Natalie Portman And Greta Gerwig To Save Star Wars With Padmé Spinoff
“Never send a Mary Sue to do a Queen’s job,” says 36-year old American-Israeli actor-turned director and mother-of-two Natalie Portman when asked about Disney’s new Star Wars films. The outspoken feminist believes Kathleen Kennedy’s heart is in the right place, but Lucasfilm’s handling of the series has been disastrous.
“Don’t get me wrong. Putting strong women front and center is a step in the right direction. And I commend Kathleen for saying the Force is female. . . however, without well-written roles with interesting character arcs for the women of Star Wars, the new movies are actually setting women back rather than making any strides.”
Portman points to the vast difference in characterization between the two leads of the latest trilogy as especially problematic. While Kennedy has gone on record saying Star Wars doesn’t need to pander to men, the fact of the matter is, Kylo Ren is far and away the most interesting character in the new films. Whereas Rey (played by newcomer Daisy Ridley) has faced zero adversity and is generally well-liked by everyone she comes across and skilled at virtually everything, Kylo is the exact opposite. First of all, he’s portrayed by a far more skilled performer in Adam Driver. Secondly, the character is torn between the light side and the dark side, has failed at many things and been bullied by his master for two films because of it. We could go on. The main point: visually, emotionally, motivationally, Kylo feels very real unlike his counterpart.
“And Rey is supposed to be the female Luke for this generation. . . yet they’ve given the bad boy the better written part, the better actor — even the better hair. What started as a strong female is quickly becoming a stereotypical forbidden-love-for-a-dark-prince trope,” added the star of the upcoming sci-fi thriller ANNIHILATION.
As a star of the prequel films who’s gone on to become an Oscar-winning actress and director, Portman believes her experience both in front of the camera and behind it can help course-correct the Disney Star Wars era. To that end, Portman is currently in talks with Lucasfilm to develop a passion project she’s been working on alongside mumblecore darling and Ladybird director Greta Gerwig.
“Padmé is the matriarch of the Skywalkers, and her story hasn’t really been told from a female point of view. But Greta and I are confident we can flesh her out and really connect the trilogies through a powerful coming-of-age story.” As co-writer and co-director of the proposed prequel spinoff, Gerwig echoes Portman’s sentiments. “The Phantom Menace was our generation’s Star Wars, so I’m excited to return to that era and make a film with genuine heart. Some of Padmé’s story will directly influence Kylo Ren’s journey in Episode IX. I can’t explain how, but Adam [Driver] is fully onboard with what we have planned.”
According to insiders, Portman and Gerwig’s film will feature the first Forceforward scene, with Padmé (Portman digitally enhanced to appear the right age) dreaming of a potential future as glimpses of Luke, Leia and Kylo appear before her. That’s not the only connection to Ren. We’ve also heard the young queen will keep a diary of sorts in a special holocron. These super-personal entries featuring her innermost thoughts will play heavily in Episode IX. Kylo is said to discover the holocron and learn valuable lessons about love and power, and finding the right balance between the two without one destroying the other.
Needless to say, we’re excited at the prospect of Portman returning to the galaxy far, far away. More importantly, we’re thrilled at the thought of the first-ever Star Wars film written and directed by women. It’s about time.
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-William “Willybobo” Bobo
