Since the release of DC's WONDER WOMAN, studios, fans, and critics alike have been talking an awful lot about their hopes for more female superheroes making a solo effort on the big screen. While some would say that this particular conversation has been long-overdue, it's comforting to know that the Patty Jenkins-directed blockbuster has lit a fire beneath the asses of many, and now, there's another female director who'd like to take a stab at the superhero genre.
Recently, TANK GIRL director Rachel Talalay spoke to VICE about just how far female superhero movies have come, her reflections on TANK GIRL, and how she aspires to one day direct a SHE-HULK film for Marvel.
The following are a collection of comments from the VICE interview:
“When I made Tank Girl, I truly believed that I would break the glass ceiling. I just thought, ‘I believe in this comic. It’s so out there, it’s so outrageous, it’s so punk, it’s so ‘me',” said Talalay. Unfortunately, Talalay met with major resistance while filming TANK GIRL, with reports of the studio forcing her to cut much of the film due to its content being deemed "too raunchy" for audiences. The film went on to earn a total of just $6 million at the box office. Despite the film's monetary failings, TANK GIRL is now considered by many to be a cult classic among comic book films, and Tank Girl comics continue to hit the comic book stands to this very day.
As the interview continued, Talalay remarked on WONDER WOMAN's success, claiming that it has initiated a sea-change for women characters and directors. Talalay then went on to share that she has ideas of her own for a female super hero film, and it involves Bruce Banner's cousin, Jennifer Walters aka the SHE-HULK. “I have such a strong vision of what She-Hulk should be. The difference between She-Hulk and Hulk is that she loved being She-Hulk. She was the Tank Girl of earlier days, in terms of being able to say what she wanted, and when she became She-Hulk, it was like an opening of the door to freedom, to be the person that you wish you could be. That you’re stopped from being as a woman. And that’s the version of She-Hulk that I would love to embrace.”
Um, yeah, a SHE-HULK film from the talent that brought us TANK GIRL, you can sign me up for that! Jen Walters has been one of my favorite comic book characters for years, and I would love to see her in a big screen superhero film that was also part court room drama. She could scream, "You can't handle me when I'm angry!," or something to that effect.
I think it's a given that we'll be hearing from lots of female superheroes in the next few years, as there are plenty of ladies with dynamic origin stories and powers that have yet to grace the silver screen. If you're not in the mood to wait for what's to come, go ahead and buy yourself a ticket to see WONDER WOMAN, which is in theaters right now!