Olivia Wilde has spoken up to confirm that yes, as reported, she will be directing a Marvel movie for Sony Pictures and its Spider-Man universe. Wilde appeared on the Shut Up Evan podcast where she described her hope and goal of bringing even more female storytelling perspective to the superhero genre: “Look, we are seeing this incredible influx of female directors and storytellers getting to take hold of this genre, of the superhero space, and infuse it with their own perspective. So, not only do I get to tell this story as a director, but I get to develop this story, and that was what made it so incredible for me.”
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According to EW, there was no confirmation from Olvia Wilde that the film she’s going to be making is the rumored Spider-Woman standalone movie. However, what the actress/director said above is true: Wilde isn’t just directing a Marvel/Sony studio film, she’s getting to actually develop her own vision of this superhero story – something she sees as an important sign of changes in the industry:
“I’m just honored to be amongst this wave of women who are showing up and saying ‘we are not only going to step in and try and tell this story like men do, we’re actually going to reframe the stories themselves,” Wilde explained. “And the industry is, as far as I can tell, really supportive of that. There is a sea change and it’s because of these decades of trailblazers who demanded this over and over and over again and it’s finally broken through and I’m very fortunate to be there with it.”
While some fans may be worried about Olivia Wilde taking on Marvel material, we would point to her directorial debut Booksmart as evidence that she is, indeed, the kind of funny-yet-heartfelt cinematic voice that would be great for any number of female characters in the Spider-Verse.
Right now, the heavy bets are on Wilde taking on the Jessica Drew version of Spider-Woman as her film subject. Jessica Drew’s long, strange, Marvel history is ripe for a pick-and-choose selection of details that could make for a very fun and timely Spider-Woman story.
Drew also touches so many other corners of the Marvel Universe that have already been established in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (HYDRA, S.H.I.E.L.D., evolutionary genetics, magic). She also comes with a grounded baseline as a private investigator and has the kind of personality that could make for a female superhero Noir flavor that made Jessica Jones a hit. It’s such a wide, wonderful playground to mine a potential hit from – we can’t wait to learn more about what Olivia Wilde has planned.
