Ava DuVernay Definitely Doesn't Want To Direct Star Wars

Luke Skywalker and Mrs. Which side by side

It's an exciting time to be a Star Wars fan. With Disney now in charge of the property, there is a ton of content being produced, greatly expanding the galaxy far, far away in the process. Between the current trilogy, standalone films, and Rian Johnson's mysterious new trilogy, we should expect plenty of Star Wars blockbusters in the coming years. As such, the House of Mouse needs to hire some A-list directors to work on the upcoming films. With Ava DuVernay making history with her work on Disney's A Wrinkle in Time, she seemed like a great choice to helm an upcoming galactic adventure. Unfortunately, she doesn't seem very interested, recently tweeting out,

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Well, that tweet certainly puts an end to all the speculation. It doesn't seem like Ava DuVernay has an interest in traveling across the galaxies in an epic space opera. And while she might be a great choice to bring some much needed diversity to the franchise, it's just not the right project for the Selma director.

With so many Star Wars projects being developed by Disney, there is an opportunity to hire some truly fantastic talent both behind and in front of the camera. Due to the property's massive appeal and reach, many have been calling for more inclusion in Star Wars flicks. The first two trilogies were obviously all directed by the visionary George Lucas, but now the iconic characters and settings can now be explored through new eyes. Thus far those have all been exclusively white men, leading to a conversation around proper inclusion and diversity within the Star Wars universe.

Ava DuVernay has already proven herself as a groundbreaker in the world of film production. Her successes have almost all been firsts for the industry. It all seemed to start with her Sundance win for 2012's Middle of Nowhere, where she was the first African-American woman to win. With Selma she became the first black woman to get nominated for both the Golden Globe and Oscar for directing. A Wrinkle in Time marks the biggest budget movie directed by a black woman, continuing her streak of breaking down barriers with her work. It's likely because of this inspiring narrative that DuVernay has been at the top of some cinephiles' lists to helm a Star Wars movie.

All eyes are currently on Ava DuVernay, a her highly anticipated adaptation of A Winkle in Time arrives in theaters. Reviews have been mixed thus far, but it still has the potential to make a ton of money at the box office. It's currently unclear exactly what DuVernay will work on next, but it's certainly not going to be a Star Wars movie.

A Wrinkle in Time is in theaters March 9th. Int he meantime, check out our 2018 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

Corey Chichizola
Movies Editor

Corey was born and raised in New Jersey. Graduated with degrees theater and literature from Ramapo College of New Jersey. After working in administrative theater for a year in New York, he started as the Weekend Editor at CinemaBlend. He's since been able to work himself up to reviews, phoners, and press junkets-- and is now able to appear on camera with some of his favorite actors... just not as he would have predicted as a kid. He's particularly proud of covering horror franchises like Scream and Halloween, as well as movie musicals like West Side Story. Favorite interviews include Steven Spielberg, Spike Lee, Jamie Lee Curtis, and more.