In a surprising turn of events, Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige is apparently developing a Star Wars movie for Lucasfilm, working alongside Kathy Kennedy.
This was reported by The Hollywood Reporter on Wednesday evening, and a quote from Disney Studios head Alan Horn to THR seems to confirm it:
“We are excited about the projects Kathy and the Lucasfilm team are working on, not only in terms of Star Wars but also Indiana Jones and reaching into other parts of the company including Children of Blood and Bone with Emma Watts and Fox. With the close of the Skywalker Saga, Kathy is pursuing a new era in Star Wars storytelling, and knowing what a die-hard fan Kevin is, it made sense for these two extraordinary producers to work on a Star Wars film together.”
According to THR, this idea arose out of a meeting that Kennedy and Feige had with Alan Horn and Alan Bergman late this summer. In the past, Feige – a huge Star Wars fan – had expressed hesitation about making a Star Wars film and downplayed any talk of it, but obviously now it seems like he’s working to develop one. So this doesn’t really tell us much about Feige’s exact role on the project (if and when it ever gets produced), but we know that Kennedy is working with him on it.
And that’s a very important thing to note – according to THR, a high-ranking Disney official said that Kennedy remains the President of Lucasfilm and that there are no plans to change. So while some (probably on Youtube) will surely speculate about what Feige’s involvement means for Kennedy’s future, it doesn’t sound like there’s anything there. In fact, Horn’s statement goes so far as to give us the opposite impression; he makes it clear that Kennedy is the one leading them into this new era of Star Wars storytelling and that she will be teaming with Feige to work on it together. And I know that Feige knows a thing or two about superstar team-ups (and the biggest crossover event in movie history, right?), but this move is yet another powerful team-up, bringing together two of the most successful producers in movie history. Between the two of them, they are responsible for producing seven of the top 13 current highest-grossing films. In fact, they are both in the top three of the most successful producers ever box office-wise.
So in other words, Kathy Kennedy is still running Lucasfilm, and that’s a tremendous thing for Star Wars fans. I’m especially excited at the prospects of her working with Kevin Feige, as obviously Feige has a tremendous vision for filmmaking, while Kennedy can help make sure that the project feels less like an MCU film and more like a Star Wars film.
One other thing to note from the THR article? Feige may already have an actor in mind. Writes THR: “One knowledgeable source says Feige has told a major actor that there’s a specific role he would like that person to play if and when he makes the movie.”
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