s not just an inspired choice, she’s the perfect choice. There’s been a lot of discussion around Gal Gadot playing the title character, who will first be seen in Zack Snyder’s BATMAN V SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE in 2016. We’re hoping in the hands of MacLaren she’ll shine brighter than anyone ever expected. Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
Michelle MacLaren – photo from Hollywood Reporter
WONDER WOMAN is scheduled for release on June 23, 2017
Born and raised in Dallas, Mark has been a movie critic since 1994, with reviews featured in print, radio and National TV. In 2001 he started the Entertainment section of the Herorealm website, where he contributed film reviews and celebrity interviews until 2004. After three years of service there, he started Bigfanboy.com, which has become one of the Dallas film community's leading information websites. Bigfanboy hosts several movie screenings in the Texas area, and works closely with film and TV studios and promotional partners to host exciting events and contests. The site also features a variety of rare celebrity and filmmaker interviews, and Bigfanboy.com regularly covers the film festival circuit as well. In addition to Hollywood reporting, Mark has worked for many years as an advertising and sci-fi/comic book artist. Clients have included Lucasfilm Ltd., Topps Trading Cards, The Dallas Mavericks and The Dallas Stars. From 2002 until 2015 he managed the Dallas Comic Con, Sci-Fi Expo and Fan Days events in the DFW area. He currently catalogs rare comic books and movie memorabilia for Heritage Auctions, and runs the Dallas Comic Show conventions, but remains an avid moviegoer and cinema buff. 
