Dave Filoni Is Taking Over Lucasfilm From Kathleen Kennedy

Legendary producer Kathleen Kennedy introduced as we speak that she is stepping down as the top of Lucasfilm and passing the reins to Dave Filoni and Lynwen Brennan. The information comes after a year of speculation about Kennedy’s future in a galaxy far, far away.

“After we acquired Lucasfilm greater than a decade in the past, we knew we have been bringing into the Disney household not solely one of the beloved and enduring storytelling universes ever created, but in addition a crew of extraordinary expertise led by a visionary filmmaker – somebody who had been handpicked by George Lucas himself, no much less,” Disney CEO Bob Iger stated in a press launch. “We’re deeply grateful for Kathleen Kennedy’s management, her imaginative and prescient, and her stewardship of such an iconic studio and model.”

With Kennedy stepping down from Lucasfilm to concentrate on more general film production, her earlier duties will now be cut up between the 2 Lucasfilm mainstays. Filoni, as President and Chief Artistic Officer, will deal with the extra inventive facet, whereas Brennan, the longtime head of enterprise on the firm, will deal with logistics. Her title is Co-President. Consider it type of like issues are being dealt with at DC Studios, with James Gunn dealing with inventive and Peter Safran dealing with the extra day-to-day issues.

“When George Lucas requested me to take over Lucasfilm upon his retirement, I couldn’t have imagined what lay forward,” Kennedy stated. “It has been a real privilege to spend greater than a decade working alongside the extraordinary expertise at Lucasfilm. Their creativity and dedication have been an inspiration, and I’m deeply pleased with what we’ve completed collectively. I’m excited to proceed growing movies and tv with each longtime collaborators and recent voices who signify the way forward for storytelling.”

Kennedy bought her begin as an assistant to Steven Spielberg and shortly established herself as a formidable inventive power. During the last 50 years or so, she produced many of the best and top-grossing movies of all time, comparable to Gremlins, The Goonies, Poltergeist, Again to the Future, E.T., and the Indiana Jones collection.

Lucasfilm founder and Star Wars creator George Lucas thought so extremely of Kennedy that he hand-picked her to run Lucasfilm as he offered it to the Walt Disney Firm in 2013. Since then, she’s been chargeable for the profitable relaunch of the franchise, each on the large display screen and its new renaissance on streaming, too.

And although Kennedy will stay on board for a bit, overseeing The Mandalorian & Grogu, Star Wars: Starfighter, and extra, all eyes now transfer to Filoni. Additionally a disciple of Lucas himself, Filoni made a reputation for himself with recent, thrilling storytelling in Star Wars animation earlier than making the shift to stay motion. His success there hasn’t been fairly as spectacular, with many feeling he’s a bit too reliant on previous tales and nostalgia reasonably than daring, ahead selections. However few individuals on the planet know or perceive Star Wars as he does.

“My love of storytelling was formed by the movies of Kathleen Kennedy and George Lucas,” Filoni stated. “I by no means dreamed I might be privileged to study the craft of filmmaking from each of them. From Rey to Grogu, Kathy has overseen the best growth in Star Wars storytelling onscreen that we have now ever seen. I’m extremely grateful to Kathy, George, Bob Iger, and Alan Bergman for his or her belief and the chance to guide Lucasfilm on this new function, doing a job I really love. Could the Power be with you.”

Filoni is presently engaged on the second season of his present, Ahsoka, so don’t anticipate him to totally make the pivot for some time. As soon as he does, although, the flicks and reveals he places into manufacturing will say quite a bit about how he views the way forward for Star Wars. There are certainly plenty of options on the table.

What do you consider Kennedy stepping down and placing in Filoni and Brennan? Tell us under.

Need extra io9 information? Take a look at when to anticipate the most recent Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s subsequent for the DC Universe on film and TV, and every little thing you could learn about the way forward for Doctor Who.