The Marvel Cinematic Universe is so often championed for its diversity and representation in front of the camera – particularly after the release and subsequent success of Black Panther. But behind the lens, it’s a somewhat different story.
As a matter of fact, aside from Captain Marvel co-director Anna Boden, the MCU is a hard-wired, male-dominated movie machine capable of pumping out three films per annum – as is the case in 2018, what with Infinity War and Ant-Man and the Wasp set to follow Panther – though seasoned Marvel producer Victoria Alonso hopes to see more women directors in Phase 4 and beyond.
Granted, as Alonso tells The Hollywood Reporter, she believes this ought to be treated on a case-by-case basis, and that diversity for diversity’s sake will only do more harm than good.
Soon, I hope. Here’s the thing: We want the best person for the job. I don’t think it’s fair to the movie to say, ‘This has to be directed by a man,’ or ‘That has to be directed by a woman.’ I think it has to be a conscious search for the best human — and hopefully the best human, as we continue to fill out our slate, is half and half.
Couple this with the rumored uptick in female-fronted spinoff movies (Black Widow! Valkyrie! Scarlet Witch!) and one would hope that Marvel plans to pair its leading ladies with some of the best female directors in the business.
Ava DuVernay (A Wrinkle in Time) and Niki Caro (Mulan) are two of the hot-tipped favorites to land Marvel gigs in the not-so-distant future, while we understand Jac Schaeffer has been tasked with penning the Black Widow spinoff movie. And it may be ready sooner than you think…
