Good news Barden Bellas fans! The third installment of the Pitch Perfect series will hit the big screen in 2017 and Elizabeth Banks, who directed the sequel, signed on to direct the third installment of the musical-comedy movie.
Elizabeth Banks to Direct PitchPerfect3 https://t.co/OcEGFxg3Q4 pic.twitter.com/EZ6Qc8LObz
— Hollywood Reporter (@THR) October 27, 2015
According to the Hollywood Reporter, Banks will work behind the scenes as director with Kay Cannon as scriptwriter.
Barden Bellas Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson and Brittany Snow will also return to the film. Cineplex and fans of the musical comedy series tweeted their excitement over the news.
Banks expressed how she feels about being a female director, sexism in Hollywood, and why she wants to be able to direct films in an interview with Katie Couric on Yahoo!, saying “I wanted to use more of myself and my abilities and have more control over the stories I was telling.”
Talk about badass! @ElizabethBanks will direct PitchPerfect3. Here’s what she said about it https://t.co/Bi4MXKqViI https://t.co/TaOd5Y0eEr
— Katie Couric (@katiecouric) October 28, 2015
When asked why there are so few women directing, she said: “Parity in Hollywood is going to require that those in power share a little bit of that power. And that requires a partnership with the men in our industry.”
When asked about the most badass thing she has ever done she said “Directing a movie as a woman is pretty badass,” encouraging women to direct films as there is currently a small number of female directors in Hollywood.
Banks debuted as a director for Pitch Perfect 2 which earned $69 million in its first weekend in May. As such, it made the movie the highest grossing debut for a first-time director. It went on to earn $285 million worldwide, while the 2012 Pitch Perfect movie, which was based from Mickey Rapkin’s book Pitch Perfect: The Quest for Collegiate A Cappella Glory, grossed $113 million worldwide.
Banks will produce the third movie alongside Paul Brooks of Gold Circle Entertainment and Max Handelman of Brownstone Productions.