When asked about potential female writers and directors he would like to see working on the Star Wars, Abrams told Nerdist, "To me, the knee-jerk reaction if I had to (name someone) is Ava DuVernay, who I think would just kill it."
"She is as much a fan of genre movies ... And hearing her talk about, not just Star Wars, but hearing her talk about those kinds of films is evidence that she would just kill it.
The "Selma" director later took to Twitter to share a video of Abrams' comments, captioning it, "The force is strong with this one. Xo"
Abrams' "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" is releasing on December 25.