In keeping with Marvel’s latest trend of diversifying both in front of and behind the camera, ‘Jessica Jones‘ showrunner Melissa Rosenberg recently announced at the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism during her panel for the ‘Transforming Hollywood 7: Diversifying Entertainment’ conference, that all 13 episodes of Season 2 will be directed by female directors. According to Variety, who originally broke the story, this was not the original plan, but after finding a number of talented female directors to start with, the idea was floated to go entirely with lady directors, and both Marvel and Netflix gave their approval.
According to Rosenberg, this is similar to a practice she has followed for a long time, as she is less interested in a sterling resume than in what life experiences you have that you can bring to the project, that can relate to the project:
“When I interview a writer, I’m less interested in what you’ve been doing professionally than I am in where you’re from, what your parents do, what’s your life experience, what are you bringing to the table personally? I don’t want a bunch of people who look and sound [like me] and have the experiences I have.”
In this case, clearly female directors can relate to a female superhero struggling with the aftermath of sexual assault and rape than male directors can, and since Season 2 of the show is going to continue to deal with Jessica overcoming those traumas, it was important to Rosenberg that directors understood how to convey those emotions. Rosenberg also stated that the scripts for the second season are nearing completion, which should get fans excited as that hopefully means that production should be just around the corner, especially since we know they plan to start shooting the second season next year.
What are your thoughts on having all female directors for Season 2 of ‘Jessica Jones?’ Do you think it will make that much of a difference, or is the show so strong that it does not matter that much who is directing, as long as Rosenberg is still showrunner and Ritter is still starring? Share your thoughts in the comments section below!
