Yes, everyone has grown up watching the DC’s Superman, Batman, and Marvel's Spiderman but, this over-saturation of superhero movies in recent years has made many wonder whether superhero movies are the trophies that every filmmaker is after. However, it doesn’t end there. Many big studios have hired women to direct some of these high-budget films but, is this all women can offer? Are superhero movies the only way to progress in Hollywood?
The Women Behind These Upcoming Films
Aussie filmmaker Cate Shortland has worked her magic on the Marvel’s upcoming, highly anticipated movie, Black Widow, which will feature Scarlet Johansson and Florence Pugh in an action-filled origin movie of the beloved Marvel comic character. Similarly, Chloe Zhao, who has won an Oscar award for best director for her work in Nomadland is coming up with another Marvel movie, Eternals. The list continues with Cathy Yan, a Chinese American director who worked on the DC comic-based movie Birds of Prey.
That’s not all. Emerald Fennell, whose Promising Young Woman stood alongside Nomadland in the nominations for best pictures, is working on an upcoming project for the DC extended universe. With all these new projects, it makes you wonder what it is with Hollywood and hiring directors with immaculate potential for superhero movies?
Superhero Movies All in Their Glory
There’s no denying that these movies are goldmines for producers and stakeholders. They are loved by the audience, and having good directors can lead to the project to undoubted success. Guy Lodge, a film columnist, and UK film critic, also sets forth his opinion and states that superhero movies are the only ‘career promotion’ that the American film industry has to offer.
What It Used to Be
Back in the day, directors usually started their work from cheap and low-budget programs and then progressed to bigger and greater projects. One outstanding example would be famous English film director, producer, and screenwriter, Alfred Hitchcock, who began his work by writing title cards for silent movies. Soon enough, he became one of the leading directors of his time.
What may seem harmless now might turn out to be dangerous for the American film industry. The saturation of superhero movies will only limit the potential of these promising young directors. If the industry continues to focus on projects like superhero movies, soon it would create stagnation for the rest of the genres.