Marvel Studios Head Kevin Feige Isn’t Taking Over Lucasfilm
Rumors have been circulating around Hollywood recently thatKathleen Kennedywould be stepping down from Lucasfilm, and that Marvel Studios headKevin Feigewould be coming in to head up the future ofStar Wars. Sitting down across from Feige at theAnt-Man and the Waspjunket, I was able to ask Feige about the speculation and put an end to the rumors.
The Rumors
The rumors claimed that Disney is unhappy with Kennedy’s handling of theStar Warsfranchise, specifically the numerous problems on the standalone films leading to the lackluster box office ofSolo: A Star Wars Story. Kennedy was responsible for hiring Gareth Edwards, Josh Trank, Chris Lord and Phil Miller, and Colin Trevorrow, all of which didn’t work out in some way, costing the company hundreds of millions on reshoots and fixes.
The rumored plan was for her to step down in September to semi-retire, which would be a way of saving face. At the time, I followed up on the rumors confirming that Kennedy had no plans to leave Lucasfilm or retire any time soon. But the rumors persisted and began to include Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige’s name as the one who Disney would bring in to head up Lucasfilm and Kennedy. There were even some people claiming that Feige was seen spending some time in the Lucasfilm offices on the Burbank lot.
Kevin Feige’s Denial
In April,I asked Feige when his contract was up with Disney and Marvel, and he revealed that he was approaching the end of his lengthy contract sometime later this year. I followed that up by asking if he had aspirations beyond Marvel, like producing other films. His response was typically vague: “I love making movies. I love making movies. I love being part of movies. I love having a large say in the way that movies are made. And that’s what I wanna keep doing.”
Could Lucasfilm provide this type of playground? Might Feige be getting tired of the comic book universe that he’s been working on in some capacity since the original Bryan SingerX-Menfilm?
At theAnt-Man and the Waspjunket, I was finally able to ask Feige point blank about the rumors. Will he be involved in the future ofStar Wars? The executive’s answer was a shake of his head. He smiled and said:
“No. Only in my backyard with my action figures.”
So there you have it – a denial from the man himself.
Kevin Feige’s Relationship With Star Wars
Feige would have made sense on paper. He’s a huge HUGEStar Warsfan, and talking to him over the years, I’ve gotten the sense thatStar Warswas his first love before comics. He’s not been secret about hisStar Warslove,appearing on The Star Wars Show in April talking about hisStar Warsfandom.Around the release ofCaptain America: Civil War,io9asked Feige if he ever wanted to make aStar Warsfilm, and his response is telling of his fandom:
And yes, he certainly knows how to make a connected cinematic universe successful.
Will Kennedy Leave Lucasfilm?
Of course, this doesn’t mean that Kennedy won’t leave Lucasfilm at some point. I’m guessing that the prestigious producer doesn’t want to makeStar Warsthe remainder of her career in Hollywood. If I were to guess, and this is purely a guess at this point, I would think she will at least oversee the company through the release of J.J. Abrams’Star Wars: Episode 9, completing work on the sequel trilogy she has overseen since the very beginning.
And let’s be clear: if Kennedy was to leave the company, it would have nothing to do with the small but vocal subgroup ofStar Warsfans who hatedThe Last Jediand have been demanding Kennedy’s head on the block – from what I’ve heard, Disney honcho Bob Iger and all of the executives at the company were delighted with how the film turned out and are excited to work with Rian Johnson further on his planned trilogy.
