Recently appointed Lucasfilm CEO Dave Filoni is already achieving big things at the Star Wars studio. Long-time studio head Kathleen Kennedy announced her departure from Lucasfilm after serving for 14 years as President. Filoni, who was famously hired by George Lucas himself for Star Wars: The Clone Wars, was announced as her replacement, sharing the role alongside Lynwen Brennan.
While Kathleen Kennedy achieved many things during her time as Lucasfilm's President, including steering the company following its acquisition by Disney, she was never credited as a writer on any Star Wars projects. This is something Filoni has in spades, having written on Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars Rebels, The Mandalorian, and The Book of Boba Fett before becoming CEO. Filoni will also soon earn his first writing credit during his era as Lucasfilm co-President on The Mandalorian & Grogu, which he scripted alongside the show's director, Jon Favreau.
While Kennedy earned a producing credit on everything Lucasfilm released after 2012, she never crossed over into the more creative side of writing or directing a Star Wars project. This is one thing Filoni will have on his resume as a sitting Lucasfilm president after The Mandalorian & Grogu's release on May 22, which Kennedy does not.
This also reflects the kind of leadership Filoni is set to bring to the company, as he was officially promoted from Chief Creative Officer to co-President and Chief Creative Officer. This sets up Filoni to have greater creative oversight of Star Wars, while Brennan oversees the business and strategy sides of the company.
This division of roles is not unlike what DC Studios has done by appointing dual studio heads, James Gunn and Peter Safran. While Safran serves purely in producing roles, Gunn is hands-on with the creative development, writing, and directing of many of DC Studios' projects, having written and directed Superman and its upcoming sequel Man of Tomorrow.
Similarly, Filoni's promotion hasn't taken him away from getting involved creatively in any Star Wars projects. Following The Mandalorian & Grogu, Filoni is the showrunner on Ahsoka Season 2, which is expected to release this year, and is an overseer on the Mandoverse, which may continue into more films or a Star Wars crossover title if things go according to plan.
What Does Star Wars' Future Hold During Dave Filoni's Presidency?
After having only one president for over a decade, the appointment of Dave Filoni and Lynwen Brennan marks a new era for Lucasfilm. The splitting of the role into two could be a promising sign for the company, but it all hinges on Filoni and Brennan sharing a vision for the studio.
Given the strong start DC Studios has made under a similar model, this change in leadership could be exactly what Lucasfilm needs after a divisive decade at Disney. Kennedy helped usher in the sequel trilogy and the first Star Wars spin-off movies, as well as the first live-action Star Wars TV shows, but they've remained divisive with fans, with some projects becoming beloved and others hated.
What many are noticing now is the alarming lack of confirmed projects on Lucasfilm's slate. There are numerous projects in development at the company, but so few of them make it to the screen.
With Filoni in a position of creative and business power, this could be a good sign as the future of Lucasfilm is being steered by someone with on-the-ground knowledge of what it takes to write, produce, and direct a Star Wars project. It also likely means good things for the Mandoverse and the animated future of Star Wars. These are worlds that Filoni has helped build and are thus close to his heart, which could give them priority.
Filoni has also been adamant that he is a creative who likes to work in "very large arcs", which hints at Star Wars creating something potentially MCU adjacent, with years of storytelling that builds to a big payoff, which would be a new direction for Lucasfilm that has previously prioritized the separate Skywalker Saga trilogies and a handful of spin-offs.
Now that Star Wars is entering its third phase, this will be the chance to truly see what Filoni and Brennan envision for the company and how it compares to what Kennedy achieved.
