Kathleen Kennedy, producer on J. J. Abrams upcoming Star Wars: The Force Awakens is an extremely important woman in Hollywood. Co-founder of Amblin entertainment, produced two of the most successful films of the 90s (E.T. & Jurassic Park), and was president of Lucasfilm for a number of years. Now working as brand manager for Star Wars at the Walt Disney Picture Company, she has a hell of a lot of control over what is expected to be an extremely popular franchise (to put it modestly).
Speaking to the Guardian at the Washington based Fortune Most Powerful Women Summit, the Kennedy let slip a few hints towards Daisy Ridley‘s character’s role in the film. Ridley will play the part of Rey in the film, and has featured heavily in trailers. A lot of fan speculation has gone into Rey’s family lineage; most expecting her to be revealed as Luke or Leia Skywalker’s offspring.
Kennedy stated that Ridley’s character will be “extremely significant” to the ongoing Star Wars franchise, which is expected to carry on the legacy of the original trilogy. The second trailer features a voice over by Mark Hamil‘s Luke Skywalker, stating that the force is strong in his family; he has it, his father has it, and you have it.
The “you” in the monologue will no doubt represent the Skywalker predecessor, and now, with Kennedy’s comments it looks very likely this role will fall to Ridley’s Rey. Let’s hope she doesn’t have a brother, otherwise things might get weird again…
I highly advise checking out the Guardian article this information comes from, available from the link above. Kennedy is a strong female presence in Hollywood and the piece delves into the gender politics of the production. Star Wars: The Force Awakens will open in the UK on December 15.
#Peace.Love.StarWars
