Star Wars producer Kathleen Kennedy recently stated that she would like a female director or screenwriter to help develop one of the upcoming projects but there's a problem - none have called the Lucasfilm offices to inquire. "I had not had one single phone call from a woman telling me that she really, really wants to direct a ‘Star Wars’ movie," Kennedy told The Wrap. Shec continued, " They need to be the ones picking up the phone and saying, ‘Hey, let me tell you what ‘Star Wars’ means to me and how much I could do with it."
Well, apparently the message has been received and a high-profile Hollywood agent, Adriana Alberghetti, has brokered meetings for her female clients (4 directors and 3 screenwriters) that are interested in Star Wars. The names are currently a secret but Alberghetti represents the likes of Marti Noxon (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), S.J. Clarkson (Marvel's Jessica Jones), Linda Woolverton (Maleficent) and more.
Ever since screenwriter Leigh Brackett passed away while working on the script for The Empire Strikes Back (her draft was eventually tossed, thus she received no credit), the Star Wars franchise has been perceived as a male-only IP, from a creative standpoint. Though fans of the franchise are predominantly male (70% of advance ticket purchases for The Force Awakens were made by males 18-34 yrs old), Star Wars definitely has a sizable contingent of female fans. While most of the sequels and spin-offs currently announced have set their creative teams, don't be surprised by the eventual announcement of a Star Wars project that spearheaded by a female creative team. After all, Disney plans to release at least one, new Star Wars related project every year, starting with The Force Awakens.