Kathleen Kennedy has done a striking about-face regarding her ambitions for the Star Wars franchise, pivoting from wanting to release a new film from the franchise every year to prioritizing substance.
Per Collider, the president of Lucasfilm has revised her aims regarding future content for the iconic space opera as she discussed the release of three new Star Wars movies.
“We talk about things in terms of story and the people involved and arriving in a place where we think it’s gonna be great and that we should move forward. So even though we have a certain mandate around a slate where we’re being asked to maybe do you know, one or two a year, we wouldn’t do that if we didn’t feel we were ready.”
Her statement marks a shift in values that saw fans fail to form a meaningful connection with films like Solo: A Star Wars Story and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Many viewers still lament the glaring plot holes in the sequel films, especially the poorly explained and gimmicky resurrection of Emperor Palpatine.
However, the franchise’s successful foray into television on Disney Plus has led to the discovery that fans prefer quality to quantity. The Mandalorian finally gave fans what they had been longing for — a return to traditional Star Wars fare based on good old-fashioned storytelling and compelling character development. The game-changing triumph of Andor demonstrates that diehards prefer a more mature, refined storyline.
Based on her comments, it seems Kennedy is listening and learning from the audience about their need for content that stimulates their intellect, rather than underestimating it. It’s a positive sign that the film producer is learning from the past and concentrating on creating films that resonate with the Star Wars audience. Making a U-turn turn on failed practices may be awkward, but it’s also essential for growth. Fortunately, Kennedy recognizes this, and it’s a prospect that makes three new films recently announced all the more promising.