Lucy Liu Is Directing An Episode Of Netflix's Luke Cage New Season & Here's Why That's SO Important

Last month, a photo started circulating around the internet that featured Lucy Liu hanging out with Mike Colter, the star of Netflix’s Luke Cage, in Harlem where the show is filmed. The photo sparked speculation that Liu might make an appearance in the second season of the action drama produced by Marvel. Well, the truth about what role Liu will be playing in the upcoming season was finally revealed today, and it’s so much better than we ever expected. Buzzfeed News just confirmed that Lucy Liu will be directing the premiere of Luke Cage's upcoming season, which is set to be released in 2018.

Over the past several years, Liu has spent a lot of time in the director's chair, having directed four episode of CBS' Elementary, which she also stars in. She also directed a 2015 episode of Graceland and a 2011 short film called Meena. This short film, which was Liu's directorial debut, is a prime example of why we so desperately need more women behind the camera. Meena told the true life story of a young Indian woman who was sold into sex slavery when she was just eight years old. When women direct, the world is exposed to stories that are often covered up and not discussed by mainstream media. Female directors open conversations and make films that show the diversity of our real world.

Unfortunately, however, women are severely underrepresented in the entertainment industry. According to the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media, only 7% of directors are female. Specifically in television, the Directors Guild of America analyzed over 3,300 episode produced during the 2012-2013 network television season, and found that 12% were directed by caucasian women. And, of course, things are even more bleak for women of color. Only 2% of episodes were directed by female minorities. Lucy Liu has seen this struggle first hand, and has fought hard to get behind the camera. In a 2016 interview, she told the Associated Press, "It's harder for women in general. You have to ask and ask and ask. You have to break the door down ... and come in with a real belief in what you're doing."

We're so glad Liu "broke down the door" and has joined the Luke Cage team as a director, and it certainly seems like we're not the only ones. Jeph Loeb, the series' executive producer, said in a recent statement, "When you're dealing with a bulletproof man, it helps if you have a bulletproof director. Lucy brings a keen eye, a superb sense of story, and an obvious love of actors. She is rocking Luke Cage 2."