Jessica Jones’ next season will be directed entirely by women

When Jessica Jones returns to Netflix for its second season, women will be behind the cameras directing each episode, according to the show’s executive producer, Melissa Rosenberg.

Rosenberg made the remarks on Friday at the Transforming Hollywood 7: Diversifying Entertainment conference held at the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. Variety reports that the production had already placed an emphasis on hiring female directors, “but then someone else involved in the production — [Rosenberg] didn’t specify who — floated the idea of booking only women as directors.”

Rosenberg didn’t reveal any details about the show’s next season, other than that it was still expected to go into production next year for a likely 2018 release.

This is welcome news: the last couple of years have demonstrated an incredible gender imbalance on Hollywood productions, and Rosenberg’s decision (and others, such as Ava DuVernay) highlights the need for conscious efforts to even out the numbers. Jessica Jones is not the only production where Marvel is working to put women behind the cameras: the upcoming Captain Marvel film is expected to be the first film of the franchise helmed by a female director.

The show’s first season places trauma front and center and focuses extensively on the abuse, sexual assault, and rape that women often endure. Marvel has stumbled when it comes to portraying and promoting the female superheroes in its stable of characters with some of its other productions. Jessica Jones has become a notable example within the franchise where the company has succeeded in its portrayal of women, something that it is clearly looking to build on moving forward.