Victoria Mahoney, who became the first woman ever to direct on a Star Wars movie when she served as second unit director on The Rise Of Skywalker, has signed on to direct the action-drama Shadow Force. The film will star Sterling K. Brown and Kerry Washington, and is in the works at Lionsgate.
The film revolves around an estranged couple with a bounty on their heads. They’re forced to go on the run with their son to avoid their former employer, a unit of shadow ops that has been sent to kill them. Leon Chills and Joe Carnahan have written the script, while Brown and Washington will produce via their respective companies, Indian Meadows Productions and Simpson Street.
Mahoney made her full directorial debut with the 2011 drama Yelling To The Sky, which was nominated for the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival. Since then, she has worked with names such as J.J. Abrams, Ava DuVernay, and Patty Jenkins, while also directing episodes of TV shows such as Lovecraft Country, Grey’s Anatomy and I Am The Night.
“Victoria is one of the most impressive and in-demand directors working today. Like with all of her work, she will bring iconic action, warmth, style, and gravitas to Shadow Force“, Lionsgate’s Erin Westerman said in a statement. Brown and Washington added via a joint statement:
“We are absolutely thrilled to be working with Victoria Mahoney. Her vision is inspiring. Her enthusiasm is infectious. Her artistry and insight have already deepened this electrifying project”.
This is exciting and great for Mahoney, and it isn’t the only feature film she’s got in the works, either. Last June she signed on to direct another action movie titled Kill Them All, which is based on the comic of the same name and revolves around a betrayed murderess and a hard-drinking former cop who team up to take down a vicious Miami crime lord.
Both movies sound intriguing, and it’s great to see women getting the opportunity to direct action, a genre they’ve long been excluded from. If both of those films turn out to be good, Mahoney will quickly graduate from simply being known as the first woman to direct on a Star Wars movie.
#Peace.Love.ShadowForce
