By Tim Masters
Arts and entertainment correspondent, BBC News
The film industry is waking up to the fact that it needs to better represent female audiences, says one of Hollywood’s most successful writing teams.
Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, who wrote and directed the Lego Movie, have said they will create more female role models for the sequel.
“It’s important to us that the movie plays broadly and that we inspire young women as much as we inspire young men,” Lord told the BBC.
With the Lego Movie and 22 Jump Street, Lord and Miller are responsible for two of the highest-grossing films at the US box office in 2014.
The Lego Movie has made more than $468m (£294m) worldwide, and the pair will also write and produce the follow-up, which is due out in 2018.
The Lego toy company made headlines in August when it released a set of three female scientist figures – a palaeontologist, an astronomer, and a chemist – but it has also faced criticism for the predominantly pink Lego Friends range, which is aimed at young girls,
Asked what female roles were planned for Lego Movie 2, Miller said: “I don’t want to give spoilers but there will be more female characters and more female stuff.”
Christopher Miller (left) and Phil Lord have enjoyed success with the Lego Movie and 22 Jump Street in 2014
He wouldn’t reveal whether the lead character would be female.
Recent females leads in animated feature films include the princesses Merida in Brave and Anna in Frozen. Both films won Oscars for best animated feature.
Source:: BBC Entertainment
