The May 4, 2012, issue of
Entertainment Weekly features an interview with Joss Whedon and the cast of THE AVENGERS. At one point, the interview turned to the topic of female superheroes:
[EW:] There are a lot of female superheroes in comics, but why so few on film? Joss, you tried to make a Wonder Woman movie for several years, right?
Whedon: Studios will tell you: A woman cannot headline an action movie. After The Hunger Games they might stop telling you that a little bit. Whatever you think of the movie, it’s done a great service.
That exchange made me feel intensely emotional. I was hit with a one-two punch of a) hope at the prospect of cinematic change that THE HUNGER GAMES might usher in for female movie action stars and b) oppression upon being reminded about the toxic message that a woman
can’t.
