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.

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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.

(Star Wars)

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.

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.

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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.

Authors

Morgan JefferyDigital Editor

Morgan Jeffery is the Digital Editor for Radio Times, overseeing all editorial output across the brand's digital platforms. He was previously TV Editor at Digital Spy and has featured as a TV expert on BBC Breakfast, BBC Radio 5 Live and Sky Atlantic.

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