With pre-production on Star Wars Episode IX already underway, director J.J. Abrams has tapped Victoria Mahoney to be his second unit director, making her the first African-American woman to serve in a directing role in the franchise's storied history, Variety reports. No stranger to breaking barriers herself, Ava DuVernay took to Twitter to express her elation over the news. "Happy to share this historic news. A black woman directing stories in a galaxy far, far away," she wrote alongside a photo of Abrams and Mahoney. "First unit director #JJAbrams. Second unit director @VictoriaMahoney."
Despite this being her first major blockbuster, Mahoney has plenty of great credits under her belt. She directed the pilot for CBS' Red Line, an hour-long drama executive produced by DuVernay and Greg Berlanti. Mahoney also wrote, produced and directed the Zoë Kravitz-starring Yelling at the Sky, which premiered at the Berlin Film Festival in 2011.
In recent months, the issue of increased diversity behind the camera has become a hot-button issue in Hollywood, with many high profile actors calling for diversity riders in their contracts. Between that and the box office success of films like the Ryan Coogler-directed Black Pantherand DuVernay's own historic feat of becoming the first Black woman to direct a film with a budget of $100 million with A Wrinkle in Time, there are encouraging signs that the tide is turning.
Lucasfilm in particular has been scrutinized for its lack of diversity behind the camera. The company's president, Kathleen Kennedy previously told Variety that they want to "make sure that when we bring a female director in to do Star Wars they’re set up for success." Could Mahoney's hiring be a way of grooming her to one day direct her own Star Wars movie? It's certainly a step in the right direction.
Star Wars Episode IX is currently slated for a December 2019 release.
