It started with a tweet from Matt Walsh (earlier: ) and anyone who knows the name probably already knows that you should be careful about further spread. Walsh is a far-right political commentator and activist who mainly positions himself against the LGBTQ+ movement and transgender rights. Almost a week ago he shared a short video clip , with director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy on a panel. In the short clip, the director, who will soon direct the project often referred to as “Star Wars 10,” starring Daisy Ridley as Rey Skywalker, says: “I like to make it uncomfortable for men. I enjoy making men feel uncomfortable.”
Walsh captioned his tweet saying this was the “feminist director of the next ‘Star Wars’ movie” talking about her goal of “making men uncomfortable” and now predicting “Disney’s biggest flop.” The tweet quickly resonated. Disney and Lucasfilm have been urged to fire ‘man-hater’ Obaid-Chinoy, saying ‘Star Wars’ is for all genders. Right-wing U.S. Senator Ted Cruz in particular stirred up the shitstorm by taking the statement even further: “Hmm. Disney announces they don’t want men (or boys, presumably) watching the next ‘Star Wars’ movie.”
But you probably guessed it already. The whole excitement is staged and constructed — and not just because Obaid-Chinoy isn’t talking about “Star Wars” here. Your statement is also completely taken out of context.
The true origin of the 8 year old quote
The video Walsh originally picked up is from an eight (!) year old panel discussion – from a time when the director probably never dreamed of ever making a “Star Wars” movie. Moderated by Jon Stewart, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy speaks with acting icon Meryl Streep and director Ava DuVernay (“Selma”). Obaid-Chinoy responds to a question from Stewart.
This was linked to the projects that played a role in the event, including Meryl Streep’s “Suffragette” and the episode of the documentary series “Ho Yaqeen: Syeda Fatima”. Many men are “assholes” in this regard. Obaid-Chinoy’s now much-quoted line is on the one hand a funny response to this statement. The director even adds that she doesn’t mean men like Stewart. In addition, the context also makes it clear where the serious core is, for which men it should be uncomfortable.
An attack on brutal structures
If you watch not just the mini clip, but the entire video of the discussion, what Obaid-Chinoy means becomes clear – especially if you also look at the multi-award winning filmmaker’s work. In many works she attacks brutal power structures.
“Ho Yaqeen: Syeda Fatima,” discussed during that panel, is about a woman who has made it her mission to free modern slave laborers (especially male ones, by the way) from their miserable conditions. Shortly before the much-publicized altercation, a scene is shown in which Syeda Fatima confronts a man who is exploiting and whipping his workers. The man appears completely unreasonable during the confrontation. Of course he has the right to hit. But the discussion quickly becomes very uncomfortable (!) for the man – also because there is not just one woman standing in front of him, but the entire camera team.
Obaid-Chinoy won one of her two Oscars to date for the documentary ‘A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness’. It is about a young woman who survived an honor killing attack by her father and uncle. The director is talking about exactly men like the very real ‘villains’ in ‘A Girl In The River’ or the man who appears here in ‘Ho Yaqeen’ when it comes to making things ‘uncomfortable for men’.
By the way, the fact that films can be uncomfortable for some audiences and that they should be aware of that is not new. However, it is often telling when certain people find a film ‘uncomfortable’. And it is indicative of those who now feel attacked by these old statements, which are aimed at a system that oppresses women, in which they not only have hardly any rights, but even have to fear for their lives. And it’s really insidious how the words here were deliberately taken out of context to cause a shitstorm.
Before “Star Wars 10” comes “The Mandalorian & Grogu”
We’ll have to be patient until we see what Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy’s “Star Wars” adventure really tells us. The very first female director behind a cinematic adventure from the legendary saga is currently in the middle of preparations. It was long suspected that the quasi-“Star Wars 10” would be the next movie from the galaxy far, far away to hit theaters. But it is now clear that another ‘Star Wars’ film will probably be the first to see the light of day in cinemas: “The Mandalorian and Grogu“.
Lucasfilm has confirmed that Jon Favreau’s The Mandalorian feature film, which may replace a fourth season of the series of the same name, will enter production this year. This makes it quite certain that “The Mandalorian & Grogu” will make it to the next announced theatrical release “Star Wars” on May 21, 2026.
Disney planned another theatrical release of “Star Wars” a few months later – on December 18, 2026. Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy’s Skywalker film will probably be released on that date. That also fits in well, because the films from the Skywalker saga were also recently released in December. However, official confirmation from Disney is still pending.
Daisy Ridley returns as Rey Skywalker for Obaid-Chinoy’s Star Wars project. Set approximately 15 years after the events of “Star Wars 9: The Rise of Skywalker,” she sets out to rebuild the Jedi Order and fulfill the promise she made to Luke Skywalker. According to various rumors, Ridley will play an important role, but perhaps not the leading role.