‘Handmaid’s Tale’ Director Reed Morano Teases Possible Lucasfilm Project
Is it Star Wars? Could it be Star Wars? Is Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy finally hiring a woman to direct a friggin’ Star War?! To be honest, we have no idea, but Reed Morano — director and executive producer of The Handmaid’s Tale — is coyly teasing a potential project at Lucasfilm. And no, she can’t tell you what it is (yet).
The Hollywood Reporter profiled Morano, whose latest film, the sci-fi romance I Think We’re Alone Now, premieres at Sundance this weekend. It’s a great read for fans of the cinematographer-turned-director (and producer of a hit TV series, and Emmy-winner), but one bit in particular should be interesting to those who also count themselves fans of Star Wars.
Morano’s directing of the first three episodes of The Handmaid’s Tale didn’t just have a profound effect on the series — it also made quite the impression on Kathleen Kennedy, who summoned Morano to Lucasfilm for a two-and-a-half hour meeting:
I guess she was watching with her daughter and then called people and was like, ‘Who’s this Reed person?’ She probably thought I was a guy because of my name. She’s amazing. We’re talking about adventure movies, and I’m not even remembering that she produced Goonies. Any movie that I put my finger on that I loved when I was growing up was a movie that she produced. Anyway, it was a great meeting. Obviously, I can’t say anything about what else we were talking about.
Although Morano’s line about Kennedy assuming she was a man is clearly a joke, there’s a kernel of truth behind it. Lucasfilm has yet to hire a woman to direct any of their upcoming Star Wars film projects, despite boasting a predominantly female executive staff. It’s possible that Kennedy has met with women about coming aboard the franchise, but Morano’s is the first of such meetings to be made public.
Morano is currently filming The Rhythm Section, a spy thriller starring Blake Lively. Based on a series of novels, the film has potential to become a major franchise all its own. Unfortunately, Morano’s work on the film kept her from returning to the director’s chair for The Handmaid’s Tale Season 2 — though she remains on board as an executive producer.