Every Rey of the Week: Colin Trevorrow Reveals Rey as the New Leia in 'Star Wars Episode IX'

Talk about jumping the gun, guys. We may still be six months away from the next installment of the #StarWars franchise and #TheLastJedi, but it hasn't stopped fans leaping into hyperspace and looking ahead to #StarWars9. There is certainly some mega talent behind the scenes of the "new" trilogy, and #ColinTrevorrow will be taking the reins after #JJAbrams and #RianJohnson.

After the epic #scifi spectacle that was #JurassicWorld, I'm not personally too worried about old Colin; however, given the lukewarm reception that both the Revenge of the Sith and especially Return of the Jedi received, it is up to Trevorrow to break the curse of the Star Wars third entry. So, away from not sucking like a George Lucas prequel, what hopes does the director have for Episode IX?

Third Time's A Charm

Taking time away from his tenure on #JurassicWorld2, Trevorrow spoke to Fandango about his current work on Episode IX and gave us "new hope" that he will be doing the legacy of Lucasfilm a great service. While it is only a small update, he explained what he wants to get out of the feature and who we should be looking out for in his 2019 adventure.

In addition to flying the flag of gender equality, he also emphasized that his time behind the camera is more of a family affair than you might expect:

“My hope is to make it as richly satisfying as it could possibly be. I have a lot of support, and a lot of really brilliant thinkers and storytellers around me. Kiri Hart and the Lucasfilm story group, and Michelle Rejwan, and Kathy Kennedy, my producers, and J.J. [Abrams] and Rian [Johnson], and Larry Kasdan, and when you look at this army of brilliant people that we have, it's not me alone. It's a whole team.”

Having perhaps the hardest job of all, Trevorrow will be helming the first "non-Leia" film since the series began in 1977. With the tragic passing of #CarrieFisher late last year, the team has made no bones about the fact they have had to completely rewrite Episode IX. Although The Last Jedi remains unchanged, Episode IX had to go back to the drawing board. Pitched as the Leia story, you are sure to hit a snag when your main part is no longer with us. Apart from some rough ideas about where General Organa would've gone on her fiery crusade, it is best to look forward instead of back on what could've been.

A Rey Of Sunshine

Thankfully, the series has found itself a new Leia of sorts with the arrival of #DaisyRidley as Rey. Star Wars has never been afraid to have a strong woman at its core and the current era appears to be no different. Just as Fisher and #NataliePortman ruled over their respective trilogies, Rey is not a woman to be taken lightly. Importantly, Trevorrow says he wants Rey to become a role model to children everywhere:

“Luke Skywalker, Han Solo and Princess Leia were all characters that we were able to identify with in various ways, and especially with the character of Rey and what she means to young girls right now, and the challenges that she's up against."

"It is extremely crucial that I understand what actual children are feeling about these stories that we're telling them, and I think it's important that I have kids, and if filmmakers don't have kids, they should go talk to them because they don't see things the same way that we did when we were kids. So, yes, I am very dialed in to that because I think it's a requisite of the job."

While we wouldn't suggest that you encourage your daughters to go around hitting men with lightsabers, Rey has the potential to become an even bigger icon of the screen over the next two films. Only recently we have seen the wonders that Wonder Woman has done for women in cinema, and with Star Wars already laughing off men-only screenings, there is no battle of the sexes here.

The likes of Rey, #JohnBoyega's Finn, and the blooping BB-8 seamlessly slipped in among established favorites like Leia, Han, and Chewie, while Abrams and The Force Awakens cast off whatever misgivings were left after the prequel trilogy. Hopes are high for The Last Jedi, but if the film does as well as expected, Trevorrow will arguably have an even harder time in rounding off another stellar Star Wars saga — may the Force be with you!