I feel a great disturbance in the Internet, as if millions of misogynists suddenly cried out in anger…
In news that I’m sure will bring a cool, level-headed response from The Last Jedi haters, Lucasfilm’s President, producer of the Star Wars franchise and constant target of online hatred Kathleen Kennedy will receive an extension to her existing contract which will mean she’s running Star Wars until at least 2021.
The news comes courtesy of THR, who revealed that Disney see this as a public vote of confidence in Kennedy and the direction in which she’s taking the franchise. Given that 2018 has been a relatively rocky year for the property, with the high-profile failure of Solo: A Star Wars Story (a failure she had a direct hand in after she fired Phil Lord and Chris Miller), some had been expecting her to step down in favor of fresh talent. But clearly, Disney aren’t ready to call it quits with her yet.
So, what should we expect to see in the next three years of Star Wars? Officially, the cinematic future is limited to just Episode IX, which is currently shooting in Pinewood Studios, London. Beyond that though is Rian Johnson’s new trilogy, and while the rumors of its demise turned out to be just a bunch of scuttlebutt, I don’t think we can expect its first installment before 2021. Plus, though the hype on spinoffs has cooled down after Solo, there’s still an outside chance of Obi-Wan and Boba Fett movies.
But Star Wars isn’t just cinema. Disney must be happy with the rude health of its animated TV projects, too, to such a degree that they unexpectedly revived The Clone Wars. Not to mention the very promising Jon Favreau-directed live-action series, which they see as an equivalent to Game of Thrones.
So, it looks like whether you love her or hate her, Kathleen Kennedy is going to her have fingers in the Star Wars pie for a good few years yet. Let’s just hope she can turn things around on the big screen.