Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy Talks Rey Star Wars Movie

Movies

That Rey movie sounds better and better as time goes on. The film’s director, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, recently spoke to Variety about a documentary she made, and the developing Star Wars movie inevitably came up. When asked about why she wanted to direct the Rey film, Obaid-Chinoy said:

“The story that interests me most is in Rey’s journey as a female Jedi… That’s how I can best bring my experiences to it.”

So, it sounds like it’s going to be what most people figured: a feminist Star Wars movie. I don’t imagine it will matter that there were female Jedi before Rey was even born. Why let the lore get in the way of a girl power message? If this movie is about Rey rebuilding the Jedi order (thus completing her usurpation of Luke Skywalker’s storyline now that she’s taken his father’s), get ready for a major theme to be the male Jedi recruits not wanting to follow her because she’s a woman (perhaps representing fans who wanted this to be Luke’s story) and the villain being the embodiment of the patriarchy. They absolutely will not stop turning Star Wars into a vehicle for their sociopolitical movements, and while Leslye Headland is currently gaslighting fans about The Acolyte after mocking them with how “gay” it was, they’re going to jump right in with a Rey movie about the plight of the lady Jedi. I wonder if they’ll do another 180 if that bombs.

To be fair to Sharmeen Obaid-Shinoy, she does sidestep the inevitable question about toxic fans (which Variety dutifully asked her to earn their doggie treat) about as well as someone in her position could.

“The greatest thing about ‘Star Wars’ is that everyone has a personal connection to it… Everyone is passionate about it. And throughout the fandom, people have clear ideas about who should direct or what the stories should be about. I’m just drowning out those voices until I’m done. As a storyteller, I’m focused on drawing new moviegoers into the cinema, and bringing a sense of nostalgia that will appeal to older fans of the series.”

I don’t think that’s a bad answer, and it makes me wonder if Disney and Lucasfilm are finally getting the message that they should stop antagonizing Star Wars fans… at least until the movie or show comes out. That doesn’t mean I agree with this direction – you’re not going to get new fans for a universally recognized franchise like Star Wars unless you’re a dad introducing it to his kids – but she’s at least attempting to be diplomatic, and I appreciate that. Now, how long will it be before Kathleen Kennedy undoes whatever goodwill Obaid-Chinoy generated by calling the fans racists who hate women?