You would think that any studio would kill to work with Ava DuVernay. The Oscar-nominated filmmaker has yet to make a bad film, and more times than not, what she makes is better than 99% of the crap Hollywood releases each year. But yet, according to the director, she doesn’t get offered the same opportunities to do the films that she would love to do. Why? Well, even though Hollywood is getting better about inclusion, society is still not there.
Speaking to The Guardian, DuVernay talks about her upcoming Netflix limited series “When They See Us,” but also talks about what it’s like to be a Black female director in an industry dominated by old white guys. This means that despite her interest in genre films and the like, DuVernay is often approached about films dealing with historical events and Black folks.
“I don’t get offered a lot, and what I do get offered is usually historical or something to do with women and black people,” the filmmaker said. “Like, I’m not getting ‘John Wick 3,’ even though I’d love to make it.”
She continued, “I have a good friend who directed second unit on ‘Star Wars’ and is kicking ass. I have a friend who’s on ‘Westworld’ right now. Are there enough of us? No. Certainly not for a lack of women being interested in or capable.”
This comment brings to mind a controversy from last year regarding Jason Blum and his Blumhouse Productions.
“There are not a lot of female directors period, and even less who are inclined to do horror,” Blum said.
Of course, that comment was met with a ton of backlash, primarily from female directors making it clear that they’d love to work with Blumhouse.
The same can be said about DuVernay and other female filmmakers, primarily People of Color. Just because she kicked ass directing the hell out of “Selma” and “13th,” as well as the upcoming “When They See Us,” doesn’t mean DuVernay is averse to genre work.
Luckily for the filmmaker, DuVernay’s star has risen to the point where she can’t be ignored, giving her the opportunity to direct the upcoming “New Gods” film for Warner Bros, based on the Jack Kirby comic books. And who knows? Maybe she’ll pave the way for the next Black female director to tackle a gun-fu action film like “John Wick?”
“When They See Us” arrives on Netflix on May 31.
