Star Wars director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy has said "it's about time" a woman shaped a Star Wars film after the beloved sci-fi franchise has gone close to half a century with films directed only by men.
Obaid-Chinoy will direct a currently untitled and undated Star Wars film starring Sequel Trilogy star Daisy Ridley that follows her character Rey Skywalker as she looks to rebuild the Jedi Order 15 years after the events of Star Wars: Episode 9 - The Rise of Skywalker.
“I’m very thrilled about the project because I feel what we’re about to create is something very special," Obaid-Chinoy told CNN. "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 original Star Wars premiered in 1977 as a film directed by George Lucas. Other films have seen Irvin Kershner, Richard Marquand, J.J. Abrams, Rian Johnson, Gareth Edwards, Ron Howard, and Dave Filoni all helm. Filoni, James Mangold, and Taika Waititi are all leading upcoming projects too, but Obaid-Chinoy will be the first woman to direct a Star Wars film.
Little else is known about it, though Ridley said in November 2023 it's a "really cool" film that isn't at all what she expected. "I haven’t read anything, but I know the story," she said at the time. "It’s really worth telling, worth exploring, and I think people will be excited."
Though the film was announced at Star Wars Celebration 2023 on April 7, Ridley said she hadn't even been approached about the role as of February 2023. The rapid turnaround between the initial conversation with Lucasfilm and her appearance at the event had her feeling very nervous, Ridley said: "I was s***ting myself."
This comes despite Kennedy claiming at Star Wars Celebration 2023 that Obaid-Chinoy's film, plus the movies from Filoni and Mangold, were "pretty far along in development".
None of the upcoming films have premiere dates at the moment, though Disney has listed three Star Wars films on its release schedule. The long-awaited 2025 Star Wars film, which is set to be the first silver screen premiere since 2019, was pushed to May 22, 2026, while the remaining two will premiere December 18, 2026 and December 17, 2027.
Image Credit: Jeff Spicer/Getty Images for Disney
Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.
