The Oscar-winning director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, born in Pakistan, will soon become the first person of colour and woman to helm a Star Wars movie. On Friday, studio officials revealed three new Star Wars films are being produced.
Daisy Ridley, a British actor, will reprise her role as Rey, the protagonist of the last trilogy, which concluded in 2019 to mixed reviews. Obaid-Chinoy will direct the movie, which is set 15 years after the conclusion of the previous one. The upcoming movie will centre on Rey’s initiatives to resurrect the Jedi order.
Obaid-Chinoy, who won two Oscars for her work on anti-violence against-women documentaries, claimed that the Star Wars world drew her in because of its “hero’s journey.”
That’s the essence of Star Wars, she added. “I spent the better part of my childhood meeting real heroes conquering repressive regimes and battling unimaginable odds.” The Ms Marvel television series from last year, which featured a Muslim superhero, was directed by Obaid-Chinoy.
“The blueprints of the heroes we see on screen are rooted in reality – I’ve spent my life meeting real-life heroes, who have overcome the most oppressive empires and battled impossible odds and that to me is the heart of Star Wars…which is why I was attracted to the promise of a new Jedi Order …And why I’m particularly excited about being immersed inside a Jedi Academy with a powerful Jedi Master,” she said.
According to Kathleen Kennedy, head of Lucasfilm, the studio that Disney acquired in 2012, each of the three movies will focus on a distinct time period in the Star Wars saga. And a different director will oversee each.
After directing the newest instalment of the Indiana Jones series, which will be released later this year, James Mangold, a two-time Oscar contender, will take the helm of another of the movies.
His movie would examine the Jedi order’s early history, which took place thousands of years before the main plot. Moreover, David Filoni, a veteran of the Star Wars world who has produced multiple television shows, including the hugely popular The Mandalorian, which is currently in its third season, will helm the third movie.
As Ahsoka, a female Jedi warrior who first appeared in an animated series, fans at the conference also got to see US actress Rosario Dawson in that character for the first time. The fandom for Star Wars has taken to the character so well that a television series featuring her will debut in August.
