Summary
- Dave Filoni, the writer, director, and showrunner, is now Lucasfilm's Chief Creative Officer, giving him a much larger control over the future of Star Wars.
- Previously, Filoni would have a say on projects after they had already been developed, but in his new role, he is involved right from the beginning, shaping the future of Star Wars.
- This promotion is a significant milestone in Filoni's career, as he will now have a say in every Star Wars TV and movie project, solidifying his position as George Lucas's true successor.
Star Wars' future is now firmly in the hands of Dave Filoni as the writer, director, and showrunner becomes the Chief Creative Officer of Lucasfilm. Filoni began his career in Star Wars way back in the early 2000s after being sought out by George Lucas himself as the overseer of Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Since then, Filoni's resume has only grown from the continued animated projects of Star Wars Rebels and Star Wars: The Bad Batch to live-action projects like The Mandalorian, Ahsoka, and an upcoming Star Wars movie.
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As per a report by Vanity Fair, Filoni's importance to Lucasfilm is only growing as the filmmaker becomes the studio's Chief Creative Officer. In an interview with the outlet, Filoni confirmed his new role and how exactly it differs from his previous occupation as part of Star Wars' chief creative team:
“Now I’m what’s called chief creative officer of Lucasfilm. In the past, in a lot of projects I would be brought into it, I would see it after it had already developed a good ways. In this new role, it’s opened up to basically everything that’s going on. When we’re planning the future of what we’re doing now, I’m involved at the inception phase.”
As is evident from Filoni's comments, his promotion at Lucasfilm is a big deal. While the filmmaker has always had a hand in what stories are told at Lucasfilm, most projects outside of his direct control would only have had his input after the fact, be it Obi-Wan Kenobi, Andor, or even the earlier seasons of The Mandalorian. Now though, Filoni will be involved in every single Star Wars TV and movie project from the earliest stages of development, finally reaching the end of his path that began in the early 2000s as the true successor and Padawan to George Lucas.
Dave Filoni's New Role Explained
In light of this new role for Filoni being announced, it is worth exploring how he will impact the franchise from future films to upcoming Star Wars TV shows. It is worth pointing out that FIloni will not have sole control over Lucasfilm's productions, meaning other directors, writers, and creative minds will still oversee projects to bring their own visions, voices, and imprints to a galaxy far, far away. However, Filoni's new Lucasfilm role will provide a roadmap or blueprint of where the franchise is going, almost in a similar role to that of Kevin Feige with the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Star Wars' sister franchise under the Disney umbrella.
As Filoni explains himself in the interview with Vanity Fair:
“I’m not telling people what to do. But I do feel I’m trying to help them tell the best story that they want to tell. I need to be a help across the galaxy here, like a part of a Jedi Council almost.”
This news, and Filoni's new role, should come as a welcome surprise to Star Wars fans. Undoubtedly the biggest criticism of the Star Wars franchise under Disney's control has been the overall lack of a clear plan concerning which projects are released, especially regarding the sequel trilogy. However, with Filoni now at the helm and involved in each and every Star Wars project from the off, creatives involved in the franchise have someone to turn to with an immense knowledge of a galaxy far, far away to help them with anything they could possibly need.
Source: Vanity Fair