Ava DuVernay, the director and co-writer of Selma, is allegedly being courted by Marvel to direct at least one of its superhero films featuring diverse characters. The Wrap reports that DuVernay may be slated to direct either Black Panther (2018) or Captain Marvel in the very near future.
According to sources close to both DuVernay and Marvel, the director is interested in taking over one of the studio’s films and becoming the first woman to direct a superhero movie for the company, something that Marvel’s tried in the past but hasn’t brought to completion.
A woman has never directed a Marvel movie, though the company did hire Patty Jenkins to direct “Thor: The Dark World.” Following creative differences, she was eventually replaced by Alan Taylor. Jenkins recently replaced Michelle MacLaren as the director of “Wonder Woman” at Warner Bros., which has been eager to beat Marvel to the proverbial punch when it comes to diversity within its comic book movie universe.
DuVernay, who’s been in demand since Selma (and is currently producing a show for Oprah Winfrey’s network) has some history with superhero movies. While she hasn’t directed one before, she’s done promotional services for Sam Raimi’s Spiderman 2, which The Wrap notes is still her top credit on IMDBpro, even though Selma was nominated for academy awards.
As previously reported, DuVernay has stated that she’s open to doing a Marvel film, especially if it involves deconstruction or an origin story.
Via The Wrap
