Kevin Feige Debunks Rumor About His 'Star Wars' Movie

When it was announced in late 2020 that Kevin Feige would be producing a Star Wars movie, fans began to wonder if the Marvel boss would be taking over Kathleen Kennedy’s role. Her contract with Lucasfilm is currently set to expire in 2021, giving credence to the rumors.

Feige, President of Marvel Studios, is a busy man. He is largely responsible for the Marvel Cinematic Universe as we know it, and in the meticulous build up from 2008’s Iron Man all the way up to 2019’s Avengers: Endgame, he has garnered a lot of support and love from fans.

Meanwhile, Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy does not have anywhere near the same level of support from Star Wars fans. With the mixed reception of the Star Wars sequel trilogy, a very vocal group of fans have long pointed to Kennedy as a figurehead for their ire. One needs only to hop into the comments section on a post about the Star Wars sequels to see comments claiming she and director Rian Johnson (and sometimes even JJ Abrams) ruined them, or in the comments section on a post about The Mandalorian to see praise for Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau while simultaneously taking a shot at Kennedy. Some fans believe that she “doesn’t get Star Wars” due to some plot elements or the depiction of Luke Skywalker, or that the sequel trilogy had not been well-planned in advance. Others believe she shoehorned in diversity, progressiveness, and female empowerment, seemingly while forgetting that Star Wars has been incredibly progressive from the very beginning.

Outside of the Star Wars universe, she has also served as producer for many iconic movies including Jurassic Park, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, the Back to the Future trilogy, Gremlins, and The Goonies.

In an interview with Collider, Kevin Feige was asked if he was involved in Star Wars in any capacity beyond the movie he’d be producing. His answer:

“Not at all.”

The answer is really not all that surprising when you look at how full his plate currently is: he is listed as producer or executive producer on 21 unreleased Marvel projects between 2021 and 2023, according to IMDb. These include multiple new Disney+ series, including WandaVision, which releases January 15th.

Very little is known about Feige’s venture into the Star Wars universe. There is no firm release date, and no story details have been revealed yet. However, it was recently revealed that Michael Waldron, executive producer of the Disney+ series Loki, would be writing the script. This is a promising first step, but it's unlikely that we will get a chance to see the movie until 2024 or 2025 at the earliest.

In the meantime, Star Wars fans will have plenty of content to keep them occupied. Star Wars’ presence on Disney+ has rapidly expanded in the wake of The Mandalorian’s success. Newly announced shows Ahsoka, Rangers of the New Republic, and The Book of Boba Fett will all expand on character arcs introduced in season two of The Mandalorian, with a third season in the works as well. Several shows centered around other popular characters will also arrive, including Andor, Lando, and Obi-Wan Kenobi, the latter of which will see Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen reprise their roles from the prequel trilogy. Set after the events of Order 66, animated series The Bad Batch follows a specialized team of clones that was introduced in the final season of The Clone Wars. The Acolyte will take place at the end of the High Republic era, tying into the multimedia The High Republic event that Disney just launched with the release of novels and a comic series.

And that’s just on Disney+. Wonder Woman director Patty Jenkins is helming a Rogue Squadron movie. Thor: Love and Thunder director Taika Waititi (who also directed The Mandalorian episode “Redemption” and provided the voice of IG-11) is also working on a Star Wars film.

While many may not agree with Kathleen Kennedy’s execution of the sequel trilogy, Star Wars in the Disney era certainly seems to have found its stride now. Kevin Feige may not be the guiding hand going forward, but it will be interesting to see what he brings to the table.

Written By Dylan Myers

Syndicated From Culture Slate

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