KUALA LUMPUR: Kevin Feige is a huge Star Wars fan.
It might surprise many, however, that the Marvel Studios chief is going to be developing a Star Wars movie as Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy makes new plans for a wave of projects set in the universe.
The Hollywood Reporter reported today that Feige had discussed a foray into the Star Wars universe in a meeting with Kennedy and studio co-chairmen Alan Horn and Alan Bergman.
Walt Disney Studios co-chairman and chief creative officer Horn said: "We are excited about the projects Kathy and the Lucasfilm team are working on, not only in terms of Star Wars but also Indiana Jones. Kathy is pursuing a new era in Star Wars storytelling, and knowing what a die-hard fan Kevin is, it made sense to work on a Star Wars film together."
Some see this move as a prelude to a larger role for Feige within Lucasfilm, while others say it merely reflects the Marvel executive’s passion for the franchise.
However, with Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker set to hit cinemas on Dec 20, Disney would like to keep as much about the future of the franchise under wraps as possible.
The Rise of Skywalker, otherwise known as Episode IX, is meant to be the final instalment of the series that was first launched by George Lucas in 1977.
Under Feige’s leadership, Marvel has had an extraordinary run of hits. Feige has a packed slate of Marvel movies and TV in the works, and he is expected to take a big role in developing the Marvel heroes, like the X-Men, that Disney got in the Fox acquisition.
Kennedy has been president of Lucasfilm since 2012. She is one of the very few women in top executive jobs at Disney, but she was picked for the job by Lucas before he sold his company that year. In September 2018, she renewed her contract for three years.
So far, the four Star Wars films produced for Disney have grossed almost US$4.5 billion (RM18.8 billion).
While Disney and Lucasfilm have scaled back development of Star Wars movies in part due to the poor performance of Solo last year, it is still working on future movies. Both The Last Jedi helmer Rian Johnson and Game of Thrones showrunners D.B. Weiss and David Benioff are working on feature projects set in the Star Wars universe. And Lucasfilm will be an important piece of the puzzle. Jon Favreau’s live-action Star Wars space Western, The Mandalorian, is set to premiere Nov 12, and a Rogue One prequel series is in the works, as is an Ewan McGregor-led Obi-Wan Kenobi series.