Oscar-winning director James Cameron has called Wonder Woman 'a step backwards' for feminism.

The 63-year-old - who has featured strong female leads in his flicks - criticized the recent summer blockbuster as well as the film industry as a whole in an interview published by The Guardian on Thursday.

He said: 'All of the self-congratulatory back-patting Hollywood’s been doing over Wonder Woman has been so misguided. She’s an objectified icon, and it’s just male Hollywood doing the same old thing!'

Taking a stand: Oscar-winning director James Cameron has called Wonder Woman 'a step backwards' for feminism in an interview with The Guardian published on Thursday

Ouch: The 63-year-old director said: 'All of the self-congratulatory back-patting Hollywood’s been doing over Wonder Woman has been so misguided. She’s an objectified icon, and it’s just male Hollywood doing the same old thing!'

He even contrasted Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman against Linda Hamilton's character Sarah Connor in 1991's Terminator 2: Judgement Day.

Cameron explained: 'I’m not saying I didn’t like the movie but, to me, it’s a step backwards. Sarah Connor was not a beauty icon. She was strong, she was troubled, she was a terrible mother, and she earned the respect of the audience through pure grit.

'And to me, [the benefit of characters like Sarah] is so obvious. I mean, half the audience is female!'

Cameron has also had strong female characters including Ripley in the Aliens franchise (Sigourney Weaver) and even Rose in Titanic (Kate Winslet).

Action: He even contrasted Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman against Linda Hamilton's character Sarah Connor in 1991's Terminator 2: Judgement Day

Queen of the world: Cameron has also had strong female characters including Rose in Titanic (Kate Winslet)

Blast from the past: Ripley in the Aliens franchise (Sigourney Weaver) is another iconic character

Oscar-winner Patty Jenkins directed the DC Comics film which had a very successful run in theaters earlier this year.

Despite Wonder Woman being released in June, there is still controversy surrounding it as leading woman Gadot, 32, recently responded to body shamers claiming she wasn't curvy enough to play the iconic heroine in the latest Rolling Stone magazine.

'Listen, if you want to be for real, then the Amazons, they had only one boob,' she said, alluding to a theory in Greek mythology. 'So what are you talking about here? Me having small boobs and small ass? That will make all the difference.'

Gal will reprise her role as Wonder Woman in new movie Justice League which will be released on November 17.