Ava DuVernay To Direct $100M Film: 7 Famous Female Directors In Hollywood

Ava DuVernay is making history again.

The "Selma" director will be the first African American woman to helm a $100 million movie with her upcoming adaptation of Madeleine L'Engle's fantasy novel "A Wrinkle In Time." Only two other women have ever been given that chance — Kathryn Bigelow with 2002's "K-19: The Widowmaker" and Patty Jenkins, who is behind the camera for the upcoming "Wonder Woman" franchise. Not insignificantly, DuVernay is the first female director of color to work with a budget of that size.

After a string of independent films, DuVernay's career has taken off since directing 2013's "Selma." In addition to "A Wrinkle in Time," the director has a TV show, "Queen Sugar," set to be released in September on Oprah Winfrey's OWN network.

Despite DuVernay and others' successes, female directors are still underrepresented in Hollywood. Here are 7 more female directors carrying the torch:

1. Kathryn Bigelow

Bigelow was the first woman to direct a $100 million movie. She was also the first female director to win an Oscar, taking home the Best Director trophy in 2010 for "The Hurt Locker." She returned three years later with "Zero Dark Thirty," which was also nominated for a boatload of Oscars. Since 1989's "Blue Steel," Bigelow has been proving that there is no reason a woman can not helm big budget action movie.

2. Patty Jenkins

Superhero movies have been dominating the box office for close to a decade now. It is about time a woman got a chance to make one. Patty Jenkins, who directed 2003's Oscar-winning "Monster," as well as episodes of multiple TV shows from AMC's "The Killing" to Fox's "Arrested Development," will be the first to get that chance. She will be in charge of the "Wonder Woman" franchise, which is set to premiere in 2017.

3. Angelina Jolie

Jolie might already be one of the most famous actresses in the world, but she has quietly built a solid career behind the camera as well. She has directed a handful of well-received dramas, including 2011's "In the Land of Blood and Honey" and 2014's "Unbroken," which received multiple Oscar nominations. 2015's "By the Sea" was panned by critics, but Jolie has already proven her capacity as a powerful female director.

4. Nancy Meyers

Nancy Meyers has been responsible for some of the most popular rom-coms of the last 15 years. 1998's "The Parent Trap," 2003's "Something's Got To Give," and 2006's "The Holiday" were all directed by Meyers. Perhaps no filmmaker, man or woman, is better at depicting the ups and downs of falling in love.

5. Catherine Hardwicke

From 2005's "Lords of Dogtown," which documented the rise of skateboarding culture, to AMC's "Hell On Wheels," a violent, stylized western, Hardwicke has never let her gender determine what kind of projects she will take on. Her biggest movie was 2008's highly anticipated "Twilight" adaptation, which set the pace for one of the most successful film franchise's of the last 20 years. Who says a woman can't direct a tent pole film?

6. Sam Taylor-Johnson​

People might laugh at the sexualized storyline and rabid following of the romance novel "Fifty Shades of Grey," but taking a project with that much hype and turning it into a success is no joke. Taylor-Johnson brought a sleek style to the film franchise's 2015 debut, making it a box office smash in the process — not bad for her first feature film.

7. Jodie Foster

Like Jolie, Foster is an acclaimed actress turned director who has chosen to slowly build her credibility through small independent films, like 2011's "The Beaver." She has also dipped her toes into television with episodes of Netflix's "House of Cards" and "Orange is the New Black." Jolie's biggest budget film to date, 2016's "Money Monster," was a flop, but do not count out this multiple Oscar-winner.