If you’re frustrated at the exclusion of Star Wars: The Force Awakens merchandise featuring Rey – you’re not alone.
Entertainment Weekly reports that Writer/Director J.J. Abrams shares your pain – and your bemusement as to why this central character of the story he created should be excluded at all.
“I wish I had more details about merchandising and the schedule… I’m learning things as you are. I will say that it seems preposterous and wrong that the main character of the movie is not well represented in what is clearly a huge piece of the Star Wars world in terms of merchandising.”
“I read that she wasn’t in the Monopoly game and was quickly making phone calls about this because if it were true — and it is true, and now Hasbro, of course, has said they’re going to put Rey in — it doesn’t quite make sense why she wouldn’t be there.”
He cheekily added “She’s somewhat important in the story.”
Creating a new gender balance in the force was clearly important to Abrams, who told me last year that “the idea was always to have this female character at the heart of the story.” He added that “…we have wonderful cast of good guys, bad guys, pilots, stormtroopers – that happen to be female.”
Daisy Ridley also said to me that ““J.J. is an incredible writer, especially of females in a kind of male dominated world.”
Now Rey faces her latest battle – in the male dominated world of Star Wars merchandising.
I totally agree with this and it wasn’t until I was having a moan in toy shops that my husband realised just how easy it was to get ANYTHING of a male character but so hard to get anything Rey.
They really have missed the ball, bit they don’t seem prepared to put there hands up about it. To be honest disney’s platitudes about improving Princess Leia merchandise fell flat too.
I was on the point of customising a barbie doll but my hubby’s mate got hold of a Rey Pop vinyl figure for our daughter and she absolutely loves it.