Female directors helming superhero projects set tone for a new era of women filmmakers in 2020
2020 may have already been dubbed the year of superheroes, but the pleasing fact is that five of the biggest blockbusters are directed by women and this includes all four major superhero movies: 'Birds of Prey' by Cathy Yan; 'Mulan' by Niki Caro; 'Black Widow' by Cate Shortland; 'Wonder Woman 1984' by Patty Jenkins; and 'Eternals' by Chloé Zhao. It's fair to say it will be an incredible year as the trailers of these movies already show immense promise and will most definitely be sure-shot blockbusters.
According to Variety, Stacy L Smith of USC’s Annenberg Inclusion Initiative outlined that up to 14 of the top 100 highest-grossing films in 2019 would be directed by women. And not to forget, they have raked in the moolah in big numbers. They account for roughly $1.23 billion in domestic grosses and $2.79 billion in global grosses for the year, the site added. The best examples are 'Captain Marvel' and 'Frozen 2'. It is easier to say these films in the upcoming year would most definitely be bigger and more profitable. More than that, it would set the tone for a new era of women filmmakers and is a welcome and a refreshing change.
This move also signifies mediahouses giving ample opportunities for women directors to make a mark and establish themselves. The change also means we get to see a different style of filmmaking — something that is more intriguing and gives more light to female leads. For instance, 'Harley Quinn' and 'Eternals' boast of solid women cast and that is a novelty that we'll get to witness with female directors helming the projects. For starters, it breaks the stereotypical notion that women hate reading comics.
Second, it's time to give the women directors the recognition they deserve. In a report by The Guardian, that talks about women directors helming big projects, 'Suicide Squad' star Margot Robbie said she wouldn’t participate in a stand-alone Harley Quinn film until the studio hired a female director. “We all need to be making conscious efforts to even out those statistics,” she declared. And for what it's worth, the footage so far is just as good if not better than what we have seen in recent superhero flicks.
For now, it's a new direction for female directors helming superhero flicks and we hope the trend continues.