Second, why should a Little Mermaid remake have to appeal to an adult man at all? It’s a fairytale, an important storytelling genre for so many people and age groups. Sofia clarified that her rendition would’ve been closer to the original Hans Christian Andersen story, and “much darker” than the Disney version that was eventually made.
She was even planning to film underwater for it, but was refused the budget. The impressive feat that was later achieved by – you guessed it – male director James Cameron with the Avatar sequel Avatar: The Way of Water. An opportunity that could’ve been seized by a female counterpart quashed due to a patriarchal bias towards male-approved projects.
There should be space for films, TV shows, podcasts, all entertainment mediums to be made regardless of whether they appeal to an older man, to ensure all audiences feels represented, heard and seen.
Of course, that’s not the (current) reality. All the time one extremely specific group of people dominate the way that money is spent in Hollywood and across the entertainment industry, the stories that are told and the cultural messages that permeate our political and societal views will be male-dominated. Male-sanctioned.
And let’s face it – if a successful, talented, influential woman like Sofia Coppola hits these kind of roadblocks in her career, and feels imposter syndrome as a result, what hope is there for the rest of us who are hustling for career success in a patriarchal world?
In order for our favourite films to tell stories that promote equality and cater to all voices, the life experiences of the people controlling the money and making the decisions need to be more diverse and more discerning.
“Not everyone’s gonna be into what you’re into”, and that’s OK. Silencing female voices and stories due to financial and patriarchal priorities is most certainly not.