Last night, it was revealed that Marvel Studios is looking for a new female filmmaker to tackle
Captain Marvel 2 as the team of Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck will not be returning. It's said that the plan is for the sequel to be set in the present day and that it will be released in 2022, so the hunt is already on for a director to take charge of where Carol Danvers' story goes next.
Captain Marvel earned over $1 billion at the worldwide box office, so expectations will be high for whoever takes over to deliver another crowdpleasing hit for Marvel Studios.
With that in mind, who is capaable of steering this franchise in a new direction? The studio needs a steady hand at the helm but also someone who can help ensure Captain Marvel is one of the new faces of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and a hero fans everywhere can get on board with.
Here, you'll find our top ten picks for a female director who we're sure could deliver a sequel that's even better than the first film. So, to check out our suggestions, hit the "View List" button below!
Niki Caro
Niki Caro is directing the live-action reboot of
Mulan for Disney and, based on what we've seen so far, she's nailed it. While it's left a lot out of the animated version that fans love, the movie is clearly taking the hero seriously and delivering what looks like a potential epic, action masterpiece.
That remake is her first foray into big budget filmmaking (Caro's debut feature
Whale Rider received widespread critical acclaim and won a number of awards at international film festivals), but assuming she gets that right, her ending up on Marvel's radar for
Captain Marvel 2 seems like a good bet.
Reed Morano
Reed Morano is a name who frequently appears on lists like this one, and it's not hard to see why. Her work on
The Handmaid's Tale saw the director become the first woman to win the Emmy and Directors Guild Award for directing a drama series, and she has plenty of experience in Hollywood beyond that Hulu series.
As well as the upcoming film
The Rhythm Section, Morano's credits include the likes of
Billions and
Halt and Catch Fire, and given her work as a cinematographer, it's fair to say that her version of
Captain Marvel 2 could end up being perhaps the best looking Marvel Studios movie to date.
Andrea Berloff
Andrea Berloff made a name for herself writing movies like
World Trade Center and Straight Outta Compton before giving directing a try with
The Kitchen. Unfortunately, the Vertigo Comics adaptation, which starred Melissa McCarthy, Tiffany Haddish, and Elisabeth Moss, was a critical and commercial disappointment so the director's stock has fallen in a big way.
However, the Russo Brothers directed a pretty lousy movie called
You, Me and Dupree before working on
Captain America: The Winter Soldier, so Berloff deserves another chance to prove herself and with Kevin Feige keeping an eye on things, he could steer her in the right direction.
Deborah Chow
After working on the likes of
Beauty and the Beast and
Mr. Robot, Deborah Chow hit the big time when she was hired to work on
The Mandalorian. She made a huge impact with the two episodes she directed, and it's not hard to see why Disney and Lucasfilm have since tasked her with taking the reigns of the highly anticipated
Obi-Wan Kenobi limited series.
That could keep her busy for the next few years, but if there is room for Chow to enter the Marvel Cinematic Universe, then we can't think of a better movie for her than the
Captain Marvel sequel.
Cathy Yan
If James Gunn can direct both
The Suicide Squad and
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, why can't Cathy Yan make the leap to the MCU after
Birds of Prey to offer a fresh take on Carol Danvers? The Harley Quinn-led spinoff is going to be a big test for the filmmaker, and while
John Wick director Chad Stahelski was brought in for second unit reshoots, that doesn't mean she can't handle action.
Everything we've seen from
Birds of Prey looks great and if Marvel Studios is looking for a fresh new voice to bring Captain Marvel into the present day, then Yan definitely fits the bill (especially if the plan is for Carol to be surrounded by a strong female supporting cast in this sequel).
Nicole Kassell
Romantic comedy
A Little Bit of Heaven proved to be something of a disaster for Nicole Kassell's career, and that lack of forgiveness was likely because it came out at a time when female directors really weren't given the time of day in Hollywood. Regardless, she's more than made up for that with her television work, specifically on shows like
The Americans and
Watchmen.
As well as that stellar pilot episode, Kassell also directed the amazing penultimate instalment which shed some light on what Dr. Manhattan had been up to since the events of the original graphic novel. Honestly, it's hard to imagine her doing anything other than knocking
Captain Marvel 2 out of the park!
Melina Matsoukas
After making a name for herself directing music videos for the likes of Beyonce, Rihanna, No Doubt, and Christina Aguilera, Melina Matsoukas quickly jumped to television and made an impact with strong episodes of
Master of None and
Insecure. Now, her big screen debut,
Queen & Slim, is receiving widespread critical acclaim after being released last November.
Marvel Studios has worked with a lot of great Indie directors in the past and they've ended up doing great things together, so Matsoukas finding success in the realm of big budget filmmaking isn't in the least bit difficult to believe.
Olivia Wilde
You may know Olivia Wilde best from the likes of
House and
TRON: Legacy, but the actress has proved herself a director to look out for in recent years. Her debut film
Booksmart took the world by storm last summer and she proved that she has an exciting and unique style which would definitely lend itself well to the superhero genre.
She's definitely a director to watch and someone who could bring a lot to
Captain Marvel 2, delivering the sort of thrilling visuals and battles many fans argued were lacking from the first instalment. As an actress as well as a director, she also has the advantage of having some insight into how to direct talent in a way that works for them.
Lisa Joy
The co-creator of
Westworld, Lisa Joy is an acclaimed writer and producer who has directed just a single episode of that series, but proved that she's a filmmaker well worth keeping an eye on. Unfortunately, Joe and her husband Jonathan Nolan have signed a deal with Amazon to write and produce a series for the company, so that could take her out of the running.
If she were able to find the time, though, Joy is definitely someone who could bring a unique new vision to
Captain Marvel 2 which really pushes the franchise's boundaries and helps bring the character into the present in an exciting and dynamic way.
Danielle Panabaker
As we're sure you're already well aware, Danielle Panabaker plays Killer Frost in
The Flash. However, she's recently tried her hand at directing and took the helm of two recent episodes: "License to Elongate" and "Godspeed." Her work on The CW series has been extremely impressive for a first-time director, so why not give her a chance to take on a much bigger project?
It would definitely be something of a risk on Marvel's part, but who could have ever imagined James Gunn delivering a movie like
Guardians of the Galaxy or Taika Waititi making the best
Thor movie yet when they were initially hired? The only downside to this, of course, would be saying goodbye to her character on
The Flash as she'd be way too busy to star in that series.
Which of these filmmakers do you guys think would be a good pick for Captain Marvel 2? As always, let us know your thoughts on that in the comments section!