by Ray Keating
News/Analysis/Commentary
DisneyBizJournal.com
November 21, 2023
Star Wars fans haven’t exactly been pleased with the results since Disney bought Lucasfilm in 2012. Is that about to change?
The three sequel films – Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015), Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017), and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019) – were particularly bad for so many reasons. And then there was the incredibly disappointing Disney+ live-action series Obi-Wan Kenobi (2022), along with the muddled The Book of Boba Fett (2021).
There, of course, have been middling-to-pretty-good efforts, such as Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018) and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016) in theaters – although I’ll get some debate on those points in Star Wars circles.
And on Disney+, The Mandalorian (2019), Andor (2022), and Ahsoka (2023) have been excellent.
Overall, Disney’s Star Wars record has been terribly disappointing. But now comes news via Vanity Fair that Dave Filoni has been promoted.
According to the report, Filoni said, “Now I’m what’s called chief creative officer of Lucasfilm.” This “places him into the development process much earlier and in a much more expansive capacity than his previous advisory duties. ‘In the past, in a lot of projects I would be brought into it, I would see it after it had already developed a good ways.’ Filoni will now work more directly with Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy and alongside Carrie Beck, a veteran producer turned head of development, to originate and shepherd the next generation of Star Wars shows and movies.”
Vanity Fair also reported: “‘I’m not telling people what to do,’ Filoni says. ‘But I do feel I’m trying to help them tell the best story that they want to tell. I need to be a help across the galaxy here, like a part of a Jedi Council almost.’ He described his responsibilities as understanding the intent of the filmmakers and being a resource to them, based on his mentorship under Lucas himself, and his years spent steering The Clone Wars, Rebels, and Ahsoka.” And later: “Filoni will continue developing his film, as well as exploring a possible second season of Ahsoka, while serving in his new position.”
It also was noted: “As president of Lucasfilm, Kennedy will continue leading the overall company, and Beck’s role will involve recruiting other storytellers into the Star Wars fold, while Filoni weighs in on a narrative level.”
The inevitable question that arises from Filoni’s promotion is this: Will Filoni eventually succeed Kennedy to helm all of Lucasfilm, or perhaps co-run the Disney-owned studio with someone else more plugged in to the business side of things? That would be the answer to Star Wars fans' prayers. After all, Kennedy has taken the brunt of the criticism for the under-performance of Star Wars, and she hasn’t helped her own case over the years with some comments that were out of touch with Star Wars material and fans, along with the greenlighting of an assortment of Star Wars movies that then quietly disappeared.
In the end, at the very least, Filoni’s promotion is good news for those who seek storytelling that makes more sense in terms of the characters and overall Star Wars universe and themes.
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Ray Keating is the editor, publisher and economist for DisneyBizJournal.com; and author of the Pastor Stephen Grant thrillers and mysteries, the Alliance of Saint Michael novels, and assorted nonfiction books. Have Ray Keating speak your group, business, school, church, or organization. Email him at raykeating@keatingreports.com.
The views expressed here are his own – after all, no one else should be held responsible for this stuff, right?
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