[News] Kathleen Kennedy Out, Dave Filoni In

[CaptainCrunch]

Kurtzman is so bad, that I'm beginning to think that someone hired him to completely devalue the Star Trek IP to the point where someone can come in and buy it for super cheap when Paramount decides to dump it instead of making more Star Trek content.


I watched that Red Carpet for StarFleet Academy, and it was like really bad.

[afc wimbledon]

I'd love to see both franchises die the death to make way for other sci fi

Star Wars wasn't even that great to start with and the limitations of the story mean there isn't anyway to make 'good' new films, they will always be ####e copies getting more and more faded from the original

[n00berdeau]

Originally Posted by afc wimbledon

I'd love to see both franchises die the death to make way for other sci fi

Star Wars wasn't even that great to start with and the limitations of the story mean there isn't anyway to make 'good' new films, they will always be ####e copies getting more and more faded from the original

Not a huge star wars guy, but the first four Lucas helmed films are kino especially the first one. Episodes II and III are kind of a mess, probably were a bit rushed and as a result the CG and storylines suffer.
This guy was a film autist and would travel to Canada to seek out avant garde short films in the 60s.

[getbak]

After being rumoured (or at least hoped for by the nerds) for many years, this is actually finally happening: https://www.starwars.com/news/lucasfilm-leadership

Filoni as President and Chief Creative Officer and Brennan as Co-President of Lucasfilm. Kennedy isn't going away completely, she will still serve as a Producer on The Mandalorian and Grogu and Star Wars: Starfighter, which are set for release in 2026 and 2027.


I don't expect huge changes to the direction of Lucasfilm.

“My love of storytelling was shaped by the films of Kathleen Kennedy and George Lucas. I never dreamed I would be privileged to learn the craft of filmmaking from both of them,” said Filoni. “From Rey to Grogu, Kathy has overseen the greatest expansion in Star Wars storytelling onscreen that we have ever seen. I am incredibly grateful to Kathy, George, Bob Iger and Alan Bergman for their trust and the opportunity to lead Lucasfilm in this new role, doing a job I truly love. May the Force be with you.”

I wonder if there's some hedging of bets by Disney here? If they brought in an outsider now, the fans might be angry that Filoni wasn't given the chance. If The Mandalorian and Grogu and/or Ahsoka season 2 bomb, they can cut Filoni loose and bring in someone new to run the company without facing massive nerd revolt. If they're hits, everyone's happy.

[ComixZone]

If they can get Filoni back to his Clone Wars/Rebels brilliance, there’s no one better to run this in my eyes.

I feel like saddling him to Mando & Grogu + Starfighter’s success would be unfair…but it is what it is.

I just hope things get better, because my goodness is this ever Star Wars’ last grasp in my eyes.

Fate of the Old Republic & Filoni’s ascension mark the franchises last chance in my books.

[direwolf]

As long as Filoni stays away from writing or directing the live action stuff, I’m good with this. Give those projects to real filmmakers like Favreau and Tony Gilroy, and Filoni can just stay in the animation lane.

[Sr. Mints]

I said it in like 2014, and I’ll reiterate it now: my big fear for Star Wars under Disney was that there would always be immense pressure to pump out content, and that quality would inevitably be pushed to the back burner.

I don’t think Kathleen Kennedy is the problem. She’s the symptom of the problem. But for whatever reason, she wears it all.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by Sr. Mints

I said it in like 2014, and I’ll reiterate it now: my big fear for Star Wars under Disney was that there would always be immense pressure to pump out content, and that quality would inevitably be pushed to the back burner.

I don’t think Kathleen Kennedy is the problem. She’s the symptom of the problem. But for whatever reason, she wears it all.

I agree...however...'Heavy is the Head that wears the Crown.'

I think it really all depends on what you want out of Kennedy.

We as fans want good content. Her puppet-masters however only demand profit....damned Ferengi bastards!

She's made them a lot of money because no matter what you churn out, so long as it stays relatively within budget...it makes money.

It would be interesting to see how much profit she has generated over her career. I'd guess 'lots.'

[SutterBrother]

Originally Posted by ComixZone

If they can get Filoni back to his Clone Wars/Rebels brilliance

Wait.

What?

[SutterBrother]

I'm on board with whoever made all of Andor, and season 1 of Mandalorian.

The rest is bantha fodder.

[blankall]

Originally Posted by direwolf

It’s hilarious when SW nerds constantly blame Kennedy like she’s some kind of cancer who ruins everything she touches. Have there been a few duds on her watch? Sure. But she also produced Rogue One, Andor, and the Mandalorian, which are all pretty damn terrific. Andor in particular is arguably the greatest SW project since the original trilogy. Hell, even Force Awakens was an enjoyable ride for the most part.

Not to mention the rest of her filmography, which is insane: Indiana Jones trilogy, Jurassic Park, E.T., Back to the Future, Poltergeist, Gremlins, the Goonies, the Sixth Sense…and those are just some of the big ones off the top of my head.

Kennedy was most certainly not the driving force behind any of those successes you mention. Kathleen Kennedy was not the driving force behind Jurassic Park, Back to the Future, Poltergeist, Gremlins, the Goonies, Sixth Sense, etc...

Even in the Star Wars successes you mention, it was because she brought someone else in and took a back seat to them.

Yes, Kennedy played a role in these successful films, and by all accounts she is excellent in a secondary and assistant type role. She also has a lot of very talented friends who like to work with her. She also sounds like she works great with creative geniuses and is good at handling many of the practical duties for those creatives.

Sometimes the best co-pilot is not the best pilot and vice versa. It's two different skill sets.

Kennedy had zero clue what she was doing with Star Wars. I'm sure she would have been great as a co-producer or associate producer if someone like Jon Favreau had been given the reigns. She has a great history of working with people like Lucas, Spielberg, Zemeckis, etc... and helping to make their visions reality. That's not what was going with Star Wars though. She was in charge. It was her vision. And she made an absolute mess of things.

Edit: Kennedy may also just be out of touch now too. Perhaps at one point in her life she could have handled the job, but not now. Spielberg and Lucas, her former collaborators, don't have it anymore either. In the words of Sickboy:

"Well, at one time, you've got it, and then you lose it, and it's gone forever. All walks of life: George Best, for example. Had it, lost it. Or David Bowie, or Lou Reed..."

[direwolf]

Originally Posted by blankall

Spielberg and Lucas, her former collaborators, don't have it anymore either.

Disagree regarding Spielberg. There was a while there where I did think he was past his prime. But then he made the Fabelmans, which was outstanding, and I thought "holy crap, he's still got it."

[blankall]

Originally Posted by direwolf

Disagree regarding Spielberg. There was a while there where I did think he was past his prime. But then he made the Fabelmans, which was outstanding, and I thought "holy crap, he's still got it."

Fair enough. I haven't actually seen that. There was a time when Spielberg couldn't miss. He's definitely had more misses than hits lately though. I wouldn't trust Spielberg to be in charge of a major franchise either at this point.

[Bigtime]

Is it wrong that when I hear people talking about Filoni sticking to the animated stuff I think of Dark Helmet playing with his dolls in Spaceballs?