“Wonder Woman” director Patty Jenkins has fired back at James Cameron for saying her hit superhero film is a “step backwards” for women.
Taking to Twitter Thursday, Jenkins tweeted a statement saying “James Cameron’s inability to understand what Wonder Woman is, or stands for, to women all over the world is unsurprising as, though, he is a great filmmaker, he is not a woman.”
In an interview with The Guardian published Thursday, Cameron was asked about his views on “Wonder Woman,” which has been one of the most successful films of the year and hailed by some for being a story about a powerful woman that was directed by a woman.
The “Titanic” director was quoted as saying “All of the self-congratulatory back-patting Hollywood’s been doing over ‘Wonder Woman’ has been so misguided.”
“She’s an objectified icon, and it’s just male Hollywood doing the same old thing,” he said. “I’m not saying I didn’t like the movie but, to me, it’s a step backwards.”
Jenkins referenced Cameron’s past praise of the 2003 film “Monster” which she wrote and directed. That movie dramatized the life and crimes of female serial killer Aileen Wuornos and won star Charlize Theron an Oscar.
“His praise of my film ‘Monster’ and our portrayal of a strong yet damaged woman was so appreciated,” Jenkins wrote. “But if women have to always be hard, tough, and troubled to be strong, and we aren’t free to be multidimensional or celebrate an icon of women everywhere because she is attractive and loving, then we haven’t come very far.”
Jenkins also said she believes female characters “can and should be everything just like male lead characters should be” and shouted out to “the massive female audience who made the film a hit it is.”
“Wonder Woman” has grossed more than $800 million worldwide, according to Box Office Mojo,
