Star Wars: The Last Jedi director urges film bosses to pick a woman for future movie

The man behind the latest Star Wars movie has urged film bosses to consider hiring a woman to direct a future instalment.
Rian Johnson’s acclaimed new movie The Last Jedi hits cinemas this weekend (15Dec17) and he thinks it’s high time Disney bosses shake things up and bring in a woman – or a non-white director.
“There are so many incredibly talented female directors, directors of colour out there, and so many that I would love to see play in this universe,” he says.
Johnson is the latest in a long line of white, male directors, who have taken on George Lucas’ Star Wars vision in official films and spin-offs, and he’s delighted he was able to add ethnic lead characters to the sci-fi franchise, including Asian-American actress Kelly Marie Tran and Puerto Rican star Benicio Del Toro.
“It felt good to reflect the world a little more closely as it is today and how it looks around us,” Johnson adds.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi is the follow-up to 2015’s The Force Awakens, which was directed by J.J. Abrams. He will return to take charge of 2019’s Star Wars: Episode IX.
Disney snapped up the Star Wars franchise when executives bought George Lucas’ production company in 2012 for over $4 billion, but the blockbuster series’ creator still keeps an eye on what’s being produced – and he loves Rian’s new film.
The movie mogul’s representative, Connie Wethington, has confirmed that Lucas thought the movie was “beautifully made”, adding that he spoke directly to Johnson after he saw the film and was “complimentary”.