A DIVERSE FUTURE FOR STAR WARS
Producer Kennedy intends to have woman direct episode
Kathleen Kennedy continues to rule the Star Wars empire after brokering the multibillion-dollar deal between George Lucas and Disney.
Kennedy remains a Star Wars force under the Disney umbrella after decades of producing A-list films with her husband, Frank Marshall.
Before the opening of the latest special-effects space opera Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, she met with the media in Lucas’s San Francisco base of operations.
Here are some noted quotes from the all-powerful leader of the Star Wars pack: On a female director in Star Wars future: “I, as you can imagine, have every intention of giving somebody an opportunity,” Kennedy says. “So if somebody actually moves through the process of making movies, and wants to make a Star Wars movie, and shows that they have actually stepped into the role on that level, of course, we’re going to consider a woman.”
On the fact that female characters headlined Star Wars: The Force Awakens (Rey) and now Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (Jyn):
“I found it really interesting when I first stepped into this job and I started to look at, you know, what does it mean to be a female hero, a female heroine? I think these are empowered women not are not necessarily just taking on male characteristics, they’re genuinely female heroines. And I think that’s really important to the way we tell stories.”
On the diversity factor with the cast of The Force Awakens and Rogue One: “I think, you know, having a cast that represents and reflects the world today and having characters that people can relate to all over the world is important, because this is very much a global industry.”
On Rogue One's stand-alone structure: “What’s liberating in many ways is the notion that we can come up with these stories inside the Star Wars universe that really have a beginning, middle and an end.”