With the highly anticipated release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens now within striking distance, people are still trying to wrap their heads around how this all came to be. Not only are fans getting the sequel they never thought they’d see but are also in for a whole new era of Star Wars films, shows, merchandise, experiences, and more as the franchise reboots at its new Disney home. Behind all of these initiatives and decisions is one woman: Kathleen Kennedy.
The Hollywood Reporter recently sat down with Kennedy to ask her about running Lucasfilm and looking after the Star Wars legacy. The first line of questioning was about the studios input when it comes to parent company Disney. Kennedy said that the relationship was been very collaborative, including developing Star Wars Rebels for Disney XD (which she says was to be far more humorous before Lucasfilm got involved), creating consumer products, and working on plans to bring Star Wars to the Disney Parks.
In recent weeks, one of the questions that has really plagued Kathleen Kennedy and Lucasfilm is what their namesake founder has to say about what they’re creating. Lucas the man recently caused a bit of stir when he insinuated that he wasn’t necessarily happy with the direction the new films were taking, saying things like “people don’t actually realize it’s actually a soap opera and it’s all about family problems — it’s not about spaceships.” Kennedy chocks this up to an internal struggle within the creator of the Star Wars universe, telling THR, “I talk to George all the time. George has gone through his own personal process of trying to find his own way of letting go of something that has a huge amount to do with his entire adult life. It’s really impossible for him to only get involved a little bit. He either feels he needs to get involved 100 percent and really be running everything or not at all. He had to make that choice for himself, to step away.”
Kennedy also says that it was Lucas who made the initial calls to returning cast members Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher and Harrison Ford even before he deal to sell his company was complete. She also says that, during that time, he was back and forth about if he would sell. However, Kennedy insists that, if Lucas were to let go of his company, he knew the perfect buyer. As she told THR, “I think he really wanted to step away, knowing that it was in good hands. That’s why he always, always wanted to sell to Disney. There was no debate around that.”
In the interview, Kennedy also talks about the status of future Star Wars films as well as Indiana Jones 5. As for now, Star Wars: The Force Awakens hits theaters December 18.