What Kevin Feige Could Make of "Star Wars" for the Franchise

Kevin Feige does not sleep. This is the only explanation of how the president and the president of Marvel Studios, general manager of Marvel Cinematic Universe, has added a new project to its giant slate, several media having confirmed that Feige was developing a new film "Star Wars" for Lucasfilm. This again signals that the venerable franchise is about to close this long saga Skywalker Saga in December with the release of "Star Wars: the rise of Skywalker."

This move brings together two key figures in the current blockbusters landscape. Feige will work with Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy on the new project. Walt Disney Studios Co-Chair and Co-Chair Alan Horn said, "At the closing of the Skywalker saga, Kathy is pursuing a new era in the narrative of" Star Wars "and knows what an unconditional fan For Kevin, it made sense that these two extraordinary producers are working together on a "Star Wars" movie. "

Related, connected, related

Related, connected, related

This synergy should not surprise. Feige has held his current position since 2007; Disney acquired Marvel in 2009 and Lucasfilm in 2012, thus giving a boost to the recent series of new "Star Wars" movies and series. While Feige is most closely associated with his Marvel properties, the leader is apparently a big fan of "Star Wars" and is eager to get into the Lucasfilm mix for quite some time. Shared ownership makes it easy, but Feige is still Marvel's first brewer to enter the "Star Wars" universe, whether limited or not.

So what could this news tell us about the future of "Star Wars", Marvel and Disney as a whole?

What does it mean for Kevin Feige?

Feige is best known for two things: producing hits and making it look easy. In total, Marvel Cinematic Universe has generated more than $ 8.5 billion in domestic revenue, with four MCU films taking pride of place in the all-time top 10 box office. become the most profitable movie of all time in the process. Feige is the driving force of each of these films. It is supposed to have federated a vast franchise full of characters and scenarios, and gather a variety of stars and filmmakers to achieve them.

Significantly, no period of time has been reported for this new "Star Wars" company. Since buying Lucasfilm seven years ago, Disney has released aggressive new Star Wars movies. Even CEO Bob Iger recently admitted to the New York Times that the studio's ambitious rollout plan may have been too much. "I just think we could put too much on the market too quickly," Iger said of Disney's "Star Wars" response. "I think the storytelling capabilities of the company are endless because of the talent we have in society and the talent we have in society is better than ever, partly because of the Influx of people from Fox. "

That's probably what it means: its production is not imminent, and its busy schedule and the studio's desire to retrieve new releases slightly will probably give it enough time to work on all the ideas that come up. he elaborated. Do not expect Feige to release a new movie "Star Wars" next year.

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What does it mean for Kathleen Kennedy?

The long-time producer and eight-time Oscar nominee has been president of Lucasfilm since 2012, just before George Lucas sold the company later that year. She is one of Disney's rare executive women to date, and since taking office, she has been the main face of Lucasfilm. Last year she increased her contract for another three years. She's not going anywhere.

Although "Star Wars" provoked cultural divisions (mainly because of all the fans who did not like "The Last Jedi" of Rian Johnson and who spent two years criticizing it), Kennedy's financial background are solid. The "Star Wars" movies produced for Disney by Kennedy and Lucasfilm brought in nearly $ 4.5 billion. Critically, the four new films have received enthusiastic reviews (each is rated "fresh" on rotten tomatoes, a feat that even the preparations have failed to do).

However, there were errors in the way. In 2016, Kennedy was irritated by an interview with Variety when she told the profession that while finding a director for one of their movies is a priority, the studio "wants[s] to make sure that when we invite a director to do "Star Wars", they are ready to succeed. … These are gigantic movies, and you can not enter without experience. "

And yet, Lucasfilm has not yet officially hired a director for one of his films, but upcoming shows like "The Mandalorian" are touting women behind the scenes, and society continues to raise women. Earlier this year, producer Michelle Rejwan was named senior vice president of real action scene development and production for Lucasfilm. Nevertheless, Kennedy's management excels where it should: its projects bring in money.

What does it mean for "Star Wars"?

While Feige is currently on the bridge to make a new film for the franchise, the initial reports suggest that he already has great ideas. But Feige's influence could perhaps be more deeply felt on a much larger scale, though Lucasfilm was exploiting his experience with assembling a successful franchise. Marvel did not escape the panic behind the camera (remember the upheaval of Edgar Wright who had left "Ant-Man"?), But Lucasfilm had to face much bigger challenges.

"Rogue One" included veteran director Tony Gilroy to rehabilitate an unsatisfactory third act by original director Gareth Edwards, while the "Star Wars" team eliminated Colin Trevorrow from "Rise of Skywalker" even before He does not shoot an image of the third film. Skywalker Saga. And then there is the "Solo" disaster, which saw the original directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller fired in the middle of the production, which required the immediate hiring of Ron Howard. This resulted in the revenue loss of the new films (and seemed to wipe out the hope of many other previous titles).

The franchise has several films for the years to come, but there has been a sharp decline when it comes to new projects. For the moment, the animators of "Game of Thrones", DB Weiss and David Benioff are on the bridge to make a new series of films following "Rise of Skywalker", and the filmmaker of "Last Jedi" , Rian Johnson, is still working on his new film trilogy for the franchise. Meanwhile, Lucasfilm seems to be relying a little more on its Disney + series offerings, including "The Mandalorian" (released in November), with a previous film of "Rogue One" and a much-anticipated series making Ewan McGregor to his role as a young Obi. -Wan Kenobi.

If anyone knows how to create a flawless production experience and a unified creative front for so many stories told by so many creators on so many platforms, it's Feige. And that's the only thing Star Wars needs above all.

Disney

What does this mean for the Marvel cinematic universe?

Feige's current MCU catalog is complete – it includes the next phase of the Marvel films ("Black Widow", "Eternals" and "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings"), as well as many other productions in progress) and the forthcoming Marvel TV series on Disney + (such as "WandaVision", "Loki" and "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier"). Feige will also be responsible for incorporating other heroes into the Disney fold after Fox's recent acquisition, including the X-Men and the Fantastic Four (which he called his superhero series). preferred). For now, it seems that his involvement in the MCU remains unchanged (and it is unlikely that Iger approves the addition of a new film if Disney's main cash cow was threatened).

What does it mean for Disney?

In a word: synergy. As Iger told the Times earlier this month about the future of "Star Wars" and the studio, "the talent we have in society is better than ever, partly because of the influx of people from Fox ". Integrating Marvel and Lucasfilm into the Disney group was an easier proposition than using another studio, but trying to pollinate between these existing teams, Iger will better understand how these properties can play together.

If Marvel and Lucasfilm can share their talent, what does it mean for the rest of the studio? Feige should already incorporate Fox's superheroes into the rest of the Marvel melee, and if he manages to present a sweet front to work with Lucasfilm Brass, he could pave the way for all sorts of creative new mergers. He is not the only hope of Disney, but it could be the best asset of the studio to chart the future.

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