Kathleen Kennedy Offers Update on INDIANA JONES 5 and Women Directors in STAR WARS
Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy has had an incredible career. As co-founder of Steven Spielberg’s production company, Amblin, she has produced incredible films like E.T., Poltergeist, the Indiana Jones films, The Goonies, the Back to the Future films, the Jurassic Park films, and now all of the Star Wars films and series since The Force Awakens. And she’s showing no signs of slowing down.
In a recent red carpet interview at the 2020 BAFTA Awards, where she was presented with this year's BAFTA Fellowship, which is the ceremony’s lifetime achievement award, the producer spoke with a BBC reporter, who asked her about her upcoming projects. When asked if there were many women directors in upcoming projects in the Star Wars universe, Kennedy replied:
“We’ve already got ’em. We’re doing Mandalorian, we’ve got two or three fantastic women working with Star Wars and we just brought in Deborah Chow who’s doing the Obi-Wan series. We’re cultivating a lot of great talent.
The interviewer then asked, “So a movie could get one finally?” Kennedy then responded:
“Oh, absolutely. Without question.”
Next up, he moved on to ask about the upcoming Indiana Jones 5. He questioned its status, and asked for clarification on whether it’s a reboot, and if Harrison Ford is definitely involved. Kennedy said:
“We’re working away, getting the script where we want it to be and then we’ll be ready to go. Harrison Ford will be involved. It’s not a reboot; it’s a continuation.”
He then asked if Ford is up for it. Kennedy replied:
“Oh yeah! He can’t wait. He absolutely is.”
So there you have it, folks. I don’t think anyone was particularly clamoring for info about women directors in Star Wars, but I do think it’s a good idea to shake up the director pool since fans are so finicky about the directors of the films. It’s also fun to hear that Ford is excited to get back to the role of Indiana Jones! While the last film was a bit of a dud, I think there is still some fun to be had with the franchise, so I am excited for what’s to come. How about you?