Is Kevin Feige going to take over the Star Wars universe? A new report suggests the MCU president may take up the mantle as Kathleen Kennedy steps back from Lucasfilm.
The other day is was confirmed that Kathleen Kennedy was stepping down as the head of Lucasfilm after nearly 13 years in the role. This immediately sparked speculation about who would take on her role and guide blockbuster franchises like Star Wars and Indiana Jones into this new streaming age of Hollywood. Dozens of names have been thrown out by fans, including frankly unrealistic ones such as hoping actors like Sam Witwer might step up to the plate.
Six names have been reported as being on the shortlist to replace Kathleen Kennedy as the head of Lucasfilm in a published written by The Hollywood Reporter. These include The Mandalorian creator Jon Favreau, Netflix’s Head of Feature Animation and Family Film Hannah Minghella, The Force Awakens director J.J. Abrams, and Head of Production at 20th Century Fox Emma Watts. Though it seems the two big names vying for the top spot are Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige and Lucasfilm Chief Creative Officer Dave Filoni.
Who Will Replace Kathleen Kennedy?
The choice between these six, especially when it comes down to Dave Filoni and Kevin Feige, is a hard one. Each one has their own benefits and shortfalls. It seems the reason that the hunt for a replacement has taken so long, even before Kathleen Kennedy publicly announced her retirement from Lucasfilm, is because the job is incredibly difficult. Not only does one have to be incredibly knowledgeable about franchises like Star Wars, but they have to be happy spending most of their time politicking with the studio.
“One reason Kathy stuck around for so long is because there is no credible alternative.” One anonymous source told The Hollywood reporter, with another stating “What people don’t understand is that it’s not a creative job. That’s about 10 percent. The rest of it is dealing with Disney, licensing and fans.”
Both frontrunners to take over from Kathleen Kennedy, Dave Filoni and Kevin Feige, present unique problems in taking over Lucasfilm. Feige himself is busy at Marvel, and moving him over could risk destabilizing an already shaky multi-billion dollar franchise. While Filoni has much less commitments outside of Star Wars, insiders aren’t confident in his ability to maneuver the high levels of the studio system, with one insider saying “He’ll be killed by all sides.” Though with Kennedy’s retirement imminent, it’s likely a replacement is named relatively soon.
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