Following criticism that everyStar Warsdirector has been a white male, Lucasfilm has done a game changer, announcing Victoria Mahoney as the Second Unit Director forStar Wars 9. Mahoney will be the first African American andfirst female directorto work as any kind of director on aStar Warsmovie, so this is a historic move for Lucasfilm.
Thecriticism of LucasfilmandStar Warsfirst surfaced earlier this year when Variety reported a statistic that 96% of the writers and directors forStar Warsare white males. This immediately became a big issue for many people, especially considering the move for gender equality in the film industry that has become a hot topic in recent years. Considering thatStar Warsis one of history’s biggest franchises, fans were easily disappointed in its lack of diversity.
Realizing the issue at hand, Victoria Mahoney was added on to the above-the-line crew ofStar Wars: Episode IX, answering some fans pleas for diversity sooner than anyone expected. Earlier this week, Lucasfilm General Manager and Industrial Light & Magic President Lynwen Brennan said that a female-directedStar Warswas “going to happen.” Most people assumed this wouldn’t for several years, likely for one of theStar Warsspin-offs, but it looks as though Brennan was actually speaking for the nextStar Warsproject in line.
While Victoria Mahoney won’t be the actual director ofStar Wars 9, as that mantle still belongs toThe Force Awakensdirector J.J. Abrams, Mahoney will betaking over as Second Unit Director. While the First Unit director J.J. Abrams will work with the leading cast and bigger picture shots duringEpisode IX’s production, Mahoney will be working on the shots not including leading cast members. For example, cutaways, establishing shots, and most shots including stunt doubles will be covered and directed by Mahoney for this project.
Though she may not be the First Unit Director, and thus won’t have much creative control, this is certainly a step in the right direction for Lucasfilm andStar Wars. It shows that they are listening to what the fans want, and prove that diversity is a priority in their business. Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy has shown previously that gender equality is important to her, considering that 50% of her leadership team consists of women.
Victoria Mahoney does have a decent background as a director. She has worked as a director on a fair number of TV shows, includingPower,American Crime, andGrey’s Anatomy. Before working as a director, Mahoney also acted for about ten years, appearing inLegally BlondeandSeinfeld.
The announcement of Victoria Mahoney becomingStar Wars: Episode IX’s second unit director, reported byAva DuVernay, shows a lot of promise for the movie and for the entire future of theStar Warsfranchise. While Mahoney is sure to bring her talent and experience to the table for the ninth installment to the Skywalker Saga, her announcement also proves that diversity is indeed a priority at Lucasfilm. Hopefully this will lead to a female-directedStar Warsmovie in the near future.
