There’s an argument to be made that Bryce Dallas Howard has been the best, most consistent live-action Star Wars director... maybe ever. Directing not one, not two, but three of the best pieces of Star Wars in recent memory, it’s very clear that Howard is no longer simply a formidable actress, she has full command on the other side of the camera too.
Next month, she’s got Jurassic World Dominion coming to theaters and, to mark the occasion, io9 sat down with the actress (and her co-star, some guy named Chris Pratt) to talk not just Jurassic, but their other big franchise work. For Howard, we asked if there was a character or storyline that would get her to direct a Star Wars film. “Oh, my goodness,” she said. “I think it would take someone asking me.” So, Kathleen Kennedy? Are you out there? Let’s get Bryce Dallas Howard a Star Wars movie.
Just look at the evidence. Her first episode was Chapter 4 of The Mandalorian, “Sanctuary,” which featured Mando and Cara Dune protecting a village from ruthless raiders and an unstoppable AT-ST. The image of that AT-ST emerging from the dark forest ended up becoming one of the most memorable of the first season. Howard then followed that up in season two with Chapter 11, “The Heiress,” which introduced Bo-Katan Kryze into live-action with a mythology-filled, action-packed episode. Most recently, she directed the most unforgettable episode of The Book of Boba Fett, Chapter 5, “Return of the Mandalorian,” which was basically a full episode about the character, steeped in Star Wars lore, cool action, flashbacks, you name it.
When asked if she was surprised to be directing a full episode about the Mandalorian in the middle of a show called The Book of Boba Fett, Howard said no. “Oh, no. I mean, I absolutely loved that,” she said. “[Producers] Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni have been incredibly inclusive since the beginning. And so it’s something that they had talked about doing. And it was just so... it was great. I love Mando.”
We do too and we love Howard’s directing. Maybe one day we’ll see her do a full Star Wars movie—though for now, we’ll just take more episodes of Disney+ streaming series. Hopefully, she’s part of not just The Mandalorian season three, but Ahsoka as well.
Jurassic World Dominion is in theaters on June 10 and we’ll have much, much more from Howard, Pratt, their co-stars, and the franchise overall in the coming weeks.
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