'Ms. Marvel' To Be Directed By 'Bad Boys For Life' Filmmakers, Among Others
Marvel Studios has hired several directors to helm Ms. Marvel, the studio's upcoming Disney+ series about a Pakistani-American teenager who has the ability to alter her shape and size. Among the directors are Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, the two filmmakers behind this year's action sequel Bad Boys For Life; Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, a two-time Oscar winner; and Meera Menon, whose has previously worked under the Marvel umbrella by writing episodes of Netflix's The Punisher.
The Hollywood Reporter's Heat Vision blog reports that Disney+ has found its Ms. Marvel directors. (Well, at least some of them.) Belgian filmmakers Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, who directed one of this year's biggest theatrical hits in Bad Boys For Life and previously directed multiple episodes of the FX drama Snowfall, are part of the upcoming show's directing squad. Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, who has won two Oscars for documentary short films, was the first Pakistan-born filmmaker to ever win an Academy Award, and Indian-American filmmaker Meera Menon has directed a couple of features but is probably best known for her TV work, which includes directing episodes of The Punisher, Halt and Catch Fire, Fear the Walking Dead, GLOW, Titans, The Terror, Dirty John, Outlander, and more.
These folks may not be household names yet, but I appreciate that Marvel head honcho Kevin Feige and his team at Marvel and Disney+ are trying to give this show a sense of authenticity and representation behind the camera. Bisha K. Ali, who is was a staff writer on Hulu's recent reboot of Four Weddings and a Funeral, is serving as the showrunner, and I'm happy to hear that this show won't be run through a filter of a bunch of white guys when there are people out there who can bring a much more personal touch to this story; as we've seen countless times, it's often the little, authentic details that ring true the most for audiences, and not everyone has the lived experience to be able to offer the most meaningful version of those types of moments.
(And please, if you're about to jump into the comments to complain about how you don't necessarily need to have the same lifestyle, religion, or ethnicity as the characters you write, don't bother. This isn't about closing the doors on white directors, it's about opening the doors and allowing everyone else to tell stories as well.)
Ms. Marvel tells the story of Kamala Khan, a Pakistani-American teen and Marvel's first Muslim superhero to get her own comic title. The show was announced at last year's D23 convention, and Marvel is still looking for an actress to take on the lead role. There are rumors swirling that we'll see her pop up somewhere else before she gets her own series, but we'll keep you posted when we learn more.