Ava DuVernay sets record as first Black female director with $100 million box office score

Ava DuVernay is now standing tall among her peers as the first black woman to director to have a film gross $100M at the box office with the success of A Wrinkle in Time.

Du Vernay also takes her place as the thirteenth Black director overall to ever have a film hit the $100 million milestone, Shadow and Act reports.

—Oprah slams Trump’s immigration policy separating families seeking asylum—

A Wrinkle in Time, based on Madeleine L’Engle’s 1962 novel, starred newcomer Storm Reid as well as Hollywood heavyweights like Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon and Mindy Kaling.

And while she clearly has a magic touch for big box office bets her heart is in the work she does to amplify voices of color both in front of and behind the camera.

DuVernay’s production company works to finance and distribute independent movies created by women and people of color.

She’s reportedly working on a comedy series based on Colin Kaepernick during his high school years, and we can’t wait to see it.

Variety is reporting that Ava DuVernay has been pinpointed to direct an adaptation of New Gods, from DC Extended Universe.

New Gods is based on a DC Comics series of the same name. According to the Hollywood Reporter, the first issue of 1971’s New Gods open with a bold statement, “There came a time when the old Gods died!” 

Ava DuVernay is also bringing a limited series about the Central Park Five to Netflix, according to Variety.

The five-part series will be written and directed by DuVernay and is set to debut in 2019. This project comes after the widely heralded success of her searing documentary 13th, which examined the system of mass incarceration and the history of racial inequality in the United States.

“I had an extraordinary experience working with Netflix on ’13th’ and am overjoyed to continue this exploration of the criminal justice system as a narrative project with Cindy Holland and the team there,” said DuVernay of the latest project. “The story of the men known as Central Park Five has riveted me for more than two decades. In their journey, we witness five innocent young men of color who were met with injustice at every turn — from coerced confessions to unjust incarceration to public calls for their execution by the man who would go on to be the President of the United States.”

“This is one of the most talked-about cases of our time and Ava’s passionate vision and masterful direction will bring the human stories behind the headlines to life in this series,” said Cindy Holland, vice president of original content for Netflix. “After powerfully reframing the public conversation about criminality and injustice in ’13th,’ Ava now turns a new lens to a case that exposes deep flaws in our criminal justice system.”

—Meek Mill participates in criminal justice rally ‘I got to go to court and finish fighting for my freedom’—