The much anticipated sequel to the Star Wars series might be set years after where Return of the Jedi left off, but it seems as though gender equality does not move at the speed of light, even in fictional outer space. The cast of the J.J. Abrams film was announced this morning and the category is: dudes! Lots of them!
There's the Inside Llewyn Davis dude (Oscar Isaac). There's the manic boyfriend from Girls dude (Adam Driver). There's the relatively unknown British-Nigerian dude who was in that adaptation of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's Half of a Yellow Sun (John Boyega). And there's even the accessory-obsessed Gollum dude (Andy Serkis). And one girl who is sadly not Lupita Nyong'o (Daisy Ridley). Slow clap, everyone.
It's understandable that J.J. Abrams and co. are not trying to mess with the original Star Wars formula of hella-dudes-and-one-lady-in-a-bikini, as that was a major success last time around, but you would think that the man who brought us great stories of women (Felicity and Alias) would usher us into a new era of sci-fi, where women are more than just a love interest or trophy. But who knows? Maybe this lone female character will be bad ass and single-handedly change everything (a new hope, if you will). From this keyboard to George Lucas' ears.
