Elizabeth Banks might be one of Hollywood's busiest actresses, known for her roles in such popular films as The 40-Year-Old Virgin, W, the Hunger Games franchise, and the Spider-Man series. But now she's been in the director's chair for the sequel to the surprise hit of 2012, Pitch Perfect.
The original movie was about rival college acappella groups, and in an against-the-odds scenario, the underdogs, Barden Bellas, won first place in the national competition.
The film took in US$113 million ($153 million) worldwide (and made another US$103 million in home video sales) having been made on a shoestring budget - by Hollywood standards anyway - of US$17 million. Banks produced the first film and also played a small but pivotal role as the smart-mouthed judge-commentator, a role she reprises in the sequel.
But she's on the other side of the camera too in her feature directorial debut.
"The challenge of directing was simply this: Don't mess up, and don't tarnish the reputation of the film," Banks laughs. "I wanted to make sure we didn't disappoint the fans. I wanted to grow this world, so it was all about how big can we make the world for the Barden Bellas to live in."
