A protracted-rumored management change at Lucasfilm could lastly be near changing into official. In line with a narrative from the Hollywood reporters at Puck Information, Kathleen Kennedy is anticipated to step down as president of Lucasfilm, with Dave Filoni set to tackle the studio’s high inventive management function. Disney has not but confirmed the transfer publicly, however sources counsel an announcement might arrive inside weeks.
‘Within the subsequent week or two,’ writes Puck Information author and former Hollywood Reporter editor Matthew Belloni, ‘Disney will lastly verify what we’ve all recognized for months: Kathleen Kennedy is certainly stepping down as Lucasfilm president.’
Kennedy’s exit would shut a significant chapter in Star Wars historical past. When Disney acquired Lucasfilm in 2012, George Lucas personally chosen Kennedy to run the corporate. On the time, the choice made clear sense. Kennedy was one in all Hollywood’s most revered producers, with a long time of expertise shepherding large-scale tasks, together with long-standing collaborations with Steven Spielberg on movies like E.T.,Jurassic Park, and Schindler’s Record.
Throughout her tenure, Kennedy oversaw the launch of a brand new Star Wars period. That included the sequel trilogy, standalone movies like Rogue One, and the franchise’s pivot to serialized tv on Disney+. Commercially, the model expanded dramatically, whilst inventive selections sparked ongoing debate amongst followers. Managing Star Wars within the trendy media panorama proved as a lot about navigating expectations as producing content material.
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Filoni’s reported promotion is probably going much less disruptive than it might be. As Lucasfilm’s chief inventive officer, he has already performed a central function in shaping the franchise’s narrative route, notably on tv. His work throughout The Clone Wars, Rebels, The Mandalorian, and Ahsoka has established a transparent try at continuation of George Lucas’s storytelling philosophy.
Importantly, Filoni is not going to be moving into the function alone. Puck Information stories that Lynwen Brennan, at present president and basic supervisor of Lucasfilm enterprise, will function his counterpart, overseeing operational and enterprise issues. The construction suggests Disney is deliberately separating inventive management from company administration, permitting Filoni to give attention to story whereas Brennan handles the studio’s broader infrastructure.
Fan response has been largely unsurprised. On-line discussions body the change as a proper acknowledgment of what has already been occurring behind the scenes, with Filoni guiding long-term storytelling decisions for a number of years.
If confirmed, the transition factors towards continuity slightly than reinvention. Star Wars seems dedicated to interconnected storytelling throughout movie and tv, with Filoni positioned to supply a constant inventive throughline. After greater than a decade below Kennedy’s stewardship, Lucasfilm appears prepared to position its future squarely within the palms of a seasoned storyteller formed by an authentic love for the franchise.
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