Leslye Headland’s Female-Led ‘Star Wars’ Series Will Be A Martial Arts Thriller
Back in April, it was reported thatLeslye Headland, the filmmaker behind movies likeBacheloretteandSleeping With Other Peopleand one of the brains behind Netflix’s mind-bending seriesRussian Doll, was set to write and act as showrunner on a female-centricStar Warsseries for Disney+. What could that show look like? Will it feature familiar or entirely new characters? Details are scarce for now, but a new report suggests that the female-led Leslye HeadlandStar Warsseries will at least feature a lot of martial arts.
Buried in a new report from Deadline were some new details about the female-centricStar Warsseries written and showrun byRussian Dollmastermind Headland. The series is “believed to be a female-driven action thriller with martial arts elements and set in an alternate timeline from the usual Star Wars universe.”
This is the first we’ve learned that Headand’sStar Warsseries will be a martial arts thriller, which will certainly set it apart from the space western/wandering ronin adventures ofThe Mandalorian. We’ve never had aStar Warsproject that has focused heavily on hand-to-hand action and fight sequences, and this would give Headland’s series a unique concept.
While Deadline’s use of the word “alternate” is questionable, the outlet likely means a different time setting from the timeframe ofThe Mandalorian, which takes place five years after the fall of the Empire inReturn of the Jedi. This was a detail that was alreadyrevealed in the initial report, sending the internet into a flurry of speculation over who the series could feature, and when it could take place. Popular speculation was that Headland’sStar Warsseries would be led by fan-favorite character Ahsoka Tano, who makes her live-action debut inThe Mandalorianseason 2 played by Rosario Dawson (asexclusively revealed by /Film). Another popular theory was that comic book character Doctor Aphra – who’s been described as the Indiana Jones of theStar Warsuniverse and would fit well with the “martial arts” angle of the series – could make her live-action debut.
But with Lucasfilm ramping up the buzz for itsStar Wars: The High Republicinitiative,there might also be a possibility that Headland’s series will cover that rich era set 200 years before the events of the Skywalker Saga.
One of the refreshing elements ofThe Mandalorianis how it expands on a previously unexplored corner of the universe, unrelated to the events of the main saga films. It will be exciting to see how Headland’sStar Warsseries gives us even more fresh insight into the wide expanse of that galaxy far, far away.
