Filmmakers making the leap from smaller or independent productions to big budget blockbusters is nothing new in Hollywood. The results have always been mixed — just last year we saw both sides of the coin with “Safety Not Guaranteed” director Colin Trevorrow‘s “Jurassic World” and “Chronicle” helmer Josh Trank‘s “Fantastic Four” — but the industry has generally been open to giving directors a shot at transitioning to larger tentpole movies. However, that’s not always the case for women.
A couple years back we looked at 12 Indie Directors Who Jumped To Blockbuster Budgets and it was nearly entirely men who were profiled, and it wasn’t for lack of seeking out diversity. Simply put, women are held to a double standard in this regard, and that is certainly seen in Lucasfilm honcho Kathleen Kennedy‘s comments, when asked by Variety about bringing in a female director for a “Star Wars” movie.
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“We want to make sure that when we bring a female director in to do ‘Star Wars,’ they’re set up for success. They’re gigantic films, and you can’t come into them with essentially no experience,” she said.
“We want to really start to focus in on people we would love to work with and see what kinds of things they’re doing to progress up that ladder now, and then pull them in when the time is right,” she added.
On the one hand, Kennedy’s statement makes sense — you don’t want to put someone behind the camera who isn’t prepared for the massive task and expectations of directing a “Star Wars” movie. However, everywhere else at Disney, there doesn’t seem to be this hesitation for hiring “inexperienced” men or women. Marvel gave the keys to “Guardians Of The Galaxy” to James Gunn, who had never helmed a movie of that scale before, while Ava DuVernay is currently making the biggest movie of her career for Disney with “A Wrinkle In Time,” coming off films like “Selma” and the documentary “The 13th.” The mouse house also allowed first-timer Robert Stromberg to helm “Maleficent,” while Marvel’s superhero rivals at DC Films hired Patty Jenkins to make her first feature in fifteen years with “Wonder Woman.” Moreover, it’s easy to forget that all these movies have seasoned visual effects teams, stunt people, and more, who can help a director realize their vision and bridge the “experience” gap.
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And let’s not mention the veteran directors (almost always men) who are allowed to flounder and fail and still make more blockbusters (looking at you, Zack Snyder), while someone like Karyn Kusama saw her career nearly finished after “Aeon Flux” and “Jennifer’s Body” (thankfully, she came back strong with “The Invitation,” and if anyone would make a killer superhero flick, it would be her).
It’s a bit of a shame that with the “Star Wars” saga now pivoting its story around a young, female lead character that getting a woman to tell one of those stories (or helm a spinoff) still seems like a glass ceiling that’s some distance away from being shattered. Let’s hope those doors of opportunity are kicked open sooner rather than later. [via Women And Hollywood]