'Pitch Perfect 3' spoilers, cast, news & update: Elizabeth Banks returns as director of the film

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The sassy ladies of the "Pitch Perfect" crew are coming back, with star and producer Elizabeth Banks coming on board as director, The Hollywood Reporter reveals. Banks is set to produce the film with her husband, Max Handelman, and the script will be written by Kay Cannon, who also wrote the first two films.

THR reports that Pitch Perfect 2 was Banks' directorial debut, and the success of the franchise yielded $285.2 million worldwide, making it the highest domestic opening ever for a first-time director.

Due to the massive success of the film, speculation about a third installment arose, and Banks was not one to deny it. She told Collider in May, "It would be disingenuous to say that no one’s talking about a Pitch Perfect 3; the possibility of it."

In June, Universal announced that a third installment is indeed coming, with stars Anna Kendrick and Rebel Wilson returning to reprise their roles. The studio announced a July 21, 2017 release date for the film, Entertainment Weekly reports.

People reports that Banks recently spoke to Katie Couric, opening up about what it means to be a female director in a male-dominated industry.

"You know it's a really small list of women who get to direct," the 41-year-old multi-hyphenate admitted. Stepping into the role of a director was her way of further honing her skills. "I wanted to use more of myself and my abilities and have more control over the stories I was telling."

Banks added, "I love telling small stories but I think we are in a moment where we need to convince the powers that be, the money, that we are capable of spending that money wisely and turning it around like I did with Pitch Perfect 2—six times the budget of my film."

"Money talks," she pointed out. "and that changes minds really quickly."

Meanwhile, Banks is also reprising her role as Effie Trinket in Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2, which will be released

"We go back to the Capitol in Part 2, and Effie gets to get dressed again, so I'm excited for that," Banks told MTV of her character in the final installment of the Hunger Games. "I'm excited for the very end, when I get to put my real Capitol couture clothes back on."

UPI reports that Banks is also set to host Saturday Night Live on November 14, just a few days before The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 2 opens in theaters on the 20th.