It is not hyperbole today to say Disney might be the biggest studio in the world of filmmaking right now. While Warner Bros. and Universal have their successful franchises, Disney holds the two golden geese of IP: Marvel and Star Wars. And thanks to big names like Kathleen Kennedy and Kevin Feige, these two mega franchises have continued to thrive since the House of Mouse purchased each.
Feige has operated as the primary engineer of the MCU since it kicked off back with 2008's Iron Man, and his career with Marvel dates all the way back to 2000 when X-Men hit theaters.
Kennedy, on the other hand, has had quite an illustrious career in Hollywood, being named president of Lucasfilm in 2012. The executive has been in the industry for more than 40 years, with her first producer credit being attached to E.T.: the Extra-Terrestrial.
But in this day and age, keeping these two monoliths of the movie world could be seen as a difficult task, with other studios surely wanting to work with the producers on some of their projects. According to some new quotes, Disney will not have to worry about either jumping ship, at least for now.
Kennedy and Feige Cash In?
According to Disney CEO Bob Chapek, Disney has "recently renewed, extended, or signed new contracts" for nearly all their chief creative executives, the likes of whom include Kathleen Kennedy and Kevin Feige.
Chapek revealed the information during Disney's Q1 2022 earnings call, iterating that the studio will continue to be "home to the most accomplished leaders in the industry" and could not be more "excited to continue working with this creative powerhouse":
"Storytelling excellence is, of course, dependent on having excellent storytellers. I am thrilled to share that our legacy of being home to the most accomplished leaders in the industry will continue, as nearly all of our top creative executives have recently renewed, extended, or signed new contracts. I could not be more excited to continue working with this creative powerhouse."
Chapek did not specify that Feige and Kennedy both got new deals as a part of this, but being that they are Disney's most important creative producers, they presumably are signed onto a new deal. Specifically, the rumor mill claimed Kennedy signed a three-year contract extension with Lucasfilm in November of last year.
Disney is in Good Hands
While there was little fear that names like Feige or Kennedy would fly the coop from the money-printing machine that is Disney (and, in turn, Lucasfilm and Marvel Studios), it is nice for fans to hear that Disney's top figureheads are not going anywhere.
Anything can happen in such a competitive industry, and it's always possible Warner Bros. could back up a dump truck of cash to get Feige over to their side. So this assurance is nice for the MCU/Star Wars faithful.
It would be interesting to know the extent of these new deals for some of Disney's biggest names. Those details will never leak out, but it would be cool just to see how much it costs to keep someone like Kevin Feige or Kathleen Kennedy around.
Also, could the specifics of these deals ever include tidbits about future scheduling releases or perhaps a potential promotion down the line? Could either Feige or Kennedy ever have a future beyond just their specific franchises, and would these contracts include any sort of information on that? Probably.
No matter what though, fans have no reason to worry, as the minds behind their favorite movies at Star Wars and Marvel are going nowhere anytime soon.
