IT’S THE FIRST ONE MADE BY A WOMAN
All previous iterations ofCharlie’s Angels
have been male visions of a women’s world.
The 1970s TV show was made by men; as were
the two early 2000s movies directed by McG.
Now it has a new director, co-producer,
co-writer and co-star in Elizabeth Banks,
marking her second time behind the camera
(after 2015’sPitch Perfect 2). Banks wanted
to make a movie that had fun, but still took
the private detective trio seriously. “I want to
tell a story about women at work,” she says.
“I don’t care about their boyfriends, the
mum they don’t call, the cat they don’t
feed. These women are here to kick ass and
do a great job.”Charlie’s
Angels gets
2019-ed
Four ways the traditional franchise is being rebooted into
something feminist, forward-thinking — and badass
IT’S REPRESENTING A WIDER WORLD
For her Angels, Banks chose a more diverse
group, in terms of ethnicity and sexuality, than
any previous film. Newcomer Ella Balinska plays
weapons expert Jane;Aladdin’s Naomi Scott is
tech specialist Elena; and indie star Kristen
Stewart is free-spirited scrapper Sabina. When
she entered discussions for the role, Stewart, who
is bisexual, asked Banks if she could make
Sabina the franchise’s first queer lead. “She said,
‘Flirt with anyone and everything,’” says Stewart.IT’S AN ACTION MOVIE WITH A CONSCIENCE
ACharlie’s Angelsfilm needs action. It’s all part
of the fun. While prepping, Banks watched
a lot of Tony Scott movies, as well asJohnWickandAtomic Blonde, to craft her style,
but she wanted to make sure the action would
be about defence, not offence. “Everything
we do is to survive and save each others’
lives,” says Stewart. “Every single bullet is
accounted for.”PREVIEW