Tuesday, Lucasfilm announced that director Colin Trevorrow would not be directing Star Wars: Episode IX, which prompted this response: Hey, should a woman director helm the next Star Wars movie? What a bananas idea.
It's easy — Star Wars fans quickly made suggestions as to who could direct. Michelle MacLaren, a director and producer who most recently directed the pilot episode of HBO's The Deuce, surfaced more than once. She almost directed this summer's Wonder Woman — she left the project in 2015, and Patty Jenkins took the lead. It all worked out for the best, because now we have The Deuce! MacLaren's bevy of directing credits includes episodes of Westworld, Game of Thrones, The Leftovers, The Walking Dead, and Better Call Saul. So, she definitely has experience directing action projects.
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Hey STAR WARS, how about hiring a woman to direct Episode 9? Michelle MacLaren, one the best action directors alive, might be available.
— Matt Zoller Seitz (@mattzollerseitz) September 5, 2017
GIVE EPISODE IX TO MICHELLE MACLAREN. "Salud". "One Minute." "To'hajiilee." "Oathkeeper." "The Bear and the Maiden Fair." I mean, come on.
— Kristen S Anderson (@KSoltisAnderson) September 6, 2017
Or look! There's a whole list of woman directors, prepped and ready for Lucasfilm to peruse.
Perhaps the next #starwars director could come from this list of very talented female directors. https://t.co/oTb1R927gD
— Rebecca Ford (@Beccamford) September 5, 2017
The list, curated by The Alice Initiative, highlights future important female directors. The 30 women who made the list have all directed at least one feature and have received honours for their work in television or short films. The list was published by The Hollywood Reporter in 2016 and includes the following potential Star Wars directors:
Jennifer Kent, who directed the iconic horror film The Babadook.
S.J. Clarkson, known for her work on Jessica Jones and The Defenders.
Dee Rees, who directed the indie darling Pariah, as well as the upcoming World War II epic Mudbound.
Melina Matsoukas, who directs most episodes of Insecure. (She also famously directed the video for "Formation.")
Emily Carmichael, who directed the sci-fi short Stryka and is also credited as a writer for Pacific Rim: Uprising (scheduled to come out in 2018).
A New Hope (1977) was directed by George Lucas. He's a man. Empire Strikes Back (1980) and The Return of the Jedi (1983) were directed by Irvin Kershner and Richard Marquand, who are men. Phantom Menace (1999), Attack of the Clones (2002) and Revenge of the Sith (2005) were also products of Lucas. J.J. Abrams led The Force Awakens (2015). Rian Johnson took the lead for The Last Jedi (2018). For a minute, it looked like Colin Trevorrow would direct the as-of-yet untitled episode IX. Now he's not.
Let's get a woman director!