New 'Star Wars' Director Wants To Make Men 'Uncomfortable' With Her Films

Disney just can't get out of its own way, and the Star Wars franchise, already running on fumes, is set to become its next victim.

Throughout 2023, Disney took hit after financial hit, with major franchise releases like Indiana Jones and The Marvels taking massive losses at the box office. The Little Mermaid was another disappointment, and animated films like Elemental and Wish were disastrous failures.

The entertainment studio's live action version of Snow White was also hammered by bad press after remarkably awful set photos leaked. Disney even decided to push the film back an entire year to distract from the negative attention.

READ: DISNEY DELAYS SNOW WHITE, ELIO DURING DISMAL YEAR

CEO Bob Iger tried to walk a fine line after the backlash to the company's obvious political positioning grew in 2023. On the one hand, he's acknowledged that the studio needs to tone down its rhetoric, while simultaneously claiming the company isn't political.

Well based on who he and Lucasfilm hired to direct the next film in their signature Star Wars franchise, its clear it hasn't learned its lesson. After the last few entries were directed by J.J. Abrams and Rian Johnson, this next project, set to be released in 2026, will be directed by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy. And who would have ever guessed it, she says it's "about time" a woman shapes "a story in a galaxy far, far away."

But even that doesn't hold a candle to one of her most tone deaf remarks.

ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA - MAY 29: Bob Iger speaks onstage during the Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge Media Preview at the Disneyland Resort on May 29, 2019 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Amy Sussman/Getty Images)

'Star Wars' Director Wants To Make The Franchise About Her

Matt Walsh from The Daily Wire posted a video on X of Obaid-Chinoy speaking at a panel several years ago about her goals as a filmmaker. And unsurprisingly, given how she made her promo for the next film about her gender, her primary objective as a director is to "make men uncomfortable."

Makes perfect sense for the leader of the most important franchise in the Disney stable where a sizable majority of the fans are men.

Great choice as always, Kathleen Kennedy!

The problem with Obaid-Chinoy's remarks and stated ambitions isn't that she's a woman directing a Star Wars film. It's that she wants to make the films about her and her political beliefs.

There's obviously nothing wrong with making movies or stories centered around women. But when you're forcing a story to go in a certain direction to hit an ideological or gender quota, that's when projects quickly go off the rails.

Peter Jackson famously explained that he wanted to ensure that the Lord of the Rings film franchise stayed true to J.R.R. Tolkein's vision. Instead of interjecting his beliefs or the modern world's beliefs into the story, he wanted it to be a representation of what Tolkein created. And they are some of the most respected, beloved, successful films in decades. Amazon's Ring of Power series abandoned that mandate, turning characters like Galadriel into modern feminist "girl boss" archetypes.

Sure enough, the series flopped.

This is exactly the road Disney seems to be taking with Star Wars.

Make Quality Stories, Not Political Messages

The reason why Star Wars became so successful in the first place was that at its core, it was about universal human messages set in a new, awe-inspiring setting.

But the latest trilogy saw declining box office as Disney, Abrams and the other creative team decided to undercut their own property. Just like they did with the latest Indiana Jones release.

The first and only focus of the next Star Wars director should be to reinforce the classic storytelling and quality of the original films. Regardless of their race or gender. Or that of the stars in the project.

Instead, we see that Obaid-Chinoy intends to make the project about her. Her political beliefs. Her ideological goals. And apparently, making men "uncomfortable."

Beyond the creative bankruptcy that implies, how does it make financial sense to alienate half (or more) of your potential audience? In an action-adventure franchise? The answer is, of course, that it doesn't. Just like it doesn't make sense to turn Star Wars into a political vehicle.

Disney and Lucasfilm clearly have yet to learn their lesson. Maybe when this film inevitably flops in 2026, they'll finally get it.