‘Thor: Ragnarok’ Writer Found — Stephany Folsom To Co-Pen Screenplay, Continue Trend Toward Gender Equality
Another Thor: Ragnarok writer has been revealed, and signals another step forward for gender equality in Hollywood. Stephany Folsom will be helping with screenwriting for the first film featuring the god of thunder and Bruce Banner’s big green alter ego as a two-man team.
Add to this the rumor that the next Thor will feature a new female lead, as previously reported by the Inquisitr, and Marvel seems to be leading a new trend. In a move which may help launch the careers of more women and minorities, the MCU is expected to put more people in charge who aren’t white men.
Possibly the first indication that Marvel is attempting to fix the gender gap in Hollywood is the fact that in Avengers, Scarlett Johansson was paid the same as her male co-stars. Having been in just as many films in the series as Robert Downey, Jr., it’s unknown if Johansson will be looking for a pay raise alongside him.
In another previous report by the Inquisitr, it was revealed that in the comics, Thor passed Mjolnir on to a woman, who also took the name.
As The Hollywood Reporter says, Nicole Perlman co-penned Guardians of the Galaxy and is planned to write Captain Marvel, as well. Being several years away, it’s unknown who will play the role of the first film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe to feature a female lead. Ronda Rousey has been named as a strong possibility, but Kevin Feige won’t confirm anything until the film is closer to production. Until then, the new Thor: Ragnarok writer is proof that equality is the goal for Marvel’s future.
Being a writer for Thor: Ragnarok, Stephany Folsom is a relative newcomer to the business. Her only other public writing credit is a TV series in 2012 called Ds2dio 360, and she’s acted in a role as herself in Sci Fine Dining for one episode. She was also involved in the critically-acclaimed 1969: A Space Odyssey of How Kubrick Learned to Stop Worrying and Land on the Moon, and The Princess of North Sudan. So far, Marvel has a good track record for films that see great success even if some are lackluster compared with others. Hiring a relatively new writer could indicate their faith in seeing what new talent can do.
Since veterans Joss Whedon and Shane Black helmed two of the most disappointing sequels in the series, it is obvious that nobody knows how well anything will work until the film hits theaters. The newcomer Thor: Ragnarok writer will need to take Thor and Hulk and give us something to improve on The Dark World.
Hitfix says that Stephany will be working under the direction of Taika Waititi, whose previous credits include the vampire spoof What We Do in the Shadows. Hopefully he won’t be bringing anything over from his part in The Green Lantern, and used that role as a lesson in what not to do with a superhero film. Stephany will be working with co-writers Christopher Yost and Craig Kyle, the latter of whom has been involved in the Thor films from the beginning.
MOVIES: Thor Ragnarok – New Female Writer Hired, Stephany Folsom to Work on Script https://t.co/7Xntvdz8HC pic.twitter.com/8vzkXuPmbF
— SpoilerTV (@SpoilerTV) December 4, 2015
Newcomer Thor: Ragnarok writer Folsom may just bring new life to the story of Thor and Loki, and expand on Hulk’s newfound control over his transformation.
With Marvel’s track record of female writers for their TV series including Agent Carter and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., they may be on to something. Time will tell if the rest of Hollywood will notice and attempt the same thing. It has been a gamble that has paid off so far.
Do you think newcomer Thor: Ragnarok writer Stephany Folsom will continue to impress audiences in her first major film debut?
[Image via Marvel]
