Kevin Feige, the masterind behind Marvel Studios’ highly profitable interconnected Marvel Cinematic Universe superhero franchise, is developing a Star Wars for Disney corporate sibling Lucasfilm.
The Hollywood Reporter has broken the news that Feige recently held a meeting with Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy and Disney studio co-chairmen Alan Horn and Alan Bergman about developing a new film for the Star Wars franchise.
In a statement to the Reporter, Horn confirmed the meeting.
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.
The Reporter further states that Feige has talked to “a major actor” about taking a specific role in his Star Wars film if it were to get a greenlight.
For those so inclined, the meeting could be interpreted as the first step in a possible transition that would see Feige ultimately taking the reigns at Lucasfilm, though that seems more like an angry fanboy wish than anything substantive. In its reporting the Reporter states that a “top Disney source says Kennedy remains in charge with no plans for any changes.”
It is no surprise that Kennedy and Lucasfilm are developing new Star Wars films to come to theaters after the Skywalker Saga closes out this December with Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker. Currently the co-creators of HBO’s Game Of Thrones D.B. Weiss and David Benioff and The Last Jedi writer/director Rian Johnson are both working on new cinematic trilogies that will further explore the Star Wars galaxy. Additionally, Lucasfilm has been creating new Star Wars content in the form of short run TV series for Disney’s upcoming streaming platform Disney+.
But things have not always been smooth sailing for Star Wars since Disney first purchased Lucasfilm in 2012 for a little over $4 billion and announced their intention to relaunch the franchise. Behind the scenes clashes between Kennedy and prequel spinoff film Solo: A Star Wars Story directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller culminated in their very public firing and replacement with Ron Howard. After the film underperformed at the box office, Lucasfilm pulled back and reevaluated their plans for character-specific spinoff films, turning at least one of those potential projects – a look at the time Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi spent hiding on the planet Tatoonie guarding a young Luke Skywalker – into a Disney+ series.
But it is perhaps wise to remember the words of Yoda when talking about what shape Star Wars will be taking in the years to come – “Always in motion, the future is.” Like so many projects talked about in Hollywood, Feige’s proposed Star Wars movie could never come to pass. Or it could be the biggest hit of the franchise. I suspect that the answer will lie somewhere in-between.
