Olivia Wilde To Take On Spider-Woman?
Is Olivia Wilde joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe as a director for one of the studio’s franchises? The actress and Don’t Worry Darling director sat down with Variety and talked about directing the female-emphasized feature and the secret project she is doing for the Disney-owned superhero studio. The rumors in the Hollywood gossip mill are that Olivia Wilde will be directing a Spider-Woman movie.
As a prolific actress and the hottest new director on the Hollywood scene, Olivia Wilde has experienced working on both sides of the camera as a woman, which could positively influence the female-led movie concept of Spider-Woman. Her directorial resume includes music videos for the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and for Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes. Her first feature film, Booksmart, did well with critics even if it was disappointing at the box office.
Female-led superhero movies are becoming more frequent as more female directors take on these properties, as Olivia Wilde seems to have done with Spider-Woman. Both Wonder Woman movies were directed by Patty Jenkins, Captain Marvel was co-directed by Anna Boden, and Eternals was directed for the Marvel Cinematic Universe by Chloé Zhao. Other female-led, female-directed properties in recent years have included Ava DuVernay’s A Wrinkle in Time and Greta Gerwig’s Oscar-nominated Little Women.
It is also a boon to have a strong feminist and mother like Olivia Wilde for a Spider-Woman production because all the main characters that have taken on the mantle of the female webbed crusader are also strong women, a few of whom are also moms. Jessica Drew, the secret identity of the original Spider-Woman in the comics, is one possible example, especially as she already appears in Into the Spiderverse and was part of the original Secret Wars min-series. Marvel Studios has already announced a Secret Wars movie, so having Jessica featured in her own movie would make sense if that is the route Marvel has chosen.
Another possible iteration that might be Olivia Wilde’s Spider-Woman subject could tie into Marvel’s announced movie Madame Web, which follows a clairvoyant who can see the Spiderverse. Jessica Drew’s successor, Julia Carpenter, may be the main character of the Madame Web movie, which makes delving into her past as Spider-Woman another potential plot for a Marvel Cinematic Universe movie. Both these characters also have children of their own, balancing being a superhero with being a mom, which is an element of their stories that Olivia Wilde’s own life could bring some perspective to.
The actress and director was famously ambushed at CinemaCon when she was served with custody papers by her ex, Jason Sudeikis. She revealed in the interview that being on-set is “totally all-encompassing,” illustrating a struggle that working moms all over are familiar with, even if their experiences aren’t as glamorous as directing and starring in major feature films. This is the energy Olivia Wilde brings to Marvel Studios, energy which is perfectly suited to Spider-Woman’s feature film debut.
For now, however, audiences will have to wait because the project is still under wraps. Even mentioning it, she laughed and commented, “I have to bury myself in the couch now.” So it may be that Olivia Wilde is directing a Spider-Woman feature, or it may be that Marvel has lined her up for another exciting MCU project.
