J.K. Rowling is adapting her Harry Potter prequel Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them as her very first screenplay. Release date: Nov. 18Warner Bros. Pictures; Danny E. Martindale—Getty Images
Women are routinely shut out of opportunities to write and direct films, and rarely get the chance to work on big-budget projects. Last year, women made up just 9% of directors and 11% of writers for the top-grossing 250 films, according to a recent study. The problem has grown so bad that the federal government is currently investigating sexism in Hollywood.
Though female filmmakers will again be outnumbered by their male counterparts in 2016, some progress is being made. There are many female-directed or -written films to look forward to this year, including Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Ghostbusters and Kung Fu Panda 3.
Jennifer Yuh, who helmed Kung Fu Panda 2, returns to co-direct Kung Fu Panda 3. Release date: Jan. 2920th Century Fox; Imeh Akpanudosen—Getty ImagesBest known for playing Bernadette on The Big Bang Theory, Melissa Rauch takes on her first feature film script with The Bronze. (She will also star in the film.) Release date: March 18Sony Pictures Classics; Jason LaVeris—Getty Images
Fourteen years after she released the original film, Nia Vardalos is writing My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2. Release date: March 25Universal Pictures; Steve Granitz—Getty Images
Linda Woolverton, who co-wrote The Lion King, Maleficent and Tim Burton's 2010 Alice in Wonderland retelling, gets a solo writing credit for Alice Through the Looking Glass. Release date: May 27Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures; Jennifer Lourie—Getty ImagesThe Heat scribe Katie Dippold co-wrote the all-female reboot of Ghostbusters starring Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon and Leslie Jones. Release date: July 15Columbia Pictures; Brian Killian—Getty Images
Bridget Jones creator Helen Fielding teamed up with actress Emma Thompson to write Bridget Jones’ Baby, which will be directed by Sharon Maguire and starring—who else?—Renée Zellweger. Release date: Sept. 16Universal Pictures; David M. Benett, Mark Robert Milan, Jason Merritt/Getty ImagesErin Cressida Wilson, the writer behind Secretary, is adapting Paula Hawkins' The Girl on the Train with Emily Blunt as the movie's star. Release date: Oct. 7Universal Pictures; Frazer Harrison—Getty ImagesJ.K. Rowling is adapting her Harry Potter prequel Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them as her very first screenplay. Release date: Nov. 18Warner Bros. Pictures; Danny E. Martindale—Getty ImagesAnna Foerster, whose resume includes episodes of Criminal Minds and Outlander, will direct Underworld 5, starring Kate Beckinsale. Release date: Oct. 21Screen Gems; Gary Friedman—Getty ImagesWriter-director Rebecca Miller releases Maggie’s Plan starring Julianne Moore and Ethan Hawke this year. Release date: at Sundance in JanuarySony Pictures Classics; Paul Zimmerman—Getty Images
The Zookeeper’s Wife is a female-dominated production with Angela Workman adapting Diane Ackerman's book, Niki Caro directing and Jessica Chastain starring. Release date: TBDW. W. Norton & Company; Jesse Grant—Getty ImagesThe acclaimed director of A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, Ana Lily Amirpour, wrote and directed The Bad Batch, a romance set in a community of cannibals starring Jim Carrey, Keanu Reeves and Giovanni Ribisi. Release date: TBDDavid Livingston, George Pimentel—Getty ImagesAmma Asante, the screenwriter and director behind Belle, will direct A United Kingdom about the international stir caused by the marriage of an interracial couple in the 1940s (played by Rosamund Pike and David Oyelowo). Release date: TBDDanny Martindale—Getty Images
