LucasFilm Rumors
I am very reluctant to report on rumors of Kathleen Kennedy’s impending demise as CEO of LucasFilm for the same reason everybody else it. That rumor has been sailing around since The Last Jedi and that franchise trainwreck is coming up in its seventh anniversary this year.
Every time some new Star Wars-related disaster strikes, the rumor mill gins up again.
No one could believe her contract would be extended in 2021 but the expiration date came and went with no sign of a replacement at all. Kennedy started releasing statements about upcoming projects shortly thereafter her presumed expiration date.
However, there was one guy who scooped everyone and put out the word in advance that she would be retained. That guy was WDWPro. He didn’t have the rep then that he does now but I was an early convert. He had contacts that sounded like frustrated executives instead of frustrated fans.
Consequently, when Pro is the guy saying Kathleen Kennedy has begun the process of leaving LucasFilm I’m willing to give him a listen. I’m not the only one, John Trent at Bounding Into Comics felt safe enough to run with it and he’s more cautious about this stuff than I am.
Something to remember about Kathleen Kennedy is that while she is a shit-tier creative talent, she is a first-chair Hollywood player. There may well have been other times that she was facing the ax at LucasFilm and it wouldn’t be surprising if she had managed to avoid it.
I think she was in genuine trouble in 2020 when LucasFilm insiders started leaking that Kathleen would be happy to accept a promotion within Disney. Then Iger got clipped out by the BOD and Chapek was suddenly an in-over-his-head CEO who couldn’t spot creative shit from Shinola. On paper, she would have looked good to Budget Cut Bob Chapek. Why wouldn’t he believe her when she took credit for the Mandalorian? Also, LucasFilm was very silent when Pixar and Marvel used ScarJo’s lawsuit as a shooting blind. It was shortly after that, that WDWPro started reporting the sad news of KK’s contract extension. It seemed clear to me that she had backed Chapek’s play and had been rewarded for her “loyalty.” It would also explain why when Iger got back in, he was mad as hell at her about something.
But now Pro is now loudly reporting that Indiana Jones was too big a disaster to ignore and that she has agreed to go quietly…
… in exchange for a few things.
That’s the other part that makes this believable. It’s not her leaving that’s the problem. The problem is that Disney wants her to leave quietly because if there is one thing Disney hates it’s drama.
Okay, I admit, Chapek’s departure was dramatic but that was Iger publicly destroying a pretender to the Golden Mouse Throne. Also, humiliating Chapek was more doable than Kennedy, Bald Bob was never a part of Tinsel Town high society. There was zero chance Iger was going to have an awkward meeting with him at some fundraiser or another. Kathleen Kennedy on the other hand is Hollywood royalty. Being an abject failure means nothing in that social circle because they have ALL failed upward. What matters is her clout and being married to Frank Marshall means she has plenty. Iger has every intention of staying in a world where Frank and Kathleen are the permanent prom king and queen.
So, what does she want? Allegedly. EP credit on everything until she dies. I expect Iger was willing enough to give her Executive Producers credit and naturally the money that comes with it. But the next part is the bone in the throat, she wants the right to be on set and be a consultant on all LucasFilm projects going forward. The consultancy gig is no big deal, maybe she has to be consulted but nobody has to take her advice. But the ‘being on set’ thing is going to be a problem. She’ll be disruptive and everyone knows it. She knows it too and doesn’t care because if she’s still on set then she is still part of the industry rather than some has-been producer from the 80s and 90s. If she’s on the set then she still has Hollywood Mojo.
Mind you her departure isn’t in stone. She is the emergency backup plan if they can’t get anybody else. Disagreeable as it is, this is a very real possibility. I suspect she may have survived initial attempts to oust her on the grounds of, who is going to want the job of captaining a sinking Titanic?
According to WDWPro, Jon Favreau has been offered the position of executive creative director of LucasFilm. The plan is for Favreau to be in harness with another executive who will do the day-to-day running of LucasFilm. Sort of like James Gunn and Peter Safran at DC Studios.
However, Favreau has not said yes. After four years of Kennedy hell, he may be too checked out to care anymore. And the executive that Iger wants is outside of Disney and he hasn’t said yes, either.
Given WDWPro’s track record for being very careful, I have a lot of confidence in this rumor. Certainly more than I do Doomcock’s belief that forensic accountants have found evidence of serious malfeasance on the production of The Acolyte. The kind of leaks he gets are from production-tier people, corporate malfeasance stuff is several levels higher and I don’t think he has contacts there. Also, those guys don’t leak anyway.
Regardless, I would have to say that Kathleen Kennedy leaving LucasFilm is more of a strong possibility than a guarantee. Bob Iger has to sign on a lot of very disinterested key-talent who will have the job of raising the Titanic.
The reign of the Beast Who Rules LucasFilm may not be over yet.
Okay, I’m done here.
