A new era is coming forStar Wars, with the latest reports suggesting just what will happen when Kathleen Kennedy eventually steps down as president of Lucasfilm. Current Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy was hand-picked by George Lucas as his successor, but she’s been something of a lightning rod for criticism ever since. Although Kennedy has no intention of retiring from filmmaking, there have been consistent reports that she’s soon to step down from her current role.
Kennedy discussed herStar Warsfuturein an official statement in February, insisting what’s going on is simply normal succession planning. “What’s happening at Lucasfilm is I have been talking for quite some time with both Bob [Iger] and Alan [Bergman] about what eventual succession might look like,” she stressed. Lucasfilm is likely a long way away from a formal announcement, butpersistent reports suggest the future is becoming clear.
The Latest Rumors Are Pretty Much What We’ve Been Expecting
Last night,The Hollywood Reporterpublished a discussion of succession planning in Hollywood. There, they dropped a major snippet about current plans at Lucasfilm (although it must be noted the very act of reporting this kind of thing often disrupts plans). Here’s whatTHRsaid:
“Lucasfilm seems likely to follow that path in replacing Kennedy. Despite speculation about outside candidates, including former 20th Century head Emma Watts, insiders say the company seems most likely to promote from within. The current thinking is a scenario where chief creative officer Dave Filoni and production head Carrie Beck — both Lucasfilm vets — take co-head roles. Even as an arm of Disney, Lucasfilm remains, in many ways, a family business, and as a George Lucas protégé Filoni long has been considered a golden boy. But the knock against him is that he might be too steeped inStar Warslore and risks steering a show into dense mythology that loses a broader audience. ‘He’s not theAndorguy, he’s theAhsokaguy,’ says one Disney insider. Beck, who joined the company in 2012, knows the ins and outs, but neither she nor Filoni has much film experience, which could be mitigated by Kennedy’s continued presence as a producer on certainStar Warsprojects, ensuring quality control in the short term.”
First, a confession; we originally planned to sit this particular discussion out. There’s nothing surprising about this report; frankly, it’s pretty much what we’ve been expecting since February. It’s even in line with predictions from industry insider Jeff Sneider, who’s presented a convincing case for this outcome in his blogs.The only really striking part about this new report lay in the heavy criticism of Filoni, with one ofTHR’s sources pointing out that he’s theAhsokaguy, not theAndorguy.
Our own plans have changed, however. Online discussion about this report is generating rather more heat than light, which means we feel we have something of value to contribute - when it comes to both FiloniandBeck.
Dave Filoni Is The Perfect Choice To Continue George Lucas' Legacy
THRrightly note thatLucasfilm is very much a family affair, and there can be no doubt Dave Filoni would be George Lucas' choice. Filoni joined Lucasfilm forStar Wars: The Clone Wars, and he swiftly became Lucas' protégé, learning at the feet of the master. He’s been rising through the ranks at Lucasfilm ever since, moving on to live-action and even writing and directing theAhsokaDisney+ TV show (Ahsokaseason 2is now filming).Filoni is currently Lucasfilm’s Chief Creative Officer, an important role giving him more administrative experience.
ScreenRant’s Molly Brizzell had the privilege of speaking to Filoni at this year’s Star Wars Celebration, and she couldn’t help expressing some concerns:
Even in our short conversation, the true, genuine passion he has for Star Wars and the stories he creates is clearly evident. While I have no doubt that Filoni could use this passion to lead Lucasfilm, especially alongside someone as wonderful as Carrie Beck, my fear is that those administrative duties would limit the way Filoni is able to create so freely.
He’s very protective of what Star Wars is and what it’s becoming, not due to a sense of control but due to a sense of strong respect he has for what George Lucas established so long ago. This would make him a wonderful candidate for Lucasfilm’s leadership role, but it would also likely keep him from being able to express that passion as much in his storytelling as he does at present.
Forget the somewhat cutting “he’s the Ahsoka guy” comment. This is therealdanger;Filoni is a creative force to be reckoned with, and it would be a shame to see him stuck in the administrative weeds. Fortunately, it seems Lucasfilm bosses are aware of the risk; the idea under discussion is reportedly for Filoni to serve as co-president, teaming up with someone else.
Carrie Beck Shouldn’t Be Underestimated
Dave Filoni is something of a household name in theStar Warsfandom. The sad truth is that Carrie Beck should be too, although to be fair, she hasn’t been as prominent at conventions and fan events. This has meant elements of the fandom have expressed confusion over why the co-president role is being discussed in relation to someone they haven’t heard of.
In reality,Beck is a key member of the Lucasfilm Story Group, working on some of the most successful animated shows -Star Wars Rebels,Star Wars: The Bad Batch, andThe Clone Warsseason 7. She was a producer on some of the best live-actionStar WarsTV shows, includingThe Mandalorianseason 2, and collaborated with Walt Disney Imagineering to create theGalaxy’s Edgetheme parks. She’s known for her work ethic and ability to coordinate teams with skill - perfect for co-president.
That said,ScreenRant’s Liz Declan has expressed her own concerns over Beck, which should be ameliorated by the co-president role:
The backlash to Kathleen Kennedy over the years has been loud, and while there may be some valid criticisms somewhere in the mix, the truth is, Kennedy’s leadership role as a woman is largely what much of this controversy seems to really be about. That has unfortunately led to questions regarding whether it’s women who should be leading, not only from the loud minority with misogynistic views but also from those worried about subjecting another woman to the hate Kennedy has received.
This is a situation in which Lucasfilm needs to not back down, though. The solution is not to remove women from leadership roles, as that will only validate those with these misogynistic views and worsen the issue if and when Lucasfilm puts another woman in a leadership position. Instead, Lucasfilm needs to fully and vocally defend the women within the company—and that needs to extend to actors, showrunners, and others involved in the franchise as well.
The problem Liz is highlighting doesn’t really lie with Beck herself. Rather,there is an element of the fanbase that has reacted to Kathleen Kennedy in large part because she’s a woman, and it is likely they will do the same with Beck. Still, the joint role with Filoni would hopefully protect Beck a little.
DC Studios Has Shown The Benefit Of Sharing The President Role
The presidential role has evolved a great deal since Kathleen Kennedy took it on in 2012, and it makes perfect sense to appoint two people with different skills; both Filoni and Beck are phenomenal creatives, but Filoni is more visionary, while Beck is an extremely competent administrator. This is the same kind of approach Warner Bros has tried out with DC Studios, where James Gunn and Peter Safran have shared the co-president role. I can easily see it working well for Lucasfilm as well; it would allow Filoni in particular to continue creating.
Meanwhile, note thatTHRalso predict Kathleen Kennedy remaining involved as a producer on some of theupcomingStar Warsmovies. This should help with Filoni and Beck’s one real weakness; the fact that neither has much experience with the big screen. It also fits perfectly with Kennedy’s own comments, because she’s been insisting she has no intention of retiring as a filmmaker, and is looking forward to working in this very capacity.
Succession planning is difficult. We don’t know for sure whetherTHR’s discussion will prove prophetic; it’s entirely possible the very act of reporting has generated enough internal politics to switch things up. That said, all these predictions make sense, and they’re in line with our own expectations. They’d also be a good fit for Lucasfilm - and forStar Wars- going forward.
