It sounds like Disney has very high hopes for the upcoming success of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. The next – and last – chapter in the Skywalker saga won’t hit theaters for another six months, but one of the film’s producers has just been promoted due to her work on the pic.
On Monday, Lucasfilm boss Kathleen Kennedy appointed Michelle Rejwan the Senior Vice President of Live Action Development and Production for the entire Star Wars franchise, encompassing both television and movies.
Kennedy, who’s become a controversial figure amongst fans in recent years for her handling of the series, said the following of Rejwan:
“Working with Michelle over the last seven years as a producer on both The Force Awakens and now The Rise of Skywalker, I have seen first-hand her skills collaborating with writers and directors, and I’ve been incredibly impressed with her creative skills and her ability to manage the complexity surrounding these massive projects… There’s an exciting momentum building around the future of the franchise, and both myself and the Lucasfilm team look forward to working with Michelle in shaping the future in all areas of story development, from theatrical film development to live action content for Disney+.”
So, think of her as the new Star Wars equivalent to Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige; a singular, unifying visionary whose sole job is to create a shared story within the series.
Rejwan got her start in the industry working in the casting department of comedies like The Office and The Forty-Year-Old Virgin, before connecting with J.J. Abrams to produce giant sci-fi spectacles like Star Trek Into Darkness and Super 8. Her experience in both film and television will surely come in handy as she starts off work in Lucasfilm’s movie division, which will include David Benioff and D.B. Weiss’ new trilogy, and on its upcoming Disney Plus shows.
The streaming platform is already set to debut The Mandalorian later this year, as well as a Rogue One spinoff series about Cassian Andor sometime in the near future. It sounds like The House of Mouse is gearing up to grow its upcoming Star Wars live-action shows under Rejwan’s watch, possibly even adding a rumored Obi-Wan Kenobi standalone series to its slate.
Again, Rejwan’s promotion is all seemingly based on the inner-company praise of Episode IX, an approval that hopefully translates over to Star Wars fans as well. We’ll know for certain though when The Rise of Skywalker hits theaters on December 20th, 2019.
Published: Jun 19, 2019 09:44 am