New Jedi Order Director Is ‘Drowning Out’ the Fandom While Making Rey Sequel

Filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy plans to drown out the toxic side of the Star Wars fandom (and the fandom in general) while working on her upcoming Rey movie. Discussing the project carefully with Variety, Obaid-Chinoy addressed being the target of overly critical fans, many of whom have called her hiring for the sequel another example of Disney “woke-ism” with threats to boycott the Rey movie, titled New Jedi Order, when it’s released. But Obaid-Chinoy is aware of, and even somewhat understands, the passion felt by Star Wars fans, and will ignore all of it until she is “done.”

“The greatest thing about ‘Star Wars’ is that everyone has a personal connection to it. Everyone is passionate about it. And throughout the fandom, people have clear ideas about who should direct or what the stories should be about. I’m just drowning out those voices until I’m done.”

While she can’t reveal too much about the Rey movie, Obaid-Chinoy does tease elements for both new and old fans in her debut story set in a galaxy far, far away.

“As a storyteller, I’m focused on drawing new moviegoers into the cinema, and bringing a sense of nostalgia that will appeal to older fans of the series.”

Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy Is Interested in Exploring ‘Rey’s Journey as a Female Jedi’

The Rey movie will bring Daisy Ridley back following her introduction as the fledgling Jedi Knight in the Disney Star Wars sequel trilogy. Last seen in 2019’s Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker, the movie will follow-up on the sequel, and center on Rey as she attempts to shape the Jedi Order for a new era. And, for Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, it is Rey’s journey as a female Jedi that interests her most.

“The story that interests me most is in Rey’s journey as a female Jedi. That’s how I can best bring my experiences to it.”

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The most recent Star Wars outing to be targeted by a particular section of fans is the Disney+ series The Acolyte. The show now has the lowest Rotten Tomatoes ‘audience score’ at 13%, with many having taken it upon themselves to review bomb the series (with some accidentally leaving negative reviews for the wrong project).

Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy has addressed the ongoing backlash, saying that, from what she has seen, a lot of “women who step into ‘Star Wars’ struggle” with toxicity.

“My belief is that storytelling does need to be representative of all people. That’s an easy decision for me. Operating within these giant franchises now, with social media and the level of expectation — it’s terrifying. I think Leslye has struggled a little bit with it. I think a lot of the women who step into ‘Star Wars’ struggle with this a bit more. Because of the fan base being so male dominated, they sometimes get attacked in ways that can be quite personal.”