Back in May, Lucasfilm confirmed that Leslye Headland will serve as showrunner for a new live-action Star Wars TV series coming to Disney+. All that's known is that the project will be a female-led action thriller set during yet another time period in this Galaxy Far, Far Away, and the prevailing theory is that Ashoka Tano will be the show's lead.
Entertainment Weekly caught up with the Emmy-nominated writer this week, and she shared her gratitude after being invited to become part of the Star Wars world on the streaming platform.
"I know it's true because there are so few of us that are allowed to sit at the table, so to speak, and many, many more that are still not allowed," she started. "It's an honor in the sense that I feel incredibly grateful and lucky. I also would say that. I think Fran would agree with this, that a lot of this business is luck. A lot of it is."
"I think that when you're working at a disadvantage, meaning you are part of an oppressed or marginalized community, it is very difficult, as they say, to become what you cannot see."
"I don't love writing. Writing is terrible. Pitching is exhausting. When people are like, 'How do I pitch?' I'm like, 'Well, sit down for a second, let me explain it to you because it's working on the project for six months until they tell you you didn't get the job.' Especially larger-level projects like big IPs, like Star Wars and Marvel and DC. It's like, 'Strap in, because it's a lot of work.' But the hardest part is getting in the room."
Headlland is an openly gay woman, so that is where she's coming from while addressing how difficult it is to be invited to the table for a project like Star Wars. She would go on to discuss the importance of LGBTQ+ representation on screen, and it seems likely that will be part of this Disney+ series.
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