Leslye Headland Discusses Her Personal Responsibility as a Star Wars Showrunner

On May 4th we got official confirmation that writer Leslye Headland would be writing, producing, and serving as showrunner on her own Star Wars series for Disney Plus. We haven't gotten much news apart from that but Headland recently talked to EW on their Untold Stories: Pride Edition podcast and shared a little more about her feelings on the project, being part of the LGBTQ community, and how she wants to help marginalized people.



Headland is best known for her work on the 2019 Netflix show Russian Doll which she created with Amy Poehler and Natasha Lyonne while also writing and directing various episodes. She's also known for 2012's Bachelorette, 2014's About Last Night, and 2015's Sleeping With Other People. 



Headland understands the impact of taking control of such an iconic brand, even more so as she makes Star Wars history as a gay woman:

While the wider Star Wars universe has fared better with LGBTQ representation (Doctor Aphra, the Aftermath trilogies Sinjir Rath Velus, Last Shot's non-binary Taka Jamoreesa and Galaxy's Edge: Black Spire's asexual Vi Moradi) the films and television shows have been rather lacking for central characters whose sexualities and genders diverge from the mainstream.







Also, while Deborah Chow and Bryce Dallas Howard's involvement as directors in The Mandalorian is a  great step in the right direction, Headland's appointment as showrunner is a massive leap in getting more women behind the camera and involved in the mix of voices behind Star Wars and its creative process.



Headland talked about the challenges of getting her position and her least favorite part of the creative process:

Headland also wants to help the next generation of marginalized communities:

So Headland understands the weight on her shoulders and the opportunities her position gives to help other people. With Jon Favreau showrunning, executive producing, and writing all but one episode for The Mandalorian, having one creative vision for a televsion show seems to be a good method they're repeating with Headland, and with her previous work, seems like a smart move.





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