New York Native, Nia DaCosta, Becomes First African American Woman to Direct a Marvel Film!
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Posted By: Will Moss on August 11, 2020 Nia DaCosta Deadline reveals that Marvel Studios has reportedly chosen Nia DaCosta to direct Captain Marvel 2. "Candyman director Nia DaCosta will direct Marvel’s sequel to its $1 billion dollar-grossing Captain Marvel. With the news, DaCosta becomes the first Black woman to direct a Marvel movie. It’s an important milestone, made even more impactful by the number of women of color moving to direct superhero movies alongside her." "Although the studio met with several individuals, DaCosta seemed to have the edge for some time even as she and others met with Marvel chief Kevin Feige over the weekend," according to Deadline. In what is sure to be one of the bigger directing jobs to be taken off the table in recent months, we are hearing that Nia DaCosta, who directed the anticipated reboot of Candyman, has been tapped as director on Marvel’s sequel to Captain Marvel. Disney and Marvel Studios had no comment. DaCosta takes over for Anna Bodn and Ryan Fleck, who directed the first pic to massive box office success. Marvel is known for switching up its directors on its popular franchises like Thor, Iron Man and Captain America to give the next installment a fresh voice, and had been meeting with candidates for the past couple of months. Although the studio met with several individuals, DaCosta seemed to have the edge for some time. Megan McDonnell, a story editor on the Marvel-based series WandaVision, penned the script for the Captain Marvel sequel, with Brie Larson returning to star. In the first film, Larson’s Carol Danvers was a human who becomes involved in the war between two alien races, the Kree and shape-shifting Skrulls. Surviving an explosion tied to an alien engine imbued her with incredible power, turning her into Captain Marvel and making her one of the most powerful heroes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The film was released in March 2019 and grossed $1.13 billion worldwide. DaCosta’s attachment is yet another sign of Marvel continuing to add diversity to its films, especially when it comes to the individuals behind the camera. Even though a budget is unknown, it is sure to be the biggest-budgeted tentpole to be helmed by a Black female director, following in the footsteps of Ava DuVernay, who directed A Wrinkle in Time, which came in at $115 million budget. She joins a strong group of female filmmakers like Chloe Zhao and Cathy Yan, who each has been given the reins to huge comic book tentpoles, and Marvel and DC hope to keep this trend going. DaCosta has been on the rise since directing the indie Little Woods, the critically acclaimed film that put her on every exec and producer’s radar including Jordan Peele, who hand-picked her to direct his Candyman retelling. Although the release has been pushed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, its first trailer set social media on fire and has fans of the original excited for what DaCosta has brought to the table in her version. If you enjoyed this article, Join HBCU CONNECT today for similar content and opportunities via email! |
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Will Moss
Founder & CEO, HBCU CONNECT, LLC Hampton University class of 1995 Member Since June 1999 |
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