Lucasfilm names new president, major changes for Star Wars

Dave Filoni, key creative force behind hit streaming series The Mandalorian and a disciple Star Wars creator george lucashas been appointed President of Walter disneyOwned by Lucasfilm.

The current president of Lucasfilm katherine kennedy Disney confirmed in a statement that she transitioned from the character to a full-time producer at the studio this week.

Filoni, 51, will now helm one of the highest-grossing film franchises, overseeing both live-action and animated television production.

He will work alongside co-president Lynwen Brennan, who will oversee the studio’s business and operations.

Disney CEO Bob Iger praised Kennedy’s “leadership, vision and stewardship” of the studio.

Kennedy, 72, has led Lucasfilm since Disney acquired the company in 2012, overseeing three blockbuster sequels to the original Star Wars trilogy and successful spin-off Rogue One.

soloThe 2018 film “Smugglers,” which introduced a new actor to play the smuggler made famous by Harrison Ford, flopped in theaters. This has raised concerns that viewers are growing tired of the beloved series.

“solo It was a little disappointing for us,” Iger said in 2023. “It made us stop and think, maybe the pace was a little too aggressive. So we decided to step back a little bit. “

disney Star Wars Movies on hold in 2019 will focus on live-action TV series including The Mandalorian Starring Pedro Pascal Introducing the popular character Baby Yoda. The company cancels plans Star Wars Directors Patty Jenkins and Rian Johnson star as Kennedy and work to reset the film’s strategy.

Meanwhile, Filoni has overseen a number of popular and critically acclaimed TV series, including onehoka.

Both Kennedy and Filoni have collaborated with Lucas, the creator of the original Star Wars The series premiered in 1977. The series, about a group of rebels in a galaxy far, far away, has grossed more than $10.3 billion at the global box office, according to Comscore.

Lucas hand-picked Kennedy as his successor to lead Lucasfilm. She co-founded Amblin Entertainment with Steven Spielberg and Frank Marshall and helped produce classic films including ET extraterrestrial, jurassic park and Schindler’s List.

five Star Wars Kennedy’s films have grossed a total of $5.9 billion at the box office. The most successful of 2015 Star Wars: The Force Awakensglobal ticket sales exceeded $2 billion.

Kennedy called it a privilege to work at Lucasfilm, adding: “I’m deeply proud of what we’ve accomplished together.”

Under Kennedy, Lucasfilm began producing live-action streaming TV series, including Filoni The Mandalorianwhich debuted with the launch of the Disney+ streaming service in 2019, and Andorra.

The company also added Star Wars– Theme parks at Walt Disney World in Florida and Disneyland in California.

Boxoffice Media editorial director Daniel Loria said Kennedy took on “an impossible task” in following Lucas and publishing platform-defining work The Mandalorian For Disney+.

She also “landed” the plane Rogue One, Lorria said after rounds of rewrites and reshoots.

Lucas hired Filoni in 2005 to help build Star Wars animation studio. Filoni, who often appears at Hollywood premieres and fan events wearing a cowboy hat, helped create the animated TV series The Clone Wars.

The Mandalorian will hit the big screen in May in a film co-written by Filoni called The Mandalorian and Grogu. Movie Star Wars: Starfighter, The film starring Ryan Gosling is scheduled to be released in theaters in May 2027. Kennedy will continue to serve as producer on the films.

Daisy Ridley, star of the sequel trilogy that began in 2015, also said she would return for the new film Star Wars project.