Star Wars' new female character is 'extremely significant'

A new Star Wars character will be "extremely significant” to The Force Awakens' plot. That's according to Kathleen Kennedy who is the producer of the upcoming film.

Kennedy was speaking at the Fortune Most Powerful Women Summit in Washington. She called on the industry to do more to promote women.

She revealed that six out of eight of the people involved in developing the film were women and that 50% of her executive team were female. "Having a balance of men and women in the room changes the story; The dialogue, the point of view," she explained.

She didn't divulge any further details as she said, "I don’t want to spoil the story.” Of course, that hasn't stopped fans from speculating.

Some believe that Rey, who is played by Daisy Ridley, is the child of either Luke Skywalker or Princess Leia. The character’s ancestry has been called “one of the biggest mysteries” surrounding Star Wars: The force Awakens. Rey could be a key character in the upcoming trilogy.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens will be released on December 17th.