- Could Jon Favreau become
Star Wars' Kevin Feige?
With the decade-spanning Skywalker saga
coming to a close with December's
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker,
the franchise is at a bit of turning point.
While the brand is still strong,
with offerings like The Mandalorian uniting the fanbase
behind characters like the wee baby Yoda,
as well as hype-building
behind other upcoming Disney+ shows
like the Obi-Wan and Cassian Andor spin-offs,
the films are taking a little bit of a catnap
in that the next one won't be coming out until 2022.
And that's assuming it doesn't get pushed back even further.
Now according to reports,
there's actually been a director already picked
for that 2022 film.
But the person and subject of the project
won't be announced until sometime next year.
However with the Skywalker saga about to be
in the rear view mirror,
Star Wars and Lucasfilm are on the cusp
of something exciting.
The chance to be able to construct
an entirely new Star Wars epic,
in a brand new setting,
from the ground-up.
But who is the right person to usher in
this new era in a galaxy far, far away?
From a certain story point of view?
- A certain point of view?
- Now obviously this is definitely something
being paid attention to by both fans,
as well as Disney,
who wanna make sure their $4 billion investment
remains as highly profitable as humanly possible.
And thanks to a report in the Hollywood Reporter,
there might be an answer to who might be
helming the starship going forward.
Writer-director Jon Favreau.
Now currently Kathleen Kennedy is the head of Lucasfilm.
And while she has overall control over production,
she reportedly defers to the creative vision
of individual filmmakers on specific projects.
And this has led to some behind-the-scenes clashes
and some very public divorces.
Of course it's not hard to see how this contrasts
with that other Hollywood goliath,
Marvel Studios.
Kevin Feige and company are known to bring in
filmmakers to execute a specific piece
of an overall narrative,
that's shepherded by him and his team.
Though there can be less individual flair overall there,
you can't argue that the Infinity saga
didn't tell a grand story from start to finish.
But it looks like the folks behind
the galaxy far, far away
may be changing their ways.
According to the Hollywood Reporter,
Lucasfilm's already made moves
for some creative storytellers to take larger roles
in crafting the future of Star Wars.
Specifically the man who brought us The Mandalorian,
old Johnny Favs!
He's clearly got a passion for Star Wars
and the Holiday Special.
He wrote four scripts of The Mandalorian,
just so he could pitch it.
He's got a good working relationship with Disney,
with high-grossing films like The Jungle Book
and The Lion King.
And he's the guy who literally kicked off
the Marvel Cinematic Universe,
before it was even the Marvel Cinematic Universe,
with 2008's Iron Man.
Now this isn't to say that Favreau will be taking over
for Kathleen Kennedy,
she remains in charge of Lucasfilm for the time being.
Even if in the same report
they wonder for how much longer that could be.
In the article it's argued that Kennedy has been in charge
of Lucasfilm since before Disney purchased it,
and she successfully closed out the Skywalker saga
from a financial standpoint,
even if there is divisiveness among fans.
So there are plenty of strong reasons for her
to remain at the helm.
However the piece also notes that her contract
is completed in 2021,
and she could be looking to move on.
They cite a recent interview Kennedy did with Rolling Stone,
where she said "What happens in the future,
and how long and how much longer I do this?
I don't know yet. I'm looking at all of that."
However whether, if, or for how long
Kennedy sticks with Lucasfilm,
THR sources say that Star Wars is gonna have a lot more
Favreau in their future.
Those same sources also say that
Kennedy's ideal team is Favreau
along with Episode Nine producer Michelle Rejwan
and Dave Filoni.
And honestly,
that seems like a great storytelling team.
They each have a working connection with Star Wars.
Dave Filoni's been a favorite among fans for a long time,
thanks to his work on animated series
like The Clone Wars,
before he worked on The Mandalorian.
And plus,
he's kind of George Lucas's protégé,
he can walk the balance between introducing
new elements and protecting Lucas's original vision.
So if Kathleen Kennedy stays,
she's setting herself up for success by crafting
a talented team like this.
And if she leaves,
well she's leaving it in good hands.
So it seems like a win-win situation to us.
But how legitimate is all of this?
Well despite Hollywood Reporter's whiff
with the recent confirmation of meetings about
a Joker sequel that filmmakers have flat-out denied,
they usually have a pretty good track record
on behind-the-scenes dealings of Hollywood's
big movers and shakers.
Whether or not they're correct in this instance,
it certainly seems like a sure bet
that Jon Favreau is here to stay in the Star Wars universe.
But what about all that gossip about Kevin Feige?
Fans were exhilarated to hear
that he would be producing his own Star Wars film,
and there were even rumors when that news first dropped
that he could become the creative lead
for Lucasfilm as well.
To be honest,
that's probably not gonna happen.
He's got a pretty full plate over at Marvel,
with a whole new slew of characters,
movies, Disney+ shows.
He's got a lot to worry about.
Plus he also has to get Spider-Man back
for another round or two from Sony.
So while he's still on track to make a Star Wars film,
it doesn't seem like he's gonna take the reins
of Lucasfilm full-time anytime soon.
But for now,
any real answers we want about the future of Star Wars,
will probably be placed into deep freeze in carbonite
until the Rise of Skywalker's dust settles
a bit after its release next month.
But what do you folks think?
Are you excited for Jon Favreau
to become a creative force behind Star Wars?
And what will the wee baby Yoda get up to
in the next chapter of The Mandalorian?
Also what do you want the next Star Wars film to be about?
Let's discuss!
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