Ava DuVernay Should Direct 'Star Wars'

I should probably go on record now and say that I'm not really a Star Wars fan. It's as inexplicable to me as it is to many bigtime fans of the franchise. After all, I love sci-fi as a genre and am always up for a space adventure. However, I nearly fell asleep during Episode IV and never quite understood the lure of Storm Troopers and Jedis the way so many others have. Perhaps part of the problem is that Star Wars has, for the most part, seemed like more of a "boy thing" than anything else. After all, with the exception of The Empire Strikes Back draft writer Leigh Beckett, every writer and director involved in the franchise has been a guy. But what if Ava DuVernay were to direct Star Wars ? I'd probably be a bit more interested. That's what The Force Awakens director J.J. Abrams would love to happen, and I have to say, it's an amazing idea.

Nerdist sat down with Abrams to ask him a bunch of stuff about the latest installment of George Lucas' legendary franchise, and they touched upon the idea of a female director taking over. Abrams expressed enthusiasm about DuVernay, who was his "kneejerk reaction" and the first person to come to mind due to her amazing work on Selma. Abrams believed that her past work is "evidence that she would just kill it," and he's definitely not wrong.

DuVernay is an incredibly talented director, and certainly one of the most important to emerge in recent years. Her name has come up pretty much every time Hollywood has been looking for an amazing director to take on a fast-paced, action-packed, superhero film, but so far, none have really stuck. Star Wars could be the one, and why shouldn't it be? I'm certainly not the only person to feel that the franchise lacks a little something to really pull me in — a particular je ne sais quoi that would make it that much more accessible. That's not to say that girls can't like "boys things" or that there's even such a thing, but I'll be frank in saying that I think Star Wars could use the female eye to shed light on a few of its darker areas.

Whether or not this ever comes to pass remains to be seen — for now, DuVernay's connection to Star Wars is only theoretical. But given that Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy has said she's committed to bringing more females on board, which is a relief to hear. We can only keep our fingers crossed that DuVernay's name stays fresh in their mind, and that this is one project she'll sign on for. I'd watch a Star Wars movie directed by her — you'd have to be crazy not to.

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Image: Giphy