With her new movie, Disney's "A Wrinkle in Time" starring Oprah Winfrey, director Ava DuVernay ("Selma") is now the the first black woman to direct a $100 million-budgeted live-action movie.
The milestone became public when the film, which is a fantasy adventure based on the novel by Madeleine L'Engle, appeared on a list of movies that will receive California tax incentives that Deadline posted.
DuVernay confirmed the news with a pair of tweets on Wednesday:
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, 2016Clearly, DuVernay thinks it's a problem that a person is just now breaking this barrier.
DuVernay enters a very short list of female directors who have been given the reins for a big-budget movie.
Kathryn Bigelow did it for 2002's Harrison Ford-starring submarine drama "K-19: The Widowmaker" and Patty Jenkins ("Monster") is directed the upcoming "Wonder Woman" movie. That's it!
The next DuVernay film to hit theaters will be "The 13th" (out October 7 from Netflix), a documentary that looks at the US prison system and how it relates to the nation's history of racial inequality.
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