Why Dave Filoni Should NOT Run Lucasfilm
Dave Filoni is considered by many Star Wars fans to be George Lucas’s Padawan ever since he first appeared on the scene by the maker's side. Working on great works like Clone Wars and Rebels, he has had his hand in many of the creative aspects within the Star Wars Universe. Most recently, he has been getting his own live action directing credits in The Mandalorian. He is beloved by many fans alike, so much so that many would want him to become the president of Lucasfilm either now or when Kathleen Kennedy decides to retire, thinking him the natural heir to the company. However, is that really such a good idea? What does it take to run a company, let alone run a franchise as large as Star Wars under the banner of the Disney corporation. Can a simple director become a president of a company? Many would argue yes because that is what happened to George Lucas. However, does that necessarily happen these days? Could Filoni continue to follow in his mentor's footsteps?
Creator or Businessperson?
If there is one thing that separates Filoni from Lucas is that he never got out of the writing and directing business even after The Clone Wars. After A New Hope, George Lucas pretty much transformed his assets into his own studio. With the profits from Star Wars, he began to expand and build the infrastructure for things like Industrial Light & Magic, Skywalker Sound, and Lucasfilm Studios itself. Filoni, on the other hand, has always been an employee of these institutions and has mostly stayed on the creator side of things.
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Kathleen Kennedy, the current president of Lucasfilm, has been a Hollywood producer for decades. She had produced dozens of the greatest works of art from E.T., Jurassic Park, and even Who Framed Roger Rabbit, just to name a few. She has far more business savvy, push and pull, and dealing with big suits than most creatives would. It takes a certain skill and talent to have all that and more.
Not only that but if Filoni were to become boss of Lucasfilm, he would no longer be able to create. He would have to be responsible for hiring and firing people, looking over multiple projects as well toys, games, and more. Lucas was still able to make movies because Lucasfilm was just a greater extent of his own creative will. Even then, he spent most of that time licensing Star Wars out, and making sure that the company was profitable. It would be a mistake to allow Filoni to get away from the creative chair and into the corporate side of things. Star Wars is a far bigger business with a lot at stake that even Lucas himself could not have imagined. It requires a certain managerial personality that Filoni may not have.
A Galaxy of Many Voices, Not One
Star Wars might have been originally created by George Lucas, but over the years, more and more creative voices have entered the galaxy far, far Away. One of them, of course, being Dave Filoni, but there are others. There were authors like Timothy Zahn and Claudia Grey, and comic book writers like Charles Soule and Greg Pak. Even with his own animated work Dave Filoni is not writing every episode and has a whole room of writers like The Bad Batch's head writer Jennifer Corbett.
Restricting Star Wars to just one voice could only hinder the potential of the galaxy far, far away. For Star Wars is a wide and diverse universe with wide and diverse people. There are so many stories to tell from so many different points of view that we cannot just have one person run it all, especially someone who may not be that great on the business side of things.
Dave Filoni has a place in Star Wars, and he is definitely someone who should have a major place in the world building and thematic elements of Star Wars. His should not be the only voice that one should look for in making such a wide and diverse galaxy. The Star Wars saga requires a wide and diverse group of creative storytellers.
One of many, not just one.
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