YAS: “Jessica Jones” Season 2 Will Be Directed Entirely by Women

We are SO excited.

Superhero films are everywhere these days, but are still lacking in equal gender representation of said heroes. Fortunately, movies like Wonder Woman and shows like Jessica Jones are starting to change that, but what about equal gender representation behind the screen? Well, the geniuses behind Jessica Jones have decided to tackle this issue head on, hiring exclusively female directors to direct the second season.

The show, which is part of the Netflix Marvel universe that also includes Daredevil and Luke Cage, broke new ground for women in the superhero genre, and while its mere existence is a huge step forward for women, the second season will be even moreso.

Last season, 4 out of the 13 episodes were directed by women, so this is a fairly large increase already. But while female Superhero’s are few and far between, female directors are even scarcer – according to a study by the Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film at San Diego University, in the top 250 grossing films of 2014, only 7% were directed by women. And in the 88 years of Academy Awards ceremonies, Kathryn Bigelow is the only woman to win the Oscar for Best Director for The Hurt Locker in 2010.

Superhero films seem to be the area where female directors are really about to make their mark.  Next year’s Wonder Woman has Patty Jenkins at the helm, and Marvel have announced that 2019’s Captain Marvel starring Brie Larson, will also be directed by a woman, although they haven’t announced who.

In relation to Jessica Jones, show runner Rosenberg said that she initially wanted to increase the number of female directors from the first season. However, when someone else in the production suggested they go for a roster of all women, they ran with it, with the Marvel’s full support.

While it might seem a tad tokenistic to hire all female directors exclusively for the female led superhero properties, rather than hire a woman to direct a Batman film for example, this is clearly a big step forward for an industry that needs to make more big steps forward, more often in this area.

We can’t wait for Jessica Jones Season Two! 

P.S. If you love female superheroes as much as we do, check out this list of our favorite female heroines here!