Elizabeth Banks to Make Directorial Debut with Pitch Perfect 2

Elizabeth “Effin’ Effie Trinket” Banks has stepped forward from the producer’s chair to direct the sequel to smash hit Pitch Perfect. Yay, lady directors of successful franchises!

Pitch Perfect, an inexpensive comedy featuring a primarily female ensemble cast based on a screenplay from a female writer, made nearly $100 million more than it cost to make, with another $135 million in home video sales, and plantinum sales of its soundtrack and the hit single “Cups.”

(cue Susana going “Oh so that’s where ‘Cups’ is from)

Universal Pictures, who produced the flick, recognizes that much of that success came from Elizabeth Banks’ vision as producer (including casting decisions) and her drive to get the movie made. They’re willing to bank on her first time in the directors chair for Pitch Perfect 2. Pitch Perfect isn’t exactly challenging gendered genre stereotypes in the way that say, lady-led or focused movies in the action or thriller genres do, but it was only a few years ago that Hollywood was on tenterhooks over whether an ensemble cast of female comedians could pull off a raunch comedy film.

It’s still an impressive and rare deal for a big studio to give a widespread release to any genre movie (in that classic definition of genre where if it isn’t a Drama, it’s a genre flick) that is all in one written, directed, and starring women. And I’m surprising no one by saying that I think more studios should be doing so.

(photo credit to Cousart/JFXimages/WENN.com)