The head of LucasFilm has discussed the long wait for the next Star Wars movie – and the lessons learnt from the sequels
(Image credit: LucasFilm)
We've been waiting a long time for the next Star Wars movie, and Lucasfilm boss Kathleen Kennedy has finally addressed the so-called "hiatus" in big-screen outings since Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker in 2019.
After that movie – directed by J.J. Abrams, who came in as a last-minute substitute for Colin Trevorrow – debuted on the big screen, Kennedy decided the studio needed to regroup and rethink its strategy, according to Vanity Fair.
"We all recognized, every single one of us, that this was a new chapter for the company and that we needed to all work together to create the architecture for where we were going," she told the publication.
At the time, Lucasfilm had been churning out Star Wars movies almost annually, including the sequel trilogy and spin-offs Rogue One and Solo. Kennedy decided that the yearly deadline was not working, and that Star Wars movies required more from filmmakers becoming involved with that galaxy far, far away.
"Anyone who comes into the Star Wars universe needs to know that it’s a three-, four-, five-year commitment," she said. "That’s what it takes. You can’t step in for a year and shoot something and then walk away…. It requires that kind of nurturing."
Over the years, a few filmmakers have come and gone from the Star Wars fray, which may be the reason Kennedy has started looking for filmmakers who will commit, long term, to the series.
The Force Awakens was smooth sailing with director Abrams, who did not continue for the sequel, which was helmed by Rian Johnson, with production on The Last Jedi seemingly straight-forward enough.
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The same cannot be said for Solo, which was originally directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller before they left the project during filming and Ron Howard took their place. After that, the aforementioned Trevorrow left Rise of Skywalker (his version was titled Duel of Fates) and Tony Gilroy stepped in for Gareth Edwards on Rogue One for major reshoots.
Kennedy, though, found her desired filmmaker in Jon Favreau, who kickstarted the Marvel Cinematic Universe with Iron Man. Favreau co-created The Mandalorian with Dave Filoni, and the duo helped guide the huge slate of Star Wars shows that have been on Disney Plus.
Check out our guide to all the upcoming Star Wars movies and TV shows coming soon from the galaxy far, far away.
Jack Shepherd is the former Senior Entertainment Editor of GamesRadar. Jack used to work at The Independent as a general culture writer before specializing in TV and film for the likes of GR+, Total Film, SFX, and others. You can now find Jack working as a freelance journalist and editor.
