J.J. Abrams thinks Ava DuVernay should be the 'Star Wars' franchise's first female director.
In a recent interview with Nerdist, Abrams was asked what female writer or director he'd like to see tackle 'Star Wars,' and though he said there are plenty of great candidates, DuVernay would be his top pick.
"If you look at her work in 'Selma,' which is as well told and sophisticated and humane a film as has come out in the last decade...I mean, she is someone who [if] she can do that story that well, there's no question she'd kill this movie," Abrams said.
In 2014, DuVernay became the first black woman director to have her film nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards. Matel recently released an Ava DuVernay Barbie doll which sold out within 20 minutes of hitting the web store.
Though all of the directors for the upcoming 'Star Wars' movies are men, Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy has promised that the franchise will hire a female director soon.
“It’s not just a token job to look out and try to find a woman that we could put into a position of directing 'Star Wars,'” she said. “If we do want to bring a woman in to direct a 'Star Wars' movie, we want to make sure that it’s somebody who’s passionate and really, really wants to do a 'Star Wars' movie."