Amidst rumors that Lucasfilm is looking for a female "Star Wars" director, "The Force Awakens" director J.J. Abrams suggested "Selma's" Ava Duvernay for the gig.
"The knee-jerk reaction, if I had to [choose], is Ava Duvernay, who I think would just kill it," he told the Nerdist. "She is as much a fan of genre movies, and hearing her talk about not just 'Star Wars,' but... those kind of films is evidence she would just kill it... Look at her work in 'Selma,' which was as well told and as sophisticated and humane a film as I think has come out in the last decade. I mean, she is someone -- if she can do that story that well -- there's no question she'd kill this movie."
Directed by J.J. Abrams, “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” stars franchise veterans Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Peter Mayhew, Anthony Daniels and Kenny Baker, joined by newcomers John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Andy Serkis, Domhnall Gleeson, Lupita Nyong’o, Gwendoline Christie and Max von Sydow.
The film will be released wide Dec. 16 in France, Dec. 17 in the United Kingdom and Dec. 18 in North America.