“A Wrinkle in Time,” “The Darkest Minds,” and “Blockers” — those are the only women-directed studio films you can look forward to in 2018. According to a report from TheWrap, they represent just 3.3 percent of the major studio films scheduled for release this year, “the lowest percentage [of women-helmed studio films] in at least five years.”
TheWrap considered the six major studios in its report — Disney, Universal, Fox, Paramount, Sony and, Warner Bros. — and found that the latter three feature no women-directed films on their 2018 dockets. (Note: The source didn’t include art-house divisions such as Fox Searchlight or Sony Pictures Classics in its study.) Warner Bros.’ exclusion of women directors is particularly upsetting considering that its biggest hit of 2017 was Patty Jenkins’ “Wonder Woman.”
Not that Disney, Universal, or Fox are pillars of gender equality. They each include one woman-helmed project on their 2018 schedule. Disney will release Ava DuVernay’s “Wrinkle in Time” adaptation on Friday, March 9. Out April 6 is Universal’s “Blockers,” directed by “Pitch Perfect” scribe Kay Cannon. The pic centers on three parents trying to prevent their teen daughters from having sex on prom night. Fox has Jennifer Yuh Nelson’s “Darkest Minds,” a dystopian thriller about a young girl with superpower, scheduled to hit theaters August 3.
In response to TheWrap’s report, Paramount CEO Jim Gianopulos stated that his studio “is prioritizing projects with female directors for 2019 and 2020.” The other studios either declined to comment on TheWrap’s findings (Disney and Sony) or didn’t respond to the report at all (Universal, Warner Bros. and Fox).
The source also crunched the numbers on the six studios’ wide releases from 2014 to 2017. Only 24 of those 382 movies were directed by women, or 6.3 percent. This news isn’t exactly surprising, but it is still disappointing. As amazing as it is to see “Lady Bird” writer-director Greta Gerwig on the cover of Time, TheWrap’s report just highlights how much work needs to be done before there’s anything resembling gender equality in Hollywood. It’s also a reminder to maintain and build upon the momentum created by #MeToo and #TimesUp.
Fortunately, the 2019 studio slate seems to be a bit more encouraging. Nine films of the scheduled 73 are confirmed to have female directors (about 12 percent). Universal will release Michelle MacLaren’s Chris Pratt action flick “Cowboy Ninja Viking,” Tina Gordon’s body-swap comedy “Little,” and Jill Culton and Todd Wilderman’s “Everest,” an animated comedy about a Yeti. Patty Jenkins’ “Wonder Woman 2” is Warner Bros.’ only woman-helmed release. Disney will put out Brie Larson-starrer “Captain Marvel,” co-directed by Anna Boden, and “Frozen 2,” co-directed by Jennifer Lee. Sony will release Gina Prince-Bythewood’s comic book adaptation “Silver & Black” and Elizabeth Banks’ “Charlie’s Angels” reboot. Paramount still has Reed Morano’s revenge thriller “The Rhythm Section” scheduled for 2019, though that might be pushed back due to star Blake Lively’s on-set injury. Fox has no women-directed films on the books for 2019 yet.
Check out the entire report and breakdowns on each major studio’s 2018 schedule over at TheWrap.
