Star Wars director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy is making headlines as she suggests that it is high time that we had a woman come forward to shape a story in a galaxy far away. She is all set to become the first female director to direct a feature film for the franchise.
She is an Oscar-winning documentarian and has also received two Academy Awards, seven Emmy Awards, and a Knight International Journalism Award. She is now all set to step into a new position as the director of the next Star Wars film.
The Pakistani-Canadian filmmaker confirms that Daisy Ridley will return as Rey in the series. The film was written by Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight.
While it is uncertain who else from the cast, including John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, and Kelly Marie Tran, will return, the film is said to be set 15 years after the events of Star Wars: Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker.
In an interview with CNN on New Year’s Eve, Sharmeen said that she is very thrilled about the project because it feels as if she is about to create something special. Sharmeen also said that as we are in 2024, it is time to have a woman come forward to shape the story in a galaxy.
This is what she wrote on Instagram, showing a combined video of her with Daisy and some of the franchise officials.
She has always been attracted to the hero journey, and the world definitely needs more heroes! The blueprints of the heroes we see on screen are rooted in reality.
She said that she have spent her all life meeting real life heroes who have overcome the most oppressive empires. That is why she was attracted to directing a Star Wars movie.
Star Wars: The New Jedi Order is set to begin filming in 2024.
Star Wars Has Always Had Women’s Presence
The Star Wars franchise had many women behind its huge success. Other than complex, strong female characters such as Princess Leia Organa and Ahsoka Tano that existed in Star Wars, there are many female staff members who have also been influential since the creation of a galaxy far, far away.
Marcia Lucas, George Lucas’s ex-wife, served as an editor on the original trilogy. She did more than merely clip scenes together as an editor. She was the one who shaped the narrative of the Star Wars story.
The original script for Star Wars: Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back was written by Leigh Brackett. Unfortunately, Brackett died of cancer before the screenplay was completed. George Lucas and Lawrence Kasdan utilized Brackett’s screenplay as a starting point for the final script.
Women have not only had a significant impact on Star Wars films since the beginning of a galaxy far, far away, but they also continue to lead Star Wars TV shows. Kiri Hart, Senior Vice President of Development at Lucasfilm, was a producer on Star Wars Rebels, which is one of the best examples.
Despite their significant contributions, very few women have served as directors on Star Wars television episodes. So far, there have only been three. The Mandalorian director Bryce Dallas Howard, The Mandalorian and Obi-Wan Kenobi director Deborah Chow, and The Book of Boba Fett and Ahsoka director Steph Green.
Women have been involved throughout every movie and TV show in the franchise, but it still requires more, like Sharmeen taking on leads, to provide the best output. The New Jedi Order film, directed by Obaid-Chinoy, is expected to be released between 2025 and 2029.
The president of Lucasfilm said that the film will be about the Jedi in crisis as the galaxy debates whether the Order is useful or more trouble than it’s worth after decades of war. The movie will draw upon elements of the old Expanded Universe and serve as the endpoint for story threads in several Star Wars series, including The Mandalorian.
