Wonder Woman director hits back as James Cameron calls film a ‘step back’

Wonder Woman director Patty Jenkins has hit back after James Cameron branded the superhero film a "step backwards".

The Titanic director previously told the Guardian that in his opinion, Gal Gadot's lead character was an "objectified icon" - and that the film's praise had been "misguided". But Jenkins, the superhero blockbuster's director, responded to his claims in a lengthy social media statement. She claimed that Cameron misunderstood what the film stood for - and that there was no "right or wrong kind of powerful woman". The post began:

"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. "Strong women are great. "His praise of my film Monster, and our portrayal of a strong yet damaged woman was so appreciated. "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 have we."

https://twitter.com/PattyJenks/status/900917648015405062   [caption id="attachment_350129" align="alignnone" width="605"] Wonder Woman director Patty Jenkins and stars Gal Gadot and Chris Pine at the film's LA premiere.[/caption] Wonder Woman, which debuted earlier this summer, has made $800 million worldwide so far - and holds the title of the highest grossing film directed by a woman. The statement continued:

"I believe women can and should be everything just like male lead characters should be. There is no right and wrong kind of powerful woman. "And the massive female audience who made the film a hit it is, can surely choose and judge their own icons of progress."

It comes after Cameron said, when quizzed over the excitement over Wonder Woman, that it was just "male Hollywood doing the same old thing". He said:

“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! I’m not saying I didn’t like the movie but, to me, it’s a step backwards. "Sarah Connor was not a beauty icon. She was strong, she was troubled, she was a terrible mother, and she earned the respect of the audience through pure grit. "And to me, [the benefit of characters like Sarah] is so obvious. I mean, half the audience is female!”