Plenty of Star Wars fans rolled their eyes several days back when it was reported that Kathleen Kennedy would be extending her contract to stay on as Lucasfilm President, which admittedly didn’t come as much surprise when Disney CEO Bob Chapek recently outlined that he had every intention of keeping her exactly where she was.
For a lot of people, the alarmingly high amount of creative turnover behind the scenes and subpar conclusion to the Skywalker Saga are Kennedy’s fault, with Star Wars being much more reactive in nature during the Disney era than it ever was with George Lucas at the helm. While longtime supporters of a galaxy far, far away might not care for the boss, they do highly approve of two very important cogs in the machine.
Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni have come in for sustained praise for the way they’ve taken Star Wars to the small screen, with The Mandalorian receiving widespread acclaim from both critics and audiences, while a slew of Emmys have also seen it become a genuine awards season favorite. In a new interview, Favreau was sure to lavish praise on Kennedy’s involvement in the series, something that’s no doubt going to infuriate some sections of the fanbase.
“I think the one consistent thing I’m feeling is that people care deeply that it’s being handled correctly and that it’s being handled respectfully. It meant so much to them and they want to see it continue into the future and feel like it’s all connected with consistency. And we’re very lucky that between Lucasfilm and Kathy, the whole group that we have are incredibly supportive and encouraging.
Kathy Kennedy, we brought in very early on this conversation. And Kathy, first and foremost, is a great producer. And producers figure out ways to make things happen that are creatively exciting to the storytellers. Not only does she understand how to create an environment where we can have all the tools that we need to explore and experiment and be creative, but also knows what it takes to incubate ideas and understands the significance of when you do it right, what that can represent.”
Favreau and Filoni have both been rumored on multiple occasions to take the reins of Lucasfilm in the event of Kennedy’s firing, but neither has the experience of running a major production company. It might happen eventually, but for the time being Kathleen Kennedy’s iron grip of Star Wars shows no sign of loosening at any point in the near future.
