Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige has never been shy about his Star Wars fanhood. While his love for the creations of geniuses like Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, and Steve Ditko is unquestionable, he has also never been shy about noting just how much love he really has for those stories set a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. Because of this, there has long been a question about whether or not he would ever actually take active involvement in the making of a Star Wars movie - and it seems today we have an answer. According to a new trade report, the answer is, "Yes."
This news comes to us from The Hollywood Reporter, which says that Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy and Walt Disney Studios Chairman Alan Horn are now working with Kevin Feige in the development of a new chapter in the franchise that George Lucas launched all the way back in 1977. No details are currently known about the project in regards to what it will be about (no shocker there), but there mere fact that this filmmaker is now attached to this brand is obviously a big deal for the industry. In a response to a query from the trade, Horn said,
With the close of the Skywalker Saga, Kathy is pursuing a new era in Star Wars storytelling, and knowing what a die-hard fan Kevin is, it made sense for these two extraordinary producers to work on a Star Wars film together.
Things are obviously very much in the early stages of this thing, but sources are also already reporting particular rumors about what's happening.One interesting tidbit says that Feige is already aware of some very important specifics he wants to feature in the movie - namely the star and the part they will play. According to a "knowledgeable source," the Marvel Studios executive both knows who he wants to cast in the lead role, and what kind of role they will have.
This will obviously be the first time that Kevin Feige has had direct influence over the production of a Star Wars movie, but interestingly he has spent years letting Star Wars influence the work he's done for Marvel. For example, back in 2015 the filmmaker revealed to CinemaBlend that there is actually a very specific reference to the legendary science-fiction franchise in every Marvel Cinematic Universe Phase Two film, as each title features at least one character getting a hand or arm cut off (which fans will recognize as something that happens quite a lot in the Jedi and Sith-centric movies).
As noted by Alan Horn, the Star Wars franchise is in an interesting transition period right now, mostly because of the Skywalker Saga coming to an end later this year with the release of J.J. Abrams' Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker. In addition to that, though, Disney has also announced specific plans to slow down the release of Star Wars features, with the next one after this year's event not set to come out until December 2022. In addition to the project that Kevin Feige is spearheading, the franchise is also in the midst of developing two separate trilogies, one made by Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, and the other by Star Wars: The Last Jedi writer/director Rian Johnson. It's not yet been announced exactly how all of these movies will be rolled out - either grouped together, or intermittently - so that makes circumstances surrounding the Feige movie even more mysterious.
How do you feel about Kevin Feige making not just a Star Wars movie, but a non-Marvel Studios movie? What would you like it to be about? Who are you hoping is his ideal star/protagonist? Hit the comments section below with all of your thoughts on the matter, and be on the lookout here on CinemaBlend for more details about this fascinating development.
