Universal Pictures has solidified their 2017 slate of movies, and there are some high-profile, tentpole projects included, but there’s one huge problem: of the 15 movies Universal will release in 2017, only one will be directed by a woman.
We ran into this same type of problem back in April when we discovered that 20th Century Fox had absolutely ZERO women set to direct throughout 2017 and 2018. Universal’s inclusion of one female director in one year is slightly less offensive, but not by much.
As we wrote at that time, we all know that the numbers for women directors are dismal, but at the six major studios they’re even worse. The idea that women can’t direct a tentpole is a frustrating, inaccurate idea that permeates the film industry. The incorrect assumptions span everything from “women don’t go see these movies,” to “women can’t be trusted with special effects.” Outright sexism also contributes to the fact that women aren’t offered big-budget studio jobs. Male festival darlings or up-and-coming young men are offered giant blockbuster films before women who are far more experienced have a chance to enter the room or get their names on a list.
Universal’s upcoming films include some hot-ticket projects, such as the next “Fifty Shades” movie, another “Despicable Me,” and another “Insidious,” but the only movie on the list that will be female directed is “Pitch Perfect 3.” Two of the films have no director assigned that we could find. Here’s the breakdown:
“Split” — January 20, 2017
“A Dog’s Purpose” — January 27, 2017
“Fifty Shades Darker” — February 10, 2017
“The Great Wall” — February 17, 2017
“Get Out” — February 24, 2017
“Fast and Furious 8” — April 14, 2017
Untitled Blumhouse Horror Project, No Director Announced— April 28, 2017
“The Mummy” — June 9, 2017
“Despicable Me 3” — June 30, 2017
“Girl Trip” — July 21, 2017
“American Made” — September 29, 2017
“The Snowman” — October 13, 2017
“Insidious: Chapter 4" — October 20, 2017
“Let it Snow,” No Director Announced- November 22, 2017
“Pitch Perfect 3,” Directed by Trish Sie-December 22, 2017
As Women and Hollywood previously reported, “Pitch Perfect 2” director Elizabeth Banks was set to direct the third installment of the franchise, but had to drop out due to familial commitments. Essentially, Banks has to make a choice between work and parenthood, like so many working mothers out there.
But the fact that Universal has only one woman set to direct in an entire year seems par for the course for the giant studio. 2016 only saw one woman direct, “Bridget Jones’s Baby’s” Sharon Maguire. 2015, which fared better, saw Sam Taylor-Johnson direct “Fifty Shades of Grey” for the studio, as well as Angelina Jolie’s “By the Sea,” and Banks’ “Pitch Perfect 2.” So the number of women directing seems to be decreasing. Not the direction in which we want to go.
Is it too much to ask that Universal get their shit together and remember that there are women out there who can direct their huge tentpoles, animated hits, and action thrillers? Since two of Universal’s films don’t yet have a director attached that we could find, hopefully they get the memo.
