Now that the Skywalker Saga is over, what is a Star Wars movie? Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy has been dealing with it on a daily basis for years. Things on the streaming side are running smoothly. But in theaters? Kennedy thinks it's mostly because these things take more time than people are ready to commit to. Kennedy said in an interview with Vanity Fair that Jon Favreau has made the long-term commitment. There are a couple of people that we may get there, but it's difficult because of the competitive landscape. The next Star Wars film will be directed by Patty Jenkins. Kennedy made it clear that the film isn't compatible with where she and others see the future of Star Wars. She said that Taika Waititi's story fits into that. We pushed off to the side for a moment. The script is being developed by Patty. We will talk about how that connects to the central spine. I'm hoping that a couple of filmmakers will come in and make the commitment that Jon and Dave have made. I would love to see that happen in the feature space. Kennedy is looking for a director to really commit to the franchise. Rian Johnson is the perfect example of the issue she is finding. Next-Level Sound can be experienced. Theater-like sound surrounds you with spatial audio with dynamic head tracking.
She said that Rian has been busy with Knives Out and the deal that he made at Netflix for multiple movies. He is very committed to what we are trying to do. He has not had time to devote. I'm saying that anyone who comes into the Star Wars universe needs to know that it takes three, four, and five years. That is what it takes. You can't shoot something for a year and then walk away. It doesn't work that way. It requires that kind of nurturing.
It's the kind of nurturing that didn't happen on the Sequel Trilogy, with J.J.Abrams and Rian Johnson ping-ponging ideas back and forth between films. Kennedy explained that while many options for who the character's parents might be were discussed, one popular rumor was never on the table: Obi-Wan Kenobi.
Kennedy said the bigger issue was about Obi-Wan as a Master Jedi and the issue of attachment and selflessness. What does that mean? If that were explored, there were a lot of ideas being thrown around, but anything to do with Obi-Wan was off the table because it flies in the face of everything George created in the mythology. We aren't rigid about it. It is open for discussion all the time. The mythology of the Jedi states that we would be reluctant to mess with.
Kennedy seems to be ok with messing with Star Wars as a whole. We are moving on from the Skywalker saga, she said. That is taking a lot of time, discussion, and thought right now, and looks at one project in particular as a good goalpost of what could be.
Kennedy said that the Acolyte is an experiment because it isn't building within the timelines of Jon and Dave. We are moving into a new era with what Leslye Headland is doing. She admits that publishing, such as The High Republic books The Acolyte will touch up upon, are a testing ground for what stories fans really respond to. Fans might find important Star Wars stories in other places in the future.
She said that they don't just assume that Star Wars is only going to be on television and in movie theaters.
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