Although her name isn’t one that comes up all too often when discussing the film and television industry’s most experienced directors of comic book adaptations, a cursory glance at Rachel Talalay‘s back catalogue makes it abundantly clear that it would be borderline offensive to leave her out.
When it comes to both longevity and variety, the list of page-to-screen stories that litter her eclectic filmography exists somewhere between the astonishing and mind-blowing, especially when it stretches back decades and covers virtually every offshoot the genre has to offer.
As well as helming cult classic Tank Girl, Talalay has additionally taken on episodes of 2008’s short-lived Flash Gordon, XIII: The Series, The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, Supergirl, Riverdale, Iron Fist, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, Superman & Lois, Doom Patrol, and American Gods, which is nothing if not eclectic.
That’s a hell of a resume, but in an interview with Inverse, Talalay’s suggestion for the best superhero blockbuster to emerge in the last half a decade is one that has the potential to needle a whole lot of trolls and haters.
“To me, Barbie is the superhero movie of the last five years. So I think coming at it from this very nontraditional storytelling is wonderful, and will be where we go. But I also think that will then swing back to ‘We need Superman to be Superman,’ and then what are we doing with [that story] to make it [work]? I think a good story is a good story. It’s about making sure that your superhero is a character that you’re engaged with, not just a CGI character doing something.”
Greta Gerwig’s all-conquering sensation is many things, but a superhero movie? That’s entirely up for interpretation, and you can already imagine how some folks are reacting.