Marvel Has Finally Found Its ‘Black Widow’ Director!

Although Marvel sure did drag their feet on the way to committing to the Black Widow movie, we gotta give credit where credit’s due: The studio was very thorough in finding the right director to take on Scarlett Johansson’s highly-anticipated solo film. Over the course of several months, Marvel met with 70-ish female directors before making their final selection. And the director of Black Widow is… (make up your own drumroll, please)

Cate Shortland! According to The Hollywood Reporter, the Australian director behind acclaimed indies Lore and Berlin Syndrome. Shortland may not be a name you’re familiar with, but she came highly recommended by Scarlett Johansson herself. Over 70 female directors were considered for the Black Widow gig, including Amma Asante (Belle), Kimberly Peirce (Boys Don’t Cry) and actress/director Melanie Laurent (who most recently helmed Galveston, based on a Nic Pizzolatto story).

Shortland’s lack of renown among wider audiences is particularly interesting: Very few female directors are given the opportunity to make the leap from smaller indies to major blockbusters, unlike their male peers (Josh Trank, Colin Trevorrow, et al.). Marvel made the right call in its commitment to hire a woman to direct Black Widow, which will only be the studio’s second female-led solo film after Captain Marvel.

Black Widow was also written by a woman: Jac Schaeffer, the screenwriter behind the upcoming gender-swapped Dirty Rotten Scoundrels remake, Nasty Women, which stars Anne Hathaway and Rebel Wilson. The solo film, which takes place before the first Avengers movie, does not yet have a release date.

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