TheQuartering [5/21/2021]
I would of thought Disney had a clear idea of just how much people disliked Kathleen Kennedy by now.
“The Mandalorian” cast members such as Ming-Na Wen and Katee Sackhoff took to social media to celebrate the announcement that Dave Filoni is now the executive creative director of Lucasfilm. The promotion actually went into effect last summer, Variety reports, but it wasn’t until the studio updated its website with Filoni’s new title this week that “Star Wars” fans realized Filoni has more creative power at Lucasfilm than ever before. Per Variety: “Filoni’s title as executive creative director captures the complicated role of overseeing both individual series and a larger storyline that weaves together several shows.”
Filoni is beloved among “Star Wars” fans, as George Lucas selected him in 2005 to run “The Clone Wars,” the animated series that started its run in 2008 and lasted seven seasons. Filoni went on to create three more animated series, “Star Wars Rebels,” “Star Wars Resistance,” and, most recently, “Star Wars: The Bad Batch,” following Disney’s acquisition of Lucasfilm. The creator was then asked by Jon Favreau to serve as an executive producer on “The Mandalorian,” the first live-action “Star Wars” series. Filoni also writes and directs episodes of the series, most famously the Season 2 installment “The Jedi.”
Considering Lucasfilm is expanding the “Star Wars” television universe with several upcoming projects all set in the timeline of “The Mandalorian,” it makes sense to put Filoni in a position where he has both micro control of specific series and macro control over the larger universe. Filoni is joining Favreau and Robert Rodriguez for “The Book of Boba Fett,” streaming in December. Additional “Star Wars” television projects include “The Acolyte” from Leslye Headland, “Obi-Wan Kenobi” from Deborah Chow, and “Ahsoka,” starring Rosario Dawson as the eponymous Jedi that Filoni created to smash success in “The Clone Wars.”
As for the future of “The Mandalorian,” the blockbuster series will return for a third season but not until after “The Book of Boba Fett.” The new season is now in pre-production and won’t arrive until 2022 at the earliest.