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Director and executive producer Ava DuVernay poses at a screening of the film "Selma" during AFI Fest 2014 in Hollywood
It's no secret that the "Star Wars" franchise could have its first female director soon. Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy said earlier this year that "There's nothing we'd like more than to find a female director for 'Star Wars,'" and WME agent Adriana Alberghetti recently told the LA Times that she set up meetings with four female directors and three female writers for upcoming "Star Wars" films.
Abrams, who directed "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," believes Ava DuVernay would be perfect for the job.
In an interview with Nerdist, Abrams said, "She is as much a fan of genre movies, and hearing her talk not just 'Star Wars,' but hearing her talk about those kinds of films is evidence that she would just kill it."
He cited her work as director of "Selma" as an example of her strengths.
"When you look at her work in 'Selma,' which was as well-told and as sophisticated and humane a film as I think has come out in the last decade, if she can do that story that well, there's no question she would kill this movie."
DuVernay received a Golden Globe nomination for directing the film based on the 1965 voting rights marches from Selma to Montgomery.
She is also well-known for her indie film "Middle of Nowhere," for which she became the first black woman to win for best director at the Sundance Film Festival in 2012. The film stars David Oyelowo, who portrayed Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in "Selma."
She is currently working on a TV series called "Queen Sugar" for OWN, which will star Oprah Winfrey.
DuVernay tweeted "The force is strong with this one" in response to Abrams' comments .
The force is strong with this one. xo https://t.co/FivfnY3Mud
- Ava DuVernay (@AVAETC) December 9, 2015