In a Shocking Turn of Events, “Big Momma’s House 3” Will Not Be Directed By Peter Jackson

By our guest blogger, Marie Biondolillo

After an exhaustive search through the Hollywood A-list, the brilliant production team behind the “Big Momma’s House” franchise has selected John Whitesell to direct “Big Momma’s House 3.” Whitesell, a veteran sitcom and high-concept comedy director, is perhaps best known for directing the unforgettable Jamie Kennedy/Taye Diggs romp “Malibu’s Most Wanted.”

But is Whitesell really the best choice to deliver the epic scope and artistic flourishes that “Big Momma’s House” fans expect--nay, demand? The “Big Momma’s House” series is not just about big moms, or houses--it’s about love, gender roles, crime, and society itself. Would not a Pedro Almodovar or a Jane Campion be better suited to exploring the intricacies of male and female identity raised by “Big Momma’s House”? After all, “Big Momma’s House” is sort of like “All About My Mother” meets “In the Cut” meets “The Crying Game,” except jazzed up and modernized for the hipper times. Is the director of six episodes of “It’s Like, You Know” really up to the task?

Your Lars von Triers and Peter Jacksons know a little bit about gender-dragging and sexual ambiguity. Jackson’s “Heavenly Creatures” is the best film about adolescent female sexuality and crime ever made, while von Trier’s films consistently push the boundaries of our conceptions of heterosexuality, madness, and social norms. Either of these iconic filmmakers might make a better choice than Whitesell to explore the man within the woman within the man within the woman at the center of “Big Momma 3.”

One weeps for what might have been. However, take heart. “Big Momma’s House 2” was a hell of a film, filled with raw emotion, searing performances, and uncomfortable truths. And that indie gem was directed by none other than a brash young man named . . . John Whitesell.