CNN has published a video that points out how Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy will be the first woman and person of color to direct a Star Wars movie, and apparently, it’s a fact that the Oscar-winning director is well aware of, with Obaid-Chinoy going on to tell the news channel on New Year’s Eve that “it’s about time” that something like this happened, and how the new movie, which will see Daisy Ridley back in her role of Rey Skywalker, will be “something very special.”
“I’m very thrilled about the project because I feel what we’re about to create is something very special,” Obaid-Chinoy told CNN as part of a video appearance where she spoke about her upcoming projects ahead of the new year. “We’re in 2024 now, and it’s about time that we had a woman come forward to shape a story in a galaxy far, far away.”
The comments from Obaid-Chinoy come nine months after Star Wars Celebration Europe (SWCE) 2023, where Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy announced that three new live-action Star Wars films are on the way, including one that would be set “after the events of Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker, and feature Daisy Ridley back as Rey as she builds a new Jedi Order.”
“I think that’s the heart of Star Wars, and that’s why I’m attracted to the promise of a new Jedi Order,” Obaid-Chinoy said at SWCE 2023, where she explained her interest in making a new movie about the hero’s journey.
“My heart is pounding,” Ridley said when she appeared on stage during the event. “I’m very thrilled to be continuing this journey.”
Obaid-Chinoy’s most recent projects include Ms. Marvel, where she directed two episodes, while Ridley’s latest movie, The Marsh King’s Daughter, is also available to watch now.
“A woman seeks revenge against the man who kidnapped her mother,” reads a description for the new crime drama directed by Neil Burger (Divergent, The Illusionist).