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Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy announced at Star Wars Celebration in London on Friday that the upcoming Star Wars feature film will focus on Daisy Ridley’s character Rey as she builds a new Jedi Order. The film follows the events of Rise of Skywalker and will mark the first time since 2019 that a Star Wars movie has been released.
Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy made history as the first woman of color to direct a ‘Star Wars’ film
The project will also mark a major milestone for the Star Wars franchise as Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy becomes the first woman and person of color to direct a Star Wars movie. The Pakistani filmmaker is no stranger to accolades, having won two Academy Awards for documentary short films. She most recently directed two episodes of Ms. Marvel for Disney+.
Actor and producer Jon Favreau expressed his excitement for the upcoming Star Wars film, stating that it’s always encouraging to see people return to the franchise. He praised the strength of the “Star Wars” community and expressed his excitement for where the franchise is going.
The bumpy road to the next ‘Star Wars’ film
Getting to this point has been a challenging journey for Lucasfilm. The original screenwriters for the film, Damon Lindelof and Justin Britt-Gibson, left the project in February, prompting Steven Knight to step in as the new screenwriter. Other Star Wars projects, including Rogue Squadron and an untitled film produced by Kevin Feige, have been shelved and are no longer in active development.
In addition to Obaid-Chinoy’s film, Kennedy announced that James Mangold and Dave Filoni would direct upcoming Star Wars movies. Mangold, who recently directed Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, and Filoni, executive producer of the Disney+ series The Mandalorian and Ahsoka, will bring their expertise to the Star Wars universe.
Taika Waititi and Shawn Levy are also attached to ‘Star Wars’ projects.
The future of the Star Wars franchise is looking bright with a talented and diverse group of filmmakers on board. Taika Waititi, who directed Thor: Ragnarok, is developing a Star Wars feature in which he will direct and star. Meanwhile, Shawn Levy is still attached to directing a Star Wars movie following his work on Marvel’s Deadpool 3 and the Netflix limited series All the Light We Cannot See.
