Victoria Mahoney Added to STAR WARS EPISODE IX as Second Unit Director

Some people are increasingly critical of the film industry for being composed primarily of white men. Star Wars has dealt with a lot of this rage since all of the franchise’s films have been helmed by white men. However, it appears they are starting to turn that image around to be more diverse both in front of and behind the camera.

Victoria Mahoney has been added to the crew of Episode IX as the second unit director. This means she is in charge of things that don’t involve the leads such as establishing shots. Mahoney has previously directed episodes of shows including Grey’s Anatomy, American Crime, and Misfits. The news comes from Wrinkle in Time director Ana DuVernay.

Happy to share this historic news. A black woman directing stories in a galaxy far, far away. First unit director #JJAbrams. Second unit director @VictoriaMahoney. #StarWarsE9 #StarWars pic.twitter.com/s689jv9I4u

— Ava DuVernay (@ava) April 17, 2018

We still don’t know what will happen in Episode IX, especially considering how Rian Johnson left things for J.J. Abrams at the end of The Last Jedi. In fact, a lot of fans are wondering if Abrams will retcon parts of The Last Jedi. Filming for Episode IX is currently scheduled to begin in July. I’m excited to see how everything plays out.