While strong female characters have taken a prominent place in the front of the camera when it comes to the Star Wars franchise, we're still waiting to see women take that major spot behind the camera. However, one female director will be more than happy to take the job if Lucasfilm ever calls. Rachel Talalay, the director of Tank Girl, as well as several episodes of the BBC's Doctor Who, is completely on board with heading to that galaxy far, far away.
Absolutely. Are you kidding me? Absolutely. Do I not have enough effects experience and enough nerd pedigree? I think not just Tank Girl but I think Doctor Who in terms of science fiction scope, effects scope, iconic projects, love of science fiction, all of the above. It would be incredible to be involved in one of those projects.
Rachel Talalay has a rock solid resume of TV and film that includes special effects heavy projects and plenty of science fiction. She also directed the first episode of the new season of Sherlock. Our own Laura Hurley was speaking to her about the upcoming Sherlock season and asked her if she would be interested in taking on a major project like Star Wars. Needless to say, she'd do it in a heartbeat.
I'm specifically glad to hear that, as Rachel Talalay was one of the women that I thought would make a great choice as a potential director. Kathleen Kennedy, the chief of Lucasfilm has recently said that she'd be open to bringing on a female director. The problem is that because of the scope and size of Star Wars films, there simply aren't that many directors, of any gender, who have the necessary experience. The vast majority of those who do are men.
Rachel Talalay is certainly conscious of this discrepancy. She told Laura that empowering women, on both sides of the camera, has been something that she has spent her career focusing on. The director reminds us that there was a time when women were not well represented in Star Wars but that has certainly begun to change.
When you hear Carrie Fisher talk about what it was like to be almost one of the only women around to start with, and now seeing where the series has gone, it's just so empowering and thrilling and I feel this is part of my mission in life is to strengthen - and Tank Girl being the essence of it - female roles in front of and behind the camera.
With plans to make Star Wars movies from now until shortly before the heat death of the universe, it seems a foregone conclusion that a female director will be called on sooner or later. Hopefully, it will happen sooner, as there are several great candidates out there. Rachel Talalay is certainly one of them. Her episode of Sherlock, "The Six Thatchers" premieres on January 1 on PBS.
