A little story from way back when that I never repeated because I could never corroborate it. I’d heard from a source that when Lucasfilm was first sold to Disney back in 2012, Kevin Feige put himself out there for the head job to Bob Iger, selling himself as a huge “Star Wars” fan (the position would eventually go to Kathleen Kennedy). The latter isn’t a surprise, Feige’s gone on record for years as a huge “Star Wars” fan. And now, maybe he’s found a way not to leave his Marvel post, but still, dip his toe into the galaxy far far away.
In big bombshell news, the Hollywood Reporter reports tonight that Feige—one of the busiest men in show business considering he produces all the Marvel film and now all the Disney+ Marvel show is developing a “Star Wars” movie for Lucasfilm and Disney.
“With the close of the Skywalker Saga, [Lucasfilm’s Kathleen Kennedy] is pursuing a new era in ‘Star Wars’ storytelling, and knowing what a die-hard fan Kevin is, it made sense for these two extraordinary producers to work on a Star Wars film together,” Walt Disney Studios co-chairman Alan Horn told THR.
Feige apparently met with Kennedy in late August to pitch his idea. Is this a prelude to a more significant relationship with Lucasfilm hinting at the job Feige may have wanted way back when? A top source tells THR that Disney plans no changes and Kennedy will stay in charge, but Feige has that Midas touch so watch this space over the next few years to see what happens. Feige is at the top of the mountain at Marvel and if he had higher and bigger aspirations—or at least if he wanted to create a new empire—Lucasfilm could be an avenue.
At any rate, a collaboration between Feige, Kennedy, and Lucasfilm is enormous and also signals that “Star Wars”—as Horn suggests—is ending, but also about to open up a brand new world we haven’t seen before. No movie details yet, obviously, it’s too early, but Disney has already said recently that there was too much “Star Wars” too soon and perhaps the guiding hand and or even casual advice of Feige could help at some point.
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Oh, and one juicy little tidbit in the middle of it all. “One knowledgeable source says Feige has told a major actor that there’s a specific role he would like that person to play if and when he makes the movie.” More when this new universe and Lucasfilm era begins to reveal itself a little more.