The Force Awakens Young Female Lead?

[Jedi-Spirit]

A new female lead is just fine...if she dies in the first five minutes...

 

[Silvermoth]

Geez, misogynist much?

I'm fine with it if the story is compelling. A female lead worked very well for Alien after all and it would be a shame to halve the amount of talent that could get a good role in Star Wars based on a silly thing like gender.

 

[NewYorkSpider]

I'm fine with a female lead. Would be something different for a change.

 

[Project862006]

get elizabeth olsen just like luke had that everyman vibe about him she has that but female version

and only 23

 

[James]

I really like the idea of a female lead.

 

[Matt]

I don't think people are worried mostly about that. Besides, people got their taste of bad romance with AotC and a bit or RotS.

It's a fact that many movies with female leads sucked ass, not least due to the way the leads themselves were written. See: the Tomb Raider films, Aeon Flux etc.

I think a big problem is, most writers in Hollywood do not know how to write female characters. They are either damsels in distress, femme fatales or over the top action girls (in which case the writers are more concerned with showing that the lead has a bigger penis than the men in the movie and they do so at the expense of genuinely developing the character...which leads to movies like Tomb Raider, Resident Evil, etc). Very few movies have well rounded, well developed female characters.

Even fanboy hero Joss Whedon, who is praised for writing female characters, tends to fall into these traps. His idea of development is the tough girl having sex, but because she can beat the guy up and makes quips, it is labeled as "feminism," when in reality, it is just objectifying the woman for the sake of pandering to the fanboy. Interestingly, I'd say Whedon's best written female character is the one who gets the least attention: Cordellia, who has a very real and well developed character arc that is similar to what many young women go through (queen bee in high school...has to deal with harsh reality of the real world, matures and grows into a young woman). Doubly interesting, Whedon was very hands off on that character (because he had little involvement on Angel after season 1). But I digress, this is a whole different conversation.

I'd be okay with a female lead if she is real character. Abrahms cut his teeth writing a female character on Felicity and Uhura avoided some of the traps of typical Hollywood females. Though she did fall into a few...she was one of the better developed female characters of recent years. However, in fairness, she was a relatively minor character in ST09, not the lead.

But yeah, if well written and developed, I'd be absolutely fine with a female lead. Leia, to this day, remains one of the best written female characters in Hollywood history. Padme, not so much. If we have a character closer to Leia than Padme, then I'd love it.

 

[Gianakin_]

I generally agree with your post. Like someone I deeply respect said, if you want the secret to write a good female character, start writing the best male character you can... and then change his sex.

 

[Thundercrack85]

I generally agree with your post. Like someone I deeply respect said, if you want the secret to write a good female character, start writing the best male character you can... and then change his sex.

And presumably change the love interest, unless you want her to be a lesbian.

 

[Gianakin_]

unless you want her to be a lesbian.

Bingo.

 

[Thundercrack85]

Arguably, there really is no reason why Luke couldn't have been female. The only issue I can think of is the part where he disguises himself like a Storm Trooper. Although, they could have just gotten around that by having female Imperial officers onboard the Death Star (which exist in the expanded universe).

 

[Gianakin_]

Yup. Agreed.

 

[Octoberist]

Arguably, there really is no reason why Luke couldn't have been female. The only issue I can think of is the part where he disguises himself like a Storm Trooper. Although, they could have just gotten around that by having female Imperial officers onboard the Death Star (which exist in the expanded universe).

I'm assuming it's because Lucas wanted Star Wars to be Rated PG and didn't want women to be in situations where they can be killed or exploited.

Wait....

..Princess Leia's slave outfit..

...Jabba's slave girl getting eaten by the Rancor...

...that female bounty hunter who got her arm slashed off and then killed by Jango Fett. (I guess because she's a non-human, it's okay?)

 

[Octoberist]

Also, if Luke was a female character, his dynamic with Han would be...let's say..different. Flirty, if you willllllllllll.

 

[Gianakin_]

And then making out with Leia would be incestuous lesbianism. So, you see, Lucas also ruined the OT.

 

[Octoberist]

taboooo city

 

[Gianakin_]

I wanna rent a place there.

 

[dark_b]

i would love a female lead. and i think it can be done.

but would Disney do it? i hope

 

[BenKenobi]

This was the original idea for early treatments of the sequel trilogy, which reports say the new films will based off of to some degree. Wouldn't be totally surprised there've been plenty of successful movies in female leads like Alien, the Hunger Games, Kill Bill, V for Vendetta, etc.

 

[Lobo]

I'd be all for a young female lead. Moretz is great so I'd be very on board with her a the lead. I LOVE the idea of Elizabeth Olsen, though. Definitely want to see the Witches of Dathomir on screen at some point as well

 

[titansupes]

Not Mortez.

Not Lawrence, either.

...Olsen for the win.

 

[Greeneyes]

And then making out with Leia would be incestuous lesbianism. So, you see, Lucas also ruined the OT.

I'm going to try and fit 'incestuous lesbianism' into a lunchtime conversation tomorrow,wish me luckt:

A female lead could really work,but if it's all new faces there will need to be some really strong supporting characters and performances around the female lead to help her carry it off,I suppose like the original,and of course an awesome story goes without saying,I'm going to come up with a top five list for actresses who could do justice to the role.

 

[Destructus86]

I don't get why a female lead is such a big deal anyway? I always write females as a lead character in my screenplays...

 

[Lobo]

Who would you guys cast as Allana Solo? She could be a potential lead, if the female jedi thing pans out.

 

[Gianakin_]

I'm going to try and fit 'incestuous lesbianism' into a lunchtime conversation tomorrow,wish me luckt:

"Good luck. You're gonna need it!"

 

[Gianakin_]

Who would you guys cast as Allana Solo? She could be a potential lead, if the female jedi thing pans out.

Most of the famous girls on Hollywood right now would be fine with me: Moretz, Elle Fanning, Wasikowska, Breslin.

But they can obviously go for an unknown.