James Cameron Talks Superhero Movies, Wants a Woman to Direct Batman

Many directors have weighed in on superhero movies and their dominance in the modern box office — including James Cameron. In a recent interview, though, the director spoke about the lack of women-directed superhero movies, as well as his affinity for Thanos.

While speaking to TIME, Cameron mentioned that he could relate to Avengers: Infinity War‘s Mad Titan.

“I can relate to Thanos,” Cameron stated. “I thought he had a pretty viable answer. The problem is nobody is going to put up their hand to volunteer to be the half that has to go.”

The filmmaker then went on to discuss his previous criticism of Wonder Woman, referring to when he said the character’s outfit served “an objectified paradigm” in the past.

“I don’t have an issue with Wonder Woman. I loved the movie,” he clarified. “What was elusive to me at the moment was it’s OK if the woman wants to be beautiful and dress well not for the male gaze, but for her own gaze in the mirror, right? I had maybe missed that part of it at the time. You know, life is about stumbling and people push back and we talk about it and things get better.”

Finally, Cameron discussed the lack of superhero and action movies directed by women before praising his ex-wife, director Kathryn Bigelow, and stating that he’d like to see a Batman movie directed by a woman.

“It was necessary to have a female director own a major action movie, though Kathryn Bigelow had been doing that for a while,” the filmmaker stated. “She would have turned down any superhero movie she was offered if it was a female lead. And that’s the healthier perspective, I think, personally. Why not have women direct male characters? Have a woman direct Batman. Now, you’re talking.”

Cameron’s most recent film was Avatar: The Way of Water, which he directed and co-wrote. It features the return of Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña, Joel David Moore, Dileep Rao, Stephen Lang, Matt Gerald, and Sigourney Weaver. Additional cast members include Kate Winslet, Edie Falco, Michelle Yeoh, Jemaine Clement, and Oona Chaplin, alongside a slate of young actors.

Three additional films are planned, with Avatar 3 tentatively scheduled for December 20, 2024, Avatar 4 set for December 18, 2026, and Avatar 5 on December 22, 2028.