Discussion Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy Star Wars Movie - NOT FILMING April 7th, 2024 (Blame Fredrik!)

I agree that Andor is overrated, and the fact that it’s become the new “gold standard” for everyone kinda saddens me. Hopefully future projects, including this film, don’t have the Andor “feel.” That show works because it’s the exception, not the norm. If you make that tone the norm, you’re basically going against the “all ages” approach that Lucas wanted Star Wars to have from the very start.

EDIT: Sneider was on Rocha’s show again just now and clarified that Knight’s script will basically be a full-blown rewrite. He claims LFL wasn’t happy with Lindelof’s draft. Supposedly KK brought Chinoy in first, and then Lindelof was brought in to help write her vision (which contradicts what we heard before, but whatever). He also reiterated that three new films will be announced at Celebration. He also said that LFL was told to only focus on starwars from now on.

 

Something tells me… X, XI, XII. I don’t know how I’ll feel about it if that’s the case but that’s what I’m thinking of at this moment.

 

My gut feeling is that too. If not that, then a deepfake movie with Luke, Han and Leia set during the OT.

One way or another, they’re gonna play it safe.

 

I do like the idea of bringing Rey, Finn and Poe back. Something that was sort of a lost opportunity with Luke, Han and Leia while they were still in their prime. And I would like to see the Jedi Order and the New Republic restored this time. I just have no idea what the story would be. Of course that’s why I’m not writing it.

 

Jeff Sneider says Damon Lindelof was not informed about the hiring of Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy before hand and disagreed with her hiring. One source said Obaid-Chinoy’s hiring was “bizarre and random” and hinted she was just inserted as a KK puppet.

A separate source said Lindelof was fired because his script was awful.

Sneider also said KK’s future at LFL is contingent on getting a feature film in theaters by Christmas 2025. She’ll be removed if she doesn’t make the date.

 

Of course the first female director of a Star Wars film is just a puppet. Definitely no agendas being pushed with that “inside info”.

 

Oh, I misspoke above then. I interpreted his newest “scoop” as Chinoy being brought in before Lindelof. My bad.

 

The word “puppet” was never said, only hinted at.

 

Was this source A Chorus Of Disapproval?

(was reading back the last few pages and it seems he is not a fan )

 

how things should be done : work on a script. When the script is finalized and everyone says it's good and agree to give it a go then production begins and the film is announced. How things seem to work at Lucasfilm : Set a release date and work around it, even if you have no script. Because if a SW movie MUST be released in dec 2025 how can they be certain that Knight's script is gonna be good enough? If it happened to Lindelof it could happen to him too. and then what? Find another writer a few months before shooting? Go forward with a mediocre story?

 

Sneider also said Obaid-Chinoy and Lindelof personally clashed.

 

While I’m cautious about someone who hasn’t done a big budget feature before, I think dismissing Obaid-Chinoy as some amateur puppet is tinged with sexism. She’s highly successful at what she’s done previously - winning numerous awards for her work. It’s just gross that numerous people, whose main interest is popular culture, talking down about a woman who’s done some actually serious work. It seems to be implied in the reporting that it totally wasn’t Lindelof as the source of the friction.

 

That cannot possibly be true. If she plans to stay after the release of Indiana Jones V at all, it is the success of this latest Indy installment that will determine her immediate future. No way Iger will wait until the end of 2025, if this movie is a flop.

 

Sneider has consistently stated KK isn’t going anywhere until she gets the next series of films off the ground. Who ends up being right between him and Campea? We’re about to find out.

 

It's a bit baffling that Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, who has won International Emmys and Academy Awards for her work, is somehow considered grossly unqualified to direct a Star Wars movie because her only work in fiction is in animation and a few episodes of live action.

Yet Dave Filoni, whose only work outside of animation to date is directing four episodes of live action TV, is frequently propped up as the obvious choice to direct a movie... because he was versed on Star Wars lore by George Lucas? Which I guess is a legitimate and core qualification for the job of managing a film large set, getting efficient coverage for scenes, and keeping a blockbuster production within budget and schedule? And I do not mean this as a knock against Filoni.

 

Careful now not to start a riot.

 

She’s actually *not* the first woman hired by Kathy to direct a Star Wars movie . . .

Just the first one that hasn’t been fired, yet . . .

 

Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy has excelled and has received multiple awards for her work in documentaries and non-fiction stories, which are approximately 90% of her works as an artist. Her entire career is focused on social issues, and I personally compliment her for that. Even her animated stories, are focused on the social injustice that women have to deal with in the Middle East and south east Asia. The only live action fictional content she has done, is 2 episodes of the tremendously bad Ms Marvel, though that's just my personal opinion, and I don't think her direction was the problem anyway. It's fair to say that her experience in handling a Star Wars movie, is exactly equal to zero.

Maybe, just maybe, a person who has spent literally their entire life writing, planning, drawing, designing and directing both animated and live action fictional stories set in the galaxy far far away, should be considered more qualified to actually direct a live action Star Wars movie. What a crazy idea, am I right?

Imagine thinking that Filoni might not be efficient in getting coverage for scenes and keeping a production within budget and schedule, and prioritizing that, over actually delivering a good story. Yeeeesh.

 

But, but, but sexism!!

jk you’re entirely right, of course. Well, I wouldn’t say *zero*, but she certainly has nothing even remotely close to the experience of every previous Star Wars director.

 

Right.... the easy way to dismiss opinions that people don't agree with. Even after I complimented her and her work.

I mean, she has literally never ever directed a fictional live action movie. But ok, sure, let's somehow baptize her much better than Filoni, because Filoni is the spiritual offspring of the plaid shirt dude who violated childhoods etc etc. Yawn.

 

Wow, way to misrepresent and spin what people are saying.

Firstly no one was referencing you as sexist. I can guarantee you no one was even thinking of you went that was brought up.

Secondly no one here, especially me, thinks ill of Lucas in any way, so can we stop with this idea that anyone here has anything but the upmost respect for the man. I made a meek joke that it seems like we can’t criticise him at all without being pulled up on it. Not even the mildest criticism about his dialogue. That’s all.

We’re talking about a highly successful storyteller, who essentially everyone has acknowledged hasn’t actually helmed a live action feature (which was noted as a concern). What people are however pointing out is that Filoni hasn’t directed a live action feature either, yet there is very little trepidation when it comes to him. If Filoni can handle directing a Star Wars film, I’m sure we can be confident that she can do so also.

 

I didn’t say she was, did I?

 

If Sharmeen leaves this movie over “scheduling conflicts” it’s gonna be pretty funny to see the Kathy fans be like, “Well you see, she just wasn’t a good fit.”