Upcoming Rey Solo Film Director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy Says “It’s About Time That We Had A Woman Come Forward To Shape The Story” Of Star Wars
Spencer Baculi
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In a declaration that could seemingly only come from someone who has spent the last decade completely detached from the once-beloved sci-fi franchise, director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy has opined that one particularly exciting aspect of her upcoming Rey solo film is that it will ‘finally’ allow women to guide Star Wars‘ narrative direction.
Obaid-Chinoy, whose directorial filmography primarily consists of documentaries highlighting the social plights faced by women in her home country of Pakistan, offered this insight into her forthcoming dance with the Force while speaking to CNN’s Kristie Lu Stout for the network’s 2023 New Year’s Eve broadcast.
Touted by Stout as “the first woman and first person of color to direct a Star Wars film, the director – who appeared via a pre-recorded interview with the anchor – opened their discussion by elaborating on her personal excitement towards her forthcoming Lucasfilm outing.
“I’m very thrilled about the project because I think what we are about to create is something very special,” said Obaid-Chinoy. “And we’re in 2024 now, and I think it’s about time that we had a woman come forward to shape the story in a galaxy far, far away.”
As noted above, the two-episode Ms. Marvel director’s comments come off as absolutely baffling given the very real attention the overall Star Wars franchise has given to the ‘female perspective’ ever since its 2012 purchase by the House of Mouse.
Following the completion of the sale, Disney proceeded to promote film producer Kathleen Kennedy to President of Lucasfilm, at which time she proceeded to position the aforementioned Rey as the over-powered, poorly-written protagonist of the franchise’s third (and unfortunately) canon trilogy.
Additionally, during her tenure as president, Kennedy has also overseen the production of such Star Wars television series as The Mandalorian, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Ahsoka, each of which made heavy-handed, even forceful attempts at boosting the franchise profiles of their respective female leads – often at the expense of their male counterparts’ characters.
For example, since her introduction in The Mandalorian, Bo-Katan has managed to upstage Din Djarin at nearly every turn of their adventures, with even the climax to the latter’s ongoing feud with Moff Gideon being brought to a close by his female ally.
In Obi-Wan Kenobi, despite her being far more in-experienced in combat and Force manipulation than even her fellow Inquisitorius members, as evidenced by her absolute handling by the Grand Inquisitor, Reva is still shown as being able to briefly go toe-to-toe with Darth Vader himself, even managing to disarm The Dark Lord of his lightsaber before her eventual defeat.
Then there’s the fact that the Ahsoka centered around a cast of primarily female heroines, which while not an objective negative in and of itself, is notable due to how it pokes a hole in Obaid-Chinoy’s statement.
Further countering the director’s narrative is the reality that not only have numerous women served in various behind-the-scenes roles across the franchise – such as A New Hope editor Marcia Lucas, Obi-Wan Kenobi director Deborah Chow, The Mandalorian director Bryce Dallas Howard, Ahsoka directors Jennifer Getzinger and Geeta Vasant Patel, and Rebels co-creator Carrie Beck – but that it’s next entry, The Acolyte, will be helmed, written, and star a team of primarily women
Notably, this is not the first time Obaid-Chinoy has positioned her upcoming Star Wars outing as the franchise’s ‘breaking of the glass ceiling’ moment.
Speaking to Vice News following the film’s announcement in May 2023, the director explained of her role as the first woman to direct a Star Wars feature, “I’ve always kicked open doors that were previously closed, and I think my feeling is that there is a critical mass of women who have begun to move forward in places that were previously closed to them.”
As of writing, Rey’s return to the silver screen is currently set for some time in 2026.
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