New 'Star Wars' director says 'it's about time' a woman shapes the franchise

Award-winning director and journalist Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy spoke during a CNN interview about how the time has come for a woman to shape the story of the Star Wars universe.

CNN host Kristie Lu Stout interviewed Pakistan-born, Canadian filmmaker Obaid-Chinoy about her upcoming projects, including a new Star Wars film that had recently been announced at the 2023 Star Wars Celebration event in London.

Stout touted Obaid-Chinoy as the "first woman and the first person of color to direct a Star Wars film" that will reportedly be released in 2026.

"I’m very thrilled about the project because I think what we’re about to create is something very special," Obaid-Chinoy told Stout. "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."

Award-winning director and journalist Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy spoke on a CNN interview about how the time has come for a woman to shape the story of the Star Wars universe. (CNN)

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Stout then recalled Obaid-Chinoy’s recent Instagram post where she talked about the announcement and her excitement about being at the helm of a Star Wars project.

"It has been quite a day in London....The news is OUT! I am so very excited to be directing the next Star Wars movie and bringing @daisyridley back to the galaxy," Obaid-Chinoy wrote in the Instagram post alongside images from the Star Wars event. "I have always been attracted to the heroes' journey and the world definitely needs more heroes!"

The filmmaker’s post went on to say, "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... #starwars."

Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher and Harrison Ford on the set of Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope. Star Wars films and spinoff series have been heavily criticized in recent years for allegedly failing to be as entertaining as the original movies. (Getty Images)

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Stout then asked the filmmaker about what real-life heroes she has met in her work as a documentary filmmaker.

Obaid-Chinoy provided the news personality with an example of a female teacher in Pakistan who teaches young girls in schools, crediting her husband for supporting her, "It’s so important to have male champions in your life who sort of help you when there are difficult times."

She then said that going forward, she sees great importance in helping the "next generation of female filmmakers in my own home country of Pakistan."

"If I can lead the network of the next generation of filmmakers in Pakistan, that is the kind of legacy that I want to lead," Obaid-Chinoy said.

Disney and its related properties have made numerous headlines in recent years for being too "woke" and relying on identity politics, according to some critics. One headline was when Rachel Zegler, the star of Disney’s upcoming live action remake of "Snow White", sparked controversy after she blasted the original animated classic Snow White film as a "weird" love story with a "guy who literally stalks her." The backlash caused Disney to delay the movie by another year. 

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LucasFilm, which oversees the Star Wars franchise and is headed by CEO Kathleen Kennedy, suffered from a recent box office disappointment. The new Indiana Jones sequel, was panned for being one of many recent sequels of old franchises that have alienated their audiences and emasculated their characters.

"Conservatives worried, and rightly so, that Disney would emasculate another beloved hero in the name of woke female empowerment," film critic Christian Toto wrote in July 2022. "Disney did just that with Oscar Isaac’s character in ‘The Last Jedi,’ and woke groupthink has taken a firm hold of the studio in recent years. Plus, Disney turned one of film’s most iconic heroes, Luke Skywalker, into a burned-out hermit who rebelled against The Force in ‘The Last Jedi.’"