A 'First Wives Club' Reunion On Netflix? YASSS

Netflix continues to win at life with news on Tuesday that they've acquired a movie starring three of Hollywood's most legendary actresses. Divanation has Bette Midler, Goldie Hawn and Diane Keaton attached. The trio last starred together in The First Wive's Club in 1996 (almost 20 years ago!), so the fact that Netflix is reuniting them onscreen is truly special news. Furthermore, this casting confirms my suspicion that Netflix is leading the way in creating and showcasing roles for women.

According to Deadline, the movie is about "a once-popular singing group forced to reconnect after their volatile split and 30 year estrangement." It sounds like the perfect vehicle for Midler, Keaton and Hawn to work together on, especially as it'll involve their vocal talents and much hilarity as they overcome old rivalries and tensions. Deadline says the move to acquire Divanation is "evidence that Netflix is looking to broaden the demographic of its streaming service." I also think it's evidence of a structured move to create interesting roles for women in TV and film, something Netflix continues to demonstrate its passion and talent for, particularly with commissions such as the female-led Jessica Jones, Grace And Frankie, and Orange Is The New Black.

Netflix has been creating some stellar original content, and employing the talents of three of Hollywood most loved actresses is an important move for the streaming service. By putting women at the forefront of the content it's producing, Netflix is helping to address Hollywood's gender imbalance. The reunion of these three actresses is particularly apt considering Goldie Hawn's comments about why a The First Wives Club sequel never happened. Speaking to Harvard Business Review, Hawn said, "The movie was hugely successful. It made a lot of money. We were on the cover of Time magazine. But two years later, when the studio came back with a sequel, they wanted to offer us exactly the same deal... Had three men come in there, they would have upped their salaries without even thinking about it. But the fear of women’s movies is embedded in the culture."

The fact that Netflix have backed this project, which I'm already considering an unofficial sequel to The First Wives Club, is a hugely positive step for women in filmmaking. Sure, Netflix also made The Ridiculous 6 , but Divanation makes me hopeful for the future. Awesome acting talent of the likes of Keaton, Midler, and Hawn deserves to be celebrated, and any project that makes that happen, I'm excited about.