Lucasfilm chief Kathleen Kennedy is once again in the line of Twitter fire after a recent interview by director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy on her upcoming “Star Wars” film. But Daily Wire cofounder Ben Shapiro’s attempt to chime in on the dunking has led to some sharp retorts.
In a post on X (formerly known as Twitter), Shapiro called Kennedy the “worst entertainment executive I’ve ever seen in my lifetime” in response to comments made by Obaid-Chinoy, an Oscar and Emmy-winning director who shot the Pakistan-set episodes of “Ms. Marvel” and who is attached to direct an upcoming “Star Wars” film that will see Daisy Ridley return as sequel trilogy protagonist Rey.
“I’m very thrilled about the project because I feel what we’re about to create is something very special,” Obaid-Chinoy told CNN. “We’re in 2024 now, and it’s about time that we had a woman come forward to shape a story in a galaxy far, far away.”
Obaid-Chinoy has won seven Emmys as well as two Best Documentary Short Oscars for her films “Saving Face” and “A Girl in the River,” which respectively explore the acid attacks and honor killings suffered by generations of Muslim women in Pakistan. She would be the first woman and person of color to direct a “Star Wars” film.
However, Kennedy has struggled to get “Star Wars” feature films off the ground in recent years. “Wonder Woman” director Patty Jenkins had previously been set to be the first woman to direct a “Star Wars” feature with “Rogue Squadron,” a project that was pulled from Disney’s production schedule in 2021. A “Star Wars” film written and directed by Taika Waititi is still in development, though the filmmaker said in an interview this past fall that his focus is on other projects and that he doesn’t want to rush the script.
Those delays, combined with the polarized reception to the “Star Wars” sequel trilogy, have made Kennedy a major target on social media. But Shapiro’s swipe didn’t go unchecked.
“Kathleen Kennedy has produced many films that were successful, financially and critically, eight of which were nominated for Best Picture,” snarked one post. “Ben Shapiro is a failed little screenwriter who couldn’t even make it in Hollywood.”
Others pointed out the track record of the two, as Kennedy had worked as a producer on a slew of Steven Spielberg’s films, including “Jurassic Park,” “Schindler’s List,” and the “Indiana Jones” franchise. Shapiro, who has begun producing films for right-wing audiences through Daily Wire, recently released “Lady Ballers,” a film that swipes at trans athletes with a plot where a group of aging white men “identifying” as women enter a women’s basketball league.
Obaid-Chinoy’s Rey spin-off is expected to begin production later this year. Other projects reported to be in development at Lucasfilm include a feature film directed by Dave Filoni that will serve as a conclusion to the stories told in Disney+ stories like “The Mandalorian” and “The Book of Boba Fett,” and a film written and directed by “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” filmmaker James Mangold about the origins of the Force.
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