Olivia Wilde has been tapped by Sony Pictures to direct a female-centric Marvel film.
Sony Pictures is building its Marvel universe with a focus on female characters. While unconfirmed, it’s expected that the film will be centered on Spider-Woman. The character has been the alter ego of several characters in the Spider-Man timeline over the years such as Gwen Stacy, Mary Jane Watson, etc, with Jessica Drew, being the first to sport the costume in the late 1970s.
For the as-yet-untitled project, actress-turned-director Olivia Wilde is teaming up once again with writer Katie Silberman, who she worked with on her critically-acclaimed 2019 directorial debut Booksmart, for what’s set to be a completely revamped concept of Spider-Woman. Rachel O’Connor will serve as executive producer with Amy Pascal producing the film.
The film industryin general is making more of an effort with more and more female filmmakers now getting their shot at directing big-budget comic book movies.Most recently Nia DaCosta landed the Captain Marvel 2 job at Marvel followed by Chloe Zhao who has the upcoming film The Eternals under her belt.
Sony has also been making an effort to diversify the universe with films like Black Cat and Silver Sable currently under development, with Wilde’s project marking the second film based around a female character within Sony’s Marvel universe to land a director after S.J. Clarkson has been tapped to direct a Madame Webb movie.
The studio already has a number of films set in the Spider-Man space in different stages of development, including Tom Hardy’s Venom: Let There Be Carnage and Jared Leto-starrer Morbius, both of which are expected to hit the screens next year. They are also teaming up with Disney’s Marvel Studios for a third Spider-Man film starring Tom Holland, which is slated to be released in December 2021.
Wilde’s involvement with this women-power project follows a brilliant year and half of acclaimed projects including the previously mentioned Booksmart and the psychological thriller Don’t Worry Darling. Sony has made no comment regarding this upcoming female-led project, but with a sought-after director like Wilde alongside Silberman and Pascal on board, it’s likely to be nothing less than fantastic.
What are your thoughts on the focus on female characters with Marvel’s universe? Do you think the upcoming film is likely to be centered on Spider-Woman? Comment below!
