Will Ferrell Launches Ladies-Only Production Company, Makes Us Love Him Even More

Think Women Aren't Funny? Will Ferrell Is Betting Against You
Will Ferrell appears on BET's "106 & Park" on Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2013 in New York. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP)
Will Ferrell appears on BET's "106 & Park" on Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2013 in New York. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP)

Need another reason to adore Will Ferrell? Well, look no further.

Ferrell and business partners Chris Henchy and Adam McCay have launched a female-focused production company to develop TV and film projects about and led by women. The venture, dubbed Gloria Sanchez Productions, is a division of Ferrell's existing company Gary Sanchez Productions ("Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues," "The Campaign," "Step Brothers," "Bridesmaids" and "The Other Guys") and will be run by production executive Jessica Elbaum.

With the enduring success of TV shows like "Girls," "New Girl," "The Mindy Project" and "Broad City," and a string of successful raunchy comedies featuring a strong female lead (new Netflix category, anyone?), female-focused entertainment is evolving into a lucrative market to tap, rather than just a cause to champion.

The fact that Ferrell is focusing production efforts on woman-centered projects shouldn't surprise his fans. The actor has long been a subtle proponent of women's equality, as Alyssa Rosenberg explained last month on ThinkProgress. Even the plot of "Anchorman" displays the thinning influence of masculinity on success. In fact, nearly all of Ferrell's signature roles are stunted adolescent men who somehow find themselves in positions of power they are entirely unequipped to perform effectively. In the Ferrell canon, women are almost always superior.

While Ferrell's past projects have addressed overly confident men, we're hoping Gloria Sanchez Productions will showcase dynamic female characters who exist on their own, rather than just highlighting men's haplessness. Ferrell's existing company produced "Bridesmaids" and "Bachelorette," and if these films are any indication of the course they are taking, we have a lot to look forward to.

As we learned last month, a collective nudge to get "SNL" to bring on a black female cast member resulted in recruiting efforts that on-boarded Sasheer Zamata and two African-American female writers. Comedy networks are still overwhelmingly male-dominated, but all it takes is a little extra digging to connect women to the right channels to get there.

Will, feel free to check in with us every now and then for "emerging talent."

(h/t Salon)

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