Elizabeth Banks Says She Didn’t Try to Make a Feminist Manifesto with Charlie’s Angels Reboot

Elizabeth Banks thinks that the media misinterpret the message behind her Charlie’s Angels reboot. It’s been already four years since the director took the popular franchise back to the big screen, but there’s still a lot to say about what happened to that poorly received film.

Starring Kristen Stewart, Naomi Scott and Ella Balinska, the movie tried to revive the popular television franchise as Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore and Lucy Liu did in the early 2000, but Banks attempt was a huge failure. For many, it was because it had a strong feminist message behind it, but the director thinks this was just a matter of misinterpretation.

Speaking with Rolling Stone, Banks reflected on what happened with the movie and the treatment it received from the media, which ultimately helped to make it stumble at the box office:

“For me, regardless of what the actual product was, so much of the story that the media wanted to tell about Charlie’s Angels was that it was some feminist manifesto. People kept saying, ‘You’re the first female director of Charlie’s Angels!’ And I was like, ‘They’ve only done a TV show and McG’s movies… what are you talking about? There’s not this long legacy.’ I just loved the franchise. There was not this gendered agenda from me. That was very much laid on top of the work, and it was a little bit of a bummer. It felt like it pigeonholed me and the audience for the movie. To lose control of the narrative like that was a real bummer. You realize how the media can frame something regardless of how you’ve framed it. I happen to be a woman who directed a Charlie’s Angels movie that happened to star three incredible women. You can’t control the media saying, ‘You’re a lady director, and that’s special!’ — which it is, but it’s not the only thing.”

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Elizabeth Banks Is Open to Direct a Superhero Movie

Banks has already gotten behind the camera for many different projects, proving she’s a very versatile director, so for her to get into the superhero genre wouldn’t be a surprise. In fact, the director has already expressed her interest on working on a specific character from Marvel Comics: Thor.

In the same interview, Banks clarified some rumors about her being attached to Thor: Ragnarok, while also expressing her desire of joining the world of comic book adaptations:

“Let me dispel that a little bit. In terms of characters that I love in Marvel, that’s the character that I would have loved to take on. I never had a pitch or a meeting about Thor. And, yeah, if it was the right character and a great idea, I would love to direct a superhero movie. My door’s really open to anything.”

Banks would definitely be an interesting addition for Marvel Studios, DC Studios or any company doing superhero projects in the future, whether it is for female characters or not.