We Need More Female-Centric Crime Films

Big news in the world of film: According to Variety, Oscar-nominated super-writers Steve McQueen and Gillian Flynn are penning a heist film together. The film is based on the 1984 British mini-series Widows, and it will be produced by New Regency, which also made Gone Girl and 12 Years A Slave. The mini-series centers on four women, the recent widows of four men who died in a robbery gone awry. The women then band together to attempt the heist themselves. There are so many reasons this is awesome.

While heist movies are undeniably popular, with their intricate plots and clever mechanisms, it can be easy for them to sometimes all feel like more of the same — and more often than not, this can be chocked up to the fact that there are very rarely women starring in them.

Even if there is one, she's usually a romantic interest who maybe represents what the male lead is sacrificing with his reckless lifestyle. That, or she's a token member of a group who's considered more of a sexual object than a contributing member of the crime team. There are a few exceptions, of course — Quentin Tarantino's Jackie Brown, for instance — but it's tragic that that's the only one I can think of. The fact that Flynn and McQueen's film features more than one woman in a leading role is not only amazing to see, but it's important as well.

Another reason to look forward to this unnamed Widows adaptation: Both McQueen (who will also direct) and Flynn are gifted writers when it comes to emotional content. The fact that these female characters are dealing with the deaths of their husbands in such a unique way will certainly allow for a more emotional arc than I'm used to in heist movies. Though it's still in it's early stages, I can hardly wait for this film.