One major source is reporting on the impending game over for Kathleen Kennedy at Lucasfilm. Meanwhile, the leaky studio seems to want you to believe otherwise.
Star Wars fans who take a fancy to following the behind-the-scenes rumors of Lucasfilm have been left scratching their heads over the last twenty-four hours. A rumor out of absolutely-100%-connected-to-the-industry analyst Matthew Belloni. I preface the rest of this discussion with that type of description for Mr. Belloni of Puck News because there are those who want to suggest he’s a hack or he has no connections. To that I say, “you’re wrong.” There are fakers out there… and my own detractors would likely say that I’m fake (although that this point even they are probably cautious to suggest it since I have a track record with specificity). But Belloni isn’t a faker. Belloni is the type of person who can sit down for lunch or dinner with some of Hollywood’s biggest movers and shakers and ask them what’s really going on. This isn’t a cheerleading session, this is just me being real with readers that Belloni has the goods.
So when Puck News came out with a leak from Disney and Lucasfilm, it led to lots of excitement from those who are opposed to Kathleen Kennedy… followed by severe whiplash.
Industry insider Matthew Belloni of Puck reported that Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy “was advised by Disney to stop announcing projects and creative partners.”
The reasoning for the blockage comes down to “media management,” an effort to prevent fans and press from further tackling Lucasfilm following the cancellation of a slew of projects in recent years. The Rogue Squadron announcement video by Patty Jenkins and exciting press releases for Rian Johnson and D.B. Weiss & David Benioff’s respective trilogies are examples of Star Wars hype falling flat, an issue Disney is attempting to avoid.
— Andrew Gilman, The Direct
“Kathleen Kennedy has been remanded from announcing new projects!” the KK critics cried. Yet as soon as the leak had gone out into the public sphere, a counterstrike out of nowhere appeared. The thorn in Kennedy’s side, Belloni, was wrong within a very short span of time as a new Lucasfilm project was quickly revealed to the public!
Following months of speculation, Deadline is now hearing from several sources close to the project that not only is Damon Lindelof developing a new Star Warsfilm for Lucasfilm but that Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy has been set as director. Lindelof is co-writing the project, though it is unknown at this time who his writing partner might be. Insiders say the script is still being written which means production is likely far out. That said, sources add it was important to Lucasfilm and Lindelof that a director be brought on so that person’s own vision for where they see this story headed gets included in the script.
— Justin Kroll, Deadline
Is it just me or does it seem a bit too coincidental that within hours, Matthew Belloni was being silenced by actions that went directly against his reporting? Recall for a moment that Belloni is probably the first major Hollywood insider to actually call for Kennedy’s firing. There’s no doubt she’s aware of who he is and what he’s up to. And there’s no doubt that there’s some movement towards getting rid of KK that is preceding his call for change.
The key thing in all of this is to look at how Deadline acquired the information. This Star Wars film, which should be noted is likely a Disney+ release given its writer and director, was leaked via several sources close to the project. Do those sources include Kathleen Kennedy? Maybe. Do those sources include contacts close to Kennedy instead? Even more of a likely maybe. One thing is almost assured: Lucasfilm wanted this info out and there’s some reason they felt they couldn’t announce it outright in the traditional manner. That seems to point to Belloni being correct. But worse for Lucasfilm (and Kathleen Kennedy), there’s just no way that the two credited with being a part of this project are developing a Star Wars theatrical release. No offense to them but they simply don’t have the industry cache to be given such a role just yet. Ms. Marvel wasn’t exactly a giant success, so I’m not buying that Disney would greenlight the sort of budget that a Star Wars theatrical release would require. At least, they wouldn’t to someone who can’t lead a Disney+ Marvel series to victory. Again, no offense intended, not even to the Ms. Marvel team. It’s just something you have to recognize when you’re looking at a debt-laden Disney that seems spending adverse.
So let’s play this out a bit. If Kathleen Kennedy is aware that someone is making an industry-wide stink about her career at Lucasfilm and how she needs to go… and if that person is saying she’s been struck from announcing any new projects… wouldn’t it make sense to announce something, anything via leaks to a friendly trade publication to nuke your critic out of orbit? But if you’re a high resolution thinker, you’ll notice something about this leak.
If you were wanting to leak something to the trades that would inspire confidence in Kathleen Kennedy’s leadership and continued tenure at Lucasfilm, wouldn’t you leak something of magnitude? Wouldn’t you give them something that would excite at least some fans out there? Maybe you’d go for all the gusto and release info about a Rian Johnson trilogy finally happening.
But they didn’t.
Instead, there’s a leak to Deadline about a project being led by one of the leaders behind a failed Disney+ series. That doesn’t inspire confidence and it doesn’t suggest a huge budget. So why didn’t they go with something bigger, something brighter?
That leaves us with one most likely answer…
It’s all they have.
Thus I continue to listen to my sources who suggest Kathleen Kennedy’s Lucasfilm sunset may be coming in late 2023. It’s looking more likely with each passing attempt to project competence and leadership. Maybe it’s what Matthew Belloni will be hearing next.
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