Lucasfilm has announced that Pakistani filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy will direct a new Star Wars film, which is currently in the scripting stage, (Deadline). The film will be the first major big screen release for the entertainment company since 2019’s Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker, with the studio having shifted focus to TV projects such as The Mandalorian, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Andor in recent years. Obaid-Chinoy, who won Oscars for her documentary shorts Saving Face and A Girl in the River, will be co-writing the film with Damon Lindelof.
Her film will be set after the events of The Rise of Skywalker and will feature Daisy Ridley reprising her role as Rey as she builds a new Jedi Order. Steven Knight of Peaky Blinders is penning the script. The project marks a number of milestones for the franchise, including Obaid-Chinoy becoming the first woman and the first person of colour to direct a Star Wars movie. Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy announced that three new live-action Star Wars films are on the way, with Obaid-Chinoy, James Mangold and Dave Filoni attached as directors.
Obaid-Chinoy further commented, “The blueprints of the stories we see on screen should be 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. This is why I was attracted to the promise of a new Jedi Order and what the Jedi stand for. I cannot wait to share this with the world.”
Taking to Instagram the filmmaker wrote, “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 Daisy Ridley back to the galaxy. I have always been attracted to the hero’s journey and the world definitely needs more heroes!”
She added, “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.”
