| [NEWS] Kathleen Kennedy renews contract until 2021 [message #374143] |
Fri, 28 September 2018 19:19 |
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So much for the rumour that Disney's Bob Iger wanted her gone ... RIP
"Star Wars". :-(
Kathleen Kennedy Renews Contract To Remain President Of Lucasfilm Until 2021
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From The Hollywood Reporter:
Kathleen Kennedy has reignited her lightsaber. The lead producer and
architect of the Star Wars franchise has renewed her contract to remain
president of Lucasfilm for another three years, through 2021, The Hollywood
Reporter has learned.
The move is a vote of confidence in Kennedy, who took command of Lucasfilm
after Disney's $4 billion acquisition from George Lucas in 2012 and has
overseen the relaunch of Star Wars, one of the most revered movie properties
in cinematic history. Disney's four new Star Wars films have grossed almost
$4.5 billion at the worldwide box office. Ancillary and merchandising have
brought billions more into the studio's coffers.
But it hasn't always been easy money. Kennedy has had to replace directors
on two movies that were either in production or post-. Chris Lord and Phil
Miller were fired from Solo: A Star Wars Story on June 20, 2017, less than a
year before the film's release. Kennedy also effectively replaced Rogue One:
A Star Wars Story director Gareth Edwards with helmer Tony Gilroy, though
Edwards kept his directing credit. Last year, Colin Trevorrow, who was to
have directed Star Wars: Episode IX, was fired and replaced with the series'
Episode VII helmer, J.J. Abrams, a week later.
Kennedy's position is one of the most visible, and her actions the most
highly scrutinized, in Hollywood due to the immense popularity of
Lucasfilm's franchises, which also include Indiana Jones. So it's notable
that her renewal follows this summer's Solo: A Star Wars Story, the first
big-screen box office disappointment for the franchise, grossing "only"
$392 million worldwide and leading analysts to estimate a loss for the
film at $50 million to $80 million or more. (In contrast, 2017's The Last
Jedi and 2016's Rogue One grossed $1 billion globally, and 2015's The
Force Awakens topped $2 billion in receipts.)
Kennedy's deal extension also follows a polarizing reaction to Last Jedi -
which sits at 91 percent fresh on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes but was
flooded with unusually angry fan complaints on social media about key plot
choices. The reaction to Last Jedi and Solo is resulting in a shift in
studio strategy, with Disney making plans to slow the output of movies.
"You can expect some slowdown," Disney CEO Bob Iger told THR in an
interview published on Sept. 20, adding, "but that doesn't mean we're not
going to make films."
The only Star Wars film currently underway is Episode IX, currently
shooting in London, and due for release Dec. 20, 2019. Sources tell THR
that Episode IX will be the last of the "chapter" installments, with Disney
planning on touting it as a selling point in the promotion campaign for the
film in the year leading up to its release. Lucasfilm is developing feature
projects from Game of Thrones creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, as
well as a potential trilogy from Rian Johnson, the filmmaker behind Last
Jedi. Johnson, however, is currently prepping to shoot a detective thriller
that is to star Daniel Craig.
Sources say that the near future of Star Wars lies in television with
Kennedy-led Lucasfilm planning on expanding the universe with new characters
in that medium. The shows at this stage include a live-action series run by
Jon Favreau (which is currently casting) and the animated Star Wars: The
Clone Wars, both of which will air on Disney's untitled streaming service,
which is set to launch in the second half of 2019. Meanwhile, another
animated series, Star Wars Resistance, premieres this month on The Disney
Channel.
< http://www.theforce.net/story/front/Kathleen_Kennedy_Renews_ Contract_To_Remain_President_Of_Lucasfilm_Until_2021_182003. asp>
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