This is awesome.
Ava DuVernay, who directed 2014’s critically-acclaimed Selma, just made movie history by becoming the first woman of color to helm a $100 million film.
Jezebel.com reports Disney tapped DuVernay to direct the adaptation of Madeline L’Engle’s novel A Wrinkle in Time, which is slated for a 2017 release. The film has a budget that spills over $100 million, putting DuVernay in a small pool of women who have directed films that big.
This exciting news came when a list of big-budget films receiving California tax incentives hit the Internet. DuVernay’s A Wrinkle in Time was on the list, to the delight of feminists (like us!) and equality advocates everywhere.
DuVernay took to Twitter to express her happiness, but she indicated that she isn’t the first WOC capable of the gig.
Not the first capable of doing so. Not by a long shot. Thanks to @DisneyStudios for breaking this glass with me. https://t.co/iXJ9pgV7eP
— Ava DuVernay (@AVAETC) August 3, 2016
A shame. Hollywood and audiences have missed some wonderful voices. High hopes for change. https://t.co/5TrQRV0pO9
— Ava DuVernay (@AVAETC) August 3, 2016
DuVernay’s next big project is directing Queen Sugar, the series she created with Oprah Winfrey that will premiere on the Oprah Winfrey Network in September. (Winfrey will play Mrs. Which in DuVernay’s A Wrinkle in Time.)
Check out the most, “WTF?!” moments from the 2016 Oscars in the video below.