Back in December 2015, just days beforeStar Wars: The Force Awakenshit theaters, LucasFilm president and producerKathleen Kennedyspoke about the possibility of bringing on afemale filmmakerfor a futureStar Warsmovie. As of now, only the thirdStar Warsspin-off does not have a filmmaker attached yet, although another report revaled Disney is planning on releasing a newStar Warsmovie once a year, indefinitely, so there will be a lot of new movies coming in the future. During a press conference forRogue One, in theaters December 16,Kathleen Kennedyrevealed that she has met with a number of female directors.
Kathleen Kennedypreviously made a controversial statement that a female director who had no experience with big-budget movies would not be “suitable” for aStar Warsmovie.Screen Rantattended a press conference, where that previous quote was brought up, as she was asked why this is the case, since some male directors have been given those opportunities without blockbuster directing experience. Here’s whatKathleen Kennedyhad to say to this question during the press conference, addressing the assumption thatRogue OnedirectorGareth Edwardswas hired without any blockbuster experience, which isn’t true.
“That’s not true. [PatsGareth Edwards' shoulder]. This gentleman didGodzillabefore we hired him to direct the movie, and that quote was taken out of context. And I, as you can imagine, have every intention of giving somebody an opportunity. So if somebody actually moves through the process of making movies and wants to make a Star Wars movie, and shows that they have actually stepped into the role on that level, of course we’re going to consider a woman. That goes without saying. I think there’s many. And I’ve talked to most of them. [Laughter] So, there are many out there.”
The report from last year revealed that William Morris Endeavor (WME) talent agentAdriana Alberghettihad secured meetings for four women directors and three female screenwriters to potentially work on unspecifiedStar Warsprojects. While no specific names were mentioned, the agent represents female directors such asSarah Gavron(Suffragette) andS.J. Clarkson(Marvel’s Jessica Jones), and writersMarti Noxon(Fright Night) andLinda Woolverton(Alice in Wonderland). As of now, the onlyStar Warsproject that doesn’t have any filmmakers attached is theThird Star Wars Spin-Off Movie, whichJosh Trankwas attached to direct before hedropped outin May.
Last year’sStar Wars: The Force Awakenskicked off a new trilogy, setting a box office record for domestic gross ($936.6 million), although its $2.06 billion global tally fell short ofAvatar’s $2.7 billion global record. The first spin-off,Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, hits theaters on July 20, 2025), withStar Wars: Episode VIII(June 17, 2025),Star Wars Anthology: Han Solo Movie(July 03, 2025),Star Wars: Episode IX(2019) and aThird Star Wars Spin-Off Movie(2020) set to follow, which is rumored to focus onBoba Fett. It remains to be seen if a female filmmaker will in fact sign on to take the helm of aStar Warsmovie.
