Olivia Wilde‘s critical success with Booksmart has landed her yet another directorial gig, and this one is the biggest of the lot. Sony has hired the filmmaker to direct a Marvel movie revolving around one of the characters the studio controls. It’s unclear exactly which one yet, but early rumours consider Spider-Woman to be the frontrunner.
Spider-Woman has been the alter ego for several characters since the the 1970s. Jessica Drew was first introduced in the role, but since then Mary Jane Watson and Gwen Stacy have each taken up the moniker. If she is the protagonist, it’s unclear which character is at the heart of the project, although some sources suggest that it might be Drew because the other two have appeared in recent Spider-Man films.
Wilde will also pen the film alongside her Booksmart co-writer Katie Silberman. Gary Spinelli wrote a previous draft of the script. Amy Pascal is on board to produce, which is another strong hint that the film will be somewhat related to Spider-Man.
Wilde is the latest female filmmaker the studio has hired for a superhero project, after bringing S.J. Clarkson on board to develop a Madame Webb movie and also hiring Gina Prince-Bythewood to helm a Black Cat and Silver Sable film, although that did fall through and she may no longer be attached.
Wilde was reportedly offered the gig earlier this year and almost turned it down because she’s so busy. When you look at all her upcoming projects – all of which sound interesting – you can understand why.
She and Silberman are re-teaming to pen a holiday comedy that Universal won in a bidding war. She’s also directing a 50s-based psychological thriller titled Don’t Worry Darling – which will star Chris Pine, Florence Pugh and Shia LaBeouf – and she’s also set to helm a biopic about Olympic gymnast Kerri Strug titled Perfect.
That’s a lot of projects, but also proof that Wilde’s work on Booksmart thoroughly impressed Hollywood. It’s great that she’s not been quickly pigeonholed into “just” being a comedy director, having now been hired to helm a thriller, a biopic and a superhero movie. This could be the start of a great career behind the camera.
It’s unclear what project Wilde will focus on first – the pandemic no doubt hasn’t helped her busy schedule – but expect the Sony Marvel movie to be the most talked about. We’ll now wait for confirmation as to whether it is indeed a film revolving around Spider-Woman and, if so, who is in the running to play the role.
#Peace.Love.OliviaWilde
