Female Director Turned Down 'Black Widow' After Being Told Not to Worry About Action Scenes

Before ultimately selecting Cate Shortland to direct the upcoming Black Widow standalone film, Marvel Studios launched a lengthy search for female directors to accurately tell the story of one of Marvel's most beloved characters.

Acclaimed Argentinian director Lucrecia Martel says she was one of the directors the production studio reached out to and met with, but she turned down the opportunity partly due to the way she was treated as a woman.

"They... told me, 'Don't worry about the action scenes, we will take care of that,'" Martel told The Pioneer in a recent interview recounting the interaction. "I was thinking, 'Well I would love to meet Scarlett Johansson but also I would love to make the action sequences.'"

Martel continued to explain how production companies are still making it clear that they want male directors handling action scenes. "Companies are interested in female filmmakers but they still think action scenes are for male directors," she said.

Fans have had a split reaction to Martel's comments.

It's a difficult situation because on one hand, Marvel Studios has usually told directors to not worry about directing the action scenes, even including the Russo Brothers, who directed Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. But at the same time, it is understandable that Martel took issue with the comments that may seem very sexist.

Marvel Studios has not responded to the director's comments.