Here’s What’s Up with the “Captain Marvel” Directors Shortlist
An indie filmmaker, a TV director and a multi-tasker — all of them women. Here’s a quick rundown of what they have to offer Marvel’s highly successful superhero franchise.
Just a decade ago, the idea of a Marvel movie that centers on the character of Carol Danvers as an Air Force pilot/superhero was wildly unimaginable. But, times have changed a little. We live in a world in which the Avengers are knocking about here, there and everywhere so the idea of a Captain Marvel movie doesn’t seem that weird (at least it doesn’t seem that weird in the light of a film which features a talking raccoon and tree in the main cast. And its sequel).
Captain Marvel was first announced in 2014. It was subsequently postponed, much to the disappointment of probably most people who are clamoring for a Marvel superheroine who isn’t Elektra to be in her own film. After some radio silence on the matter, it was announced at Comic Con this year that Brie Larson would take on the role of Danvers after her much applauded performance in Room (2015) drew in considerable attention.
Yesterday, The Hollywood Reporter came out with a list of shortlisted directors and they’re all women, which is all around great news. Women have been widely underrepresented as directors in mainstream Hollywood for a long time so it’s nice that Marvel has offered them some consideration, particularly after Marvel parted ways with Patty Jenkins while she was working on Thor 2. It’s also interesting that Marvel has picked a female superhero film to be the vehicle for a female director, rather than a film which focuses on male heroes.
We still have a way to go until the film is made but here’s a quick rundown of potential directors for Captain Marvel and what they might bring to the table:
Niki Caro
Caro is from New Zealand and gained some acclaim at international film festivals with her independent film Whale Rider (2002). In the 1990s, New Zealand’s film industry turned its attention to Maori-centric narratives with films such as The Piano (1993) and Once Were Warriors (1994), and Whale Rider ties into similar themes.
Caro is an interesting choice because of her relative positioning within independent world cinema although she did direct McFarland, USA (2015), a Disney movie about a socially marginalized high school cross country running team. Her film North Country (2005), which was based on the true story of the first successful sexual harassment lawsuit in the States, gained some feminist kudos with the film’s star Charlize Theron appearing on the cover of popular feminist publication Ms. Magazine. This bodes well for Captain Marvel, which clearly has at least a tangential relationship to ideas of women’s empowerment.
Lesli Linka Glatter
The American choreographer-turned-TV-director has been involved in many popular projects throughout her career. She gained some acclaim for her work on quality dramas such as Mad Men (AMC, 2007–2015) and Homeland (Showtime, 2011 — ). Again, these series resonate on a basic level with Capatin Marvel for their inclusion of complex female heroes.
If anything sticks out from Glatter’s résumé it’s the variability of her work: from cult classics like Twin Peaks (ABC, 1990–1991) to mainstream teen shows such as Gilmore Girls (The WB/The CW, 2000–2007) and The O.C. (Fox, 2003–2007) and “quality” texts like The Good Wife (CBS, 2009–2016), Glatter seems to be incredibly versatile. A drawback might be that she has focused more on TV than film. That said, in today’s industry this might not even be that bad a bad thing.
Lorene Scafaria
Scafaria is a multitasker. Born in New Jersey with Italian heritage, Scafaria started writing, then acting, then directing (and occasionally singing). She’s dabbled in film, she’s dabbled in TV.
Of the three directors, her work has had the most exposure, with films such as Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist (2008), Whip It (2009), Seeking a Friend for the End of the World (2012) and Ricki and the Flash (2015) showing up. A lot of her films feature solid female characters and explore relationships between women. Though the quirky, low-key quality of films like Nick & Norah and Seeking a Friend might not be a tight match for Marvel’s hyperbolic action spectacle, Scafaria has had experience in directing the fantastic with sci-fi films The Nines (2007)and Coherence (2013), which might just give her the edge.
THR reports that these were the top three contenders from a shortlist which also included Jennifer Kent (The Babadook) and Jennifer Yuh (Kung Fu Panda 2). It is unclear when the director will be announced but for now it’s safe to assume that all three of the above have some unique insights into directing and filmmaking.
Captain Marvel is due for release on March 8 2019.
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