Star Wars boss says a future movie will "absolutely" be helmed by female director
Kathleen Kennedy spoke about hiring women filmmakers on the BAFTA Film Awards red carpet
It's looking more and more likely that a future Star Wars movie will see a woman in the director's chair for the first time in the franchise's 43-year history.
Female directors Deborah Chow and Bryce Dallas Howard recently helmed episodes of Disney+ series The Mandalorian, but there has never previously been a female lead director on a big-screen Star Wars production.
But speaking to BBC News on the red carpet for the BAFTA Film Awards 2020, Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy said that "without question" a future film will be helmed by a woman filmmaker.
Kennedy – who is receiving this year's BAFTA Fellowship award – did not specify a particular film, but said that a female director would "absolutely" be hired.
"We've got two or three fantastic women working with Star Wars - we're cultivating a lot of great talent," she said.
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Last year, Victoria Mahoney became the first woman to direct scenes for a Star Wars film as second unit director on The Rise of Skywalker.
Rian Johnson, writer/director of The Last Jedi, is currently working on a trilogy of Star Wars films, while Marvel Cinematic Universe producer Kevin Feige is also developing a film with Kathleen Kennedy.
TV projects in the works include shows featuring Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) and Rogue One's Cassian Andor (Diego Luna), as well as a second season of The Mandalorian.
