After the upcoming “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker,” the future of the galaxy far, far away is pretty uncertain. We know that a new film is coming in 2022, though we don’t know (yet) who is the creative mind behind the film. We also know that there are a number of TV projects that Lucasfilm is working on for Disney+ that will focus on characters like Obi-Wan Kenobi and Cassian Andor. But the major source of uncertainty seems to be with the leader of the studio, Kathleen Kennedy.
According to a new report from THR, Kennedy’s current contract with Lucasfilm is expiring in 2021 and that means the studio, as well as parent-company Disney, will have to look at the potential possibility that the president will be moving on to something different in the future. And if Kennedy is gone, who will take over the reins as the leader of Lucasfilm? Well, the report claims that instead of answering that with a simple name, Disney is looking at a multi-tiered approach to the creative future of “Star Wars.”
THR says that due to his current work on “The Mandalorian,” as well as his continued partnership with Disney, Jon Favreau likely factors in heavily into the creative future of the “Star Wars” franchise. And for much of the same reasons as Favreau, current ‘Mandalorian’ producer-director Dave Filoni will definitely be involved in the future, as well. The report also claims that Kennedy wants to make sure that Michelle Rejwan, a producer on ‘Rise of Skywalker’ and Lucasfilm Senior VP of live-action development and production, is on the team to help shepherd “Star Wars” into its new era.
One name that you haven’t seen mentioned above is Kevin Feige, the current president of Marvel Studios and Chief Creative Officer of Marvel. Though he is in development of a “Star Wars” film and is clearly the golden child over at Disney, the report says that he has far too much Marvel on his plate for now. And his “Star Wars” film is still “a way’s off” according to Kennedy. But the report does confirm the rampant speculation that Disney hopes that down the line, Feige can have a larger say in what happens at Lucasfilm, even if that isn’t in the next few years.
So, with Kennedy’s future up in the air, and her contract expiring in 2021, it’s unclear what “Star Wars” and Lucasfilm will look like by the time the first post-Skywalker Saga film arrives in theaters on December 2022. We could be looking at the debut of a very different galaxy far, far away with some new creative folks in the driver’s seat.