The "Star Wars" messiah rises: Dave Filoni becomes Chief Creative Officer
Saviour Dave Filoni is taking on a new key role in the "Star Wars" universe at Lucasfilm. This promises a clear creative direction for upcoming projects - and an important step in the revitalisation of the "Star Wars" saga on the big screen.
Dave Filoni, creator of "The Clone Wars" and George Lucas' protégé since his early days, has been promoted to Chief Creative Officer within Lucasfilm. This is exactly what happened, which for many was long overdue. Because for hardcore Star Wars fans, one thing is clear: when Filoni speaks, it's the only person who understands "Star Wars" almost as well as his former mentor.
Fans are celebrating: with Filoni, the hope is that "Star Wars" will be good again in the cinema.
What will change for "Star Wars" with Filoni
In fact, fans have long been calling for the rather unpopular Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy to leave her post in favour of Filoni. This is because Kennedy is associated with Disney, which did not make any friends with the sequel trilogy. Filoni, on the other hand, is seen as a messiah who earned his spurs under "Star Wars" creator George Lucas and repeatedly conjured up "the real 'Star Wars'" with his projects.
Well, he didn't become Lucasfilm President. But his appointment as Chief Creative Officer has significantly increased his creative influence on future projects. He says as much in an interview with industry magazine Vanity Fair itself: "In the past, I've been brought in on many projects after they've already developed a good bit. In my new role, however, basically everything that's going on is opening up to me. When we're planning the future of what we're currently doing, I'm already involved in the early stages."
Source: Disney / Lucasfilm
In essence, he is taking on exactly the creative role that fans have wanted for him for years, without the administrative baggage of a company president. Disney's sequel trilogy, for example, lacked his voice, which would have provided a clear narrative direction. Instead, each sequel attempted to undo what its predecessor had established: a narrative hullabaloo full of exciting but half-baked approaches.
This is exactly what should be avoided in future. A future in which Disney is slowly but surely planning the big screen return of "Star Wars" - even if we still have a few TV projects ahead of us. First up are "Skeleton Crew", a coming-of-age story by Jon Watts and Christopher Ford, "The Acolyte", a thriller directed by Leslye Headland and set in the distant past, and season 2 of Tony Gilroy's "Andor". Only then, around 2026, will the cinema comeback follow with films by directors Dave Filoni, James Mangold, Taika Waititi, Shawn Levy and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy. Filoni is also thinking about a possible second season of "Ahsoka".
Cover photo: Disney / Lucasfilm
I write about technology as if it were cinema, and about films as if they were real life. Between bits and blockbusters, I’m after stories that move people, not just generate clicks. And yes – sometimes I listen to film scores louder than I probably should.
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