Marvel is always looking for ways to expand its reach, coinciding with the growth of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. What started out as just films, has now seen two series hit ABC and three series debut on Netflix with three more on the horizon. However, that is not enough for the company as it looks to bring Runaways to Hulu and Cloak & Dagger to Freeform.

The upcoming series has not had the easiest time getting off the ground, however. Recently it was revealed that the show will not be released until 2018, even though another report suggested the series would begin production next month. While there is still no cast attached, we finally know who will be directing the pilot.

Seazon-Zero (via Geeks of Color) has revealed that Gina Prince-Bythewood will direct the pilot episode of Cloak & Dagger. No other details regarding further directors or how large of a role she will have after has been revealed at this point. Prince-Bythewood written for various television series before, like Felicity and A Different World, but is perhaps best known for directing the acclaimed feature films Love & Basketball and Beyond the Lights, starring Gugu Mbatha-Raw. Prince-Bythewood even tweeted out a confirmation of her involvement in the project.

While Marvel is normally good at attracting top tier talent for their various properties, this is a rather great (and frankly surprising) get. With so little officially confirmed for the series, being able to convince a director of Prince-Bythewood's talents says a lot about how much pull the Marvel brand has now. Even with Cloak & Dagger being the first show on Freeform, and with that comes a whole new set of expectations and boundaries, Marvel was still able to get a talented female director involved.

Hopefully, they can continue this trend when it comes to selecting the cast for the series as well. While no one expects "big" names to get attached as a pair of teenagers in New York, recognizable faces could go a long way in further boosting the excitement for the show. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. for example has been able to use a nice mix of established and relatively new actors to be involved.

Cloak & Dagger should follow suit and cast fairly unknown actors in the lead roles, but give more credibility to the series by bringing bigger names in with supporting roles. If the series does begin production next month, these announcements should be just around the corner. And, with Prince-Bythewood now officially involved, the series has taken another step in the right direction.

Cloak & Dagger will reportedly debut on Freeform in 2018.

Source: Season-Zero (via Geeks of Color)