Can we let you in on a little secret? Chris Hemsworth looks great in Buddy Holly-style glasses. He’s also an excellent dancer. Important information maybe, but it is a bit embarrassing that we’ve already failed the Bechdel test on gender divide in cinema, or at least its journalistic version. Never mind, there are lots of movies out there, and currently in development, which pass it with flying colours. Not least the new Ghostbusters led by four fantastic, well-realized female characters. And Chris. More on this one later. Meanwhile, in the world of Hollywood franchises, an unprecedented opportunity has arisen. The rise of the all-female reboot is being seen as a trend, but it looks more like the logical conclusion of Melissa McCarthy’s and Amy Poehler’s success in recent comedy hits, and the slew of female producers who have become major players in big Hollywood movies.

 

 

Passing Trend or the Future?

We can usually depend on indie and art-house cinema to explore gender politics in an interesting way, featuring a diverse cast in terms of gender and sexuality. This is not the case with the Hollywood blockbuster; I lay Transformers, Dark of the Moon before you and say no more. Revealingly, 52% of movie audiences in the US between 2012 and 2014 were women. The turnout for individual films was closer even to 50/50 when the main character was female. The demand has always been there, and now it’s being catered for in this surprising way. So we may see some great female characters at the centre of some franchise reboots in the next two years. It’s a chance for what is seen as a trend to become the norm. It’s also a reason for big grossing films to bring new ideas about how women are portrayed on screen. What can we expect?

 

 

Ocean’s Eight

The lead cast of casino heist movie Ocean’s Eight will be all-female and, considering the Ocean’s franchise is all about the interaction of interesting personalities, we’re all about character development. This reboot has the chance to show us some really subtle writing, even using poker and casino games to give us an insight into the heist crew. Casino games, and poker especially are massively popular with women all over the world, and there are many successful professional female poker players who get every bit of recognition that men do, like the impressive Vanessa Selbst. In poker, etiquette at the table is paramount to a player’s reputation, male or female. I would love to see Sandra Bullock or Helena Bonham Carter navigate the tables, maybe doing some clock-calling. This is where a player can “call the clock” on an opponent who’s taking a bit too long to deliberate before they check, bet or fold when it’s their turn. Clock calling is considered impolite, but it can certainly annoy your opponent, throwing them off. Wouldn’t it be great to see a kick-ass lady from the Eight breaking the rules? After all, this is what this (or any) reboot should be about, rather than blatantly cashing in on the success of the franchise. Don’t let us down, ladies!

 

 

Ghostbusters

Another recent all-female reboot is Ghostbusters, a remake of the 1984 Harold Ramis classic. A lot has been said about this particular reboot. But no matter what critiques have been levelled at it, it had one serious advantage: It shows women being both caring and unconcerned, intelligent and ambitious. But mostly they’re just being human beings, trying to combat a ghost invasion, as you do in such cases. It was a pure and simple blockbuster plot, with a side-order of friendship. In fact, writers Paul Feig and Katie Dippold emphasized that the friendship element replaces the more conventional romantic storyline, which we view as a welcome departure and mainstream cinema doesn’t have enough of: seeing the four ladies fighting ghosts as a team was just as emotionally rewarding as any love story. It also left space for some goofing around, which was nice. Seeing the main characters engage with each other in this way helped the film’s pacing, made sense of the story arc and generally kept it interesting.

 

 

Coming to a Theatre Near You

The flood gates have opened, it seems. The next all-female franchise mooted is a version of 21 Jump Street with women detectives. Could this go too far, and result in a reboot of a reboot? The possibilities are quite meta. In a post-Marvel world, where series of movies must form a coherent whole, is there space in the hearts of various fandoms for gender swaps? This shouldn’t be a problem for a remake of 21 Jump Street, second only to Police Academy for self-referential silliness. But in the world of serious fantasy, what’s the outlook, and how soon will the franchise as a form eat itself? Filmmakers are facing a new era, where strong and real female characters need to be visible, and where all the players need to work together to keep audiences in theatres. In the end, TV is catching up with cinema. I want to see the survival of event cinema, and see myself represented in it.

There are, of course, plenty of critiques of the whole reboot approach. The feeling is often that these great female actors and creators should be involved in original material along with their male counterparts, or not. However, think of the reach a Hollywood movie has, how it gets into every home and influences potential future filmmakers, future everything’s. Showing this audience that women can be strong and brilliant (and funny) can only be a good thing. Not only that, but allowing more people to really enjoy the blockbuster movie experience, broadening its appeal is a healthy move for an industry perhaps too concerned with trends.