It's about time to feature a kickass female agent in the world of Men in Black. In her statement to BBC Newsbeat, Laurie MacDonald, producer of MIB, revealed that the focus of the fourth installment in the MIB series would be a "prominent woman in black". MacDonald, together with her husband, Walter Parkes, have produced all three MIB films and are currently working on MIB 4. In an industry that's rife with male chauvinism, the producer couple is prepared to tackle gender variation in character roles. Parkes told Newsbeat that they were only looking at MIB as a trilogy at first. Now, to be different, they are treating the fourth sequel as a reinvention of the franchise.
Since the first MIB film, male leads have dominated the story. Linda Fiorentino, who played Laurel Weaver in MIB I, was a minor character who became a female MIB agent by the end of the film. However, her character was never reprised in any of the sequels. Lara Flynn Boyle played the main villain, alien queen Serleena, in MIB II. In MIB III, Emma Thompson played female MIB's Agent O, the new MIB chief, but still a minor character.
According to Bustle, featuring a female agent can be the X factor that would reinvigorate the film franchise and usher in new viewers and renew interest in the series. It can also spark potential for a separate "Women in Black" franchise, depending on the success of the movie. Having a female-focused story line is timely especially since the issue of gender equality in the film and TV industry is currently gaining more attention.
The film is currently in its early stages of production, which means the identity of the lead female character and who will play it is still unknown. If all goes according to plan, MIB 4 would be one of the latest movies in Hollywood to explore gender variation, as per Indiewire. Other movies already in this category include the all-female reboots of "Ghostbusters" and "Ocean's Eleven".
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