Summary

• Daisy Ridley will reprise her role as Rey in a Star Wars movie exploring the New Jedi Order, directed by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy. The story is set 15 years after "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker."
• The movie will focus on the chaos within the newly-established Jedi Order as the galaxy questions the relevance of the Jedi. Obaid-Chinoy's unique perspective as a documentarian and activist may bring a fresh perspective to the franchise.
• Obaid-Chinoy's previous work, including documentaries on acid attacks and honor killings, has had a significant impact, earning her awards and recognition. Despite claims of controversy, her enthusiasm and background make her a promising addition to the Star Wars team.

Daisy Ridley is returning as Rey in a Star Wars exploring the New Jedi Order, directed by activist and documentarian Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy. At Star Wars Celebration 2023, Lucasfilm delighted attendees with the news of Ridley's return. The Skywalker saga has come to an end, but Rey's journey will continue, in a story set 15 years after Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.

Little is known about Rey's New Jedi Order movie. According to Lucasfilm boss Kathleen Kennedy, it will see the newly-established Jedi Order in chaos as the galaxy tries to decide whether it even wants the Jedi anymore. The movie will be helmed by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, a unique filmmaker who has already received significant backlash from some elements of the fandom.

Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy's Film Journey Is Unique

Unlike previous Star Wars directors Rian Johnson, J.J. Abrams, and, of course, George Lucas, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy is best known for her history as a documentarian and journalist. Her film history is largely one that involves documentaries centered on activism in her native Pakistan, and, although she has recent experience with larger franchises, her introduction to the Star Wars universe as a film director reflects a fairly large transition for her career-wise; one that is sure to bring a unique perspective to the New Jedi Order movie. Despite that, Obaid-Chinoy has indicated that one driving force behind her work is an interest in heroes, and Star Wars is certainly a galaxy with many.

This background could be an exciting one for the franchise, which has already adjusted its approaches in recent years, as seen with Star Wars' expansion into transmedia. Andor was a particularly notable success, moving away from the Skywalker Saga and focusing more on non-Jedi heroic characters; this may well mean the perspectives of a documentarian will be of benefit, especially one who prefers the kind of "lived-in" aesthetic George Lucas himself established in Star Wars. Obaid-Chinoy's specific interest in heroes may even further bring to light the truth that heroism, especially in Star Wars, can come from many places. As someone who has dedicated so much of her career to coverage of the individual, Obaid-Chinoy would also bring a humanistic focus to Rey's new story.

Obaid-Chinoy's Activism Has Been Massively Influential

Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy's 2012 documentary Saving Face highlighted the brutal history of acid attacks on women in Pakistan, sharing the stories of two survivors of such attacks and bringing to light the realities and prevalence of these incidents. With this documentary, Obaid-Chinoy sought justice for these women and paved the way for societal and political changes to address these attacks. Her 2015 film A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness followed the story of a survivor of an attempted honor killing, bringing to the forefront the history of honor killings as well. Both films have earned her acclaim and spread awareness of these issues.

Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy's Awards Explained

As an Oscar-winning director, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy is also the first and to date only female director to have won two Academy Awards by age 37, and she has won multiple News and Documentaries Emmy Awards and International Emmy Awards. According to IMDB, Obaid-Chinoy has a total of 25 wins and 9 nominations for her various projects. Some of those wins include the Los Angeles Independent Film Festival Awards, the Hollywood International Independent Documentary Awards, and the American Short Films Award. She also impressively won the Broadcast Journalist of the Year award from One World Media Awards. In 2012, Obaid-Chinoy was also included on Time magazine's The World's 100 Most Influential People list.

Obaid-Chinoy's Recent Work At Hollywood

Although much of Obaid-Chinoy's background consists of documentaries, including Saving Face (2012), Song of Lahore (2015), and A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness (2016), she is now no stranger to major franchises. One of her most notable projects is the MCU's 2022 Disney+ Ms. Marvel TV show, for which she directed two episodes: Episode 4, "Seeing Red," and Episode 5, "Time and Again." In 2023, it was also announced that she will be directing a Hulu documentary on fashion designer Diane von Fürstenberg, which, although the exact release date and title of the film are yet to be announced, is expected early this year.

Ms. Marvel gave Obaid-Chinoy valuable experience working with VFX, and it's notable that the various VFX artists who worked with her seem to have loved the experience. Scenes set during the partition of India were particularly difficult to get right, and involved elaborate planning to make sense of space. As cinematographer Jules O'Loughlin told Screen Rant:

"The last thing was the director, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy is - on paper - a pretty amazing person. She's a two-time Oscar-winning, seven-time Emmy winning documentary director. Not only that, she's very much involved in a lot of social programs in Pakistan, highly regarded there. I did my research, I started delving into her, I was blown away. She sounded pretty amazing. Then I met her on a Zoom call, and we hit it off immediately. I just thought I had to work with this woman, she just sounds amazing. The rest is history; I've worked with her, and I love her, she is amazing, she's everything the Google search said she is but so much more. She's a really decent, wonderful human being, and I loved working with her every minute."

Why Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy Has Become So Controversial

Obaid-Chinoy has become the subject of debate within the Star Wars fandom due to claims that her goal with New Jedi Order is to "make men uncomfortable." In fact, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy didn't say New Jedi Order would make men uncomfortable; that quote is eight years old, was not said about Star Wars, and was a joke. In an interview with CNN, Obaid-Chinoy said something very different. She said, "You know, I am very thrilled about the project because I think what we are about to create is something very special." In relation to gender, she said, "It's so important to have male champions in your life."

Star Wars frequently changes hands, which is part of the franchise's momentum; projects offer new perspectives and stories because Lucasfilm consistently welcomes new directors, producers, and writers. Dave Filoni is one example of someone who came aboard the Star Wars team and had a massive impact, introducing shows like Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Women directors in the franchise have also contributed unique new projects, such as Deborah Chow, who directed Obi-Wan Kenobi, bringing fan-favorites Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen back to the Star Wars galaxy. While new to Star Wars, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy's impact, with her extensive background and enthusiasm for Star Wars' New Jedi Order movie, will be one to watch.

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