• NEWS  • AWARDS  • MOVIES  • TV SERIES  • STREAMING  • ANIME  • BOX OFFICE  • 
• DVD & BLU-RAY •  SOUNDTRACKS  • MUSIC ALBUMS  • VIDEO GAMES  •
Showing posts with label Lucasfilm. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lucasfilm. Show all posts

Saturday, January 17, 2026

Dave Filoni & Lynwen Brennan Take Over Lucasfilm As Kathleen Kennedy Steps Down As President
Kathleen Kennedy is stepping down as president of Lucasfilm this week, after nearly 14 years leading the studio. Dave Filoni will take over as President/Chief Creative Officer, while Lynwen Brennan will serve as Co-President. Filoni was previously Lucasfilm's EVP and Chief Creative Officer, while Brennan was the longtime President & GM of Lucasfilm Business. Kenneedy will continue as producer of the studio's next two theatrical films: "The Mandalorian and Grogu" (May 22, 2026) and "Star Wars: Starfighter" (May 28, 2027). She will then pursue other producing projects independently.

The transition has been in the works for the last two years as Disney and Kennedy sought a seamless transition. Filoni and Brennan are veteran senior leaders at Lucasfilm who have worked closely with Kennedy since she accepted George Lucas' job offer in 2012, shortly before Lucasfilm was acquired by Disney. Filoni and Brennan bring complementary expertise and experience spanning the studio's entire business. Lucasfilm's upcoming projects include the new animated series "Maul: Shadow Lord", and a second season of "Ahsoka".

Filoni was tapped by Lucas to build Lucasfilm's animation studio from the ground up and created its first series, the Emmy-winning "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" and "Star Wars Rebels". Filoni is the executive producer, episodic director and writer on multiple Emmy-winning live-action series including "The Mandalorian" and "Ahsoka", and producer and writer of Lucasfilm's upcoming feature film "The Mandalorian and Grogu".

Brennan joined Industrial Light & Magic (now ILM) in 1999, rising through the ranks to become ILM President in 2009 (including Skywalker Sound); Lucasfilm EVP/General Manager in 2015; and President & General Manager, Lucasfilm Business, in 2024. She leads Lucasfilm's business strategy and franchise and production operations and has overseen ILM's expansion into several studios worldwide, establishing it as the industry's preeminent VFX studio at the forefront of production technology.

Here is an internal email sent by Disney Studio boss Alan Bergman:

"I'm writing today to share the news that after nearly 14 phenomenal years, Kathleen Kennedy is stepping down from her role as President of Lucasfilm. She’ll remain part of the Star Wars family as a producer on our next two films, The Mandalorian and Grogu and Star Wars: Starfighter.

With this transition, I’m pleased to announce that Dave Filoni will become President and Chief Creative Officer of Lucasfilm, and Lynwen Brennan will serve as Co-President. As many of you know, Dave and Lynwen are longtime members of the Lucasfilm team who have been integral to its success both creatively and commercially. Both will now report to me.

Kathy has been a tremendous force in the industry for 50 years, and it’s been our privilege to have her here at Disney. George Lucas asked her to join him to lead Lucasfilm in 2012, shortly before it became part of Disney. She immediately got to work on Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which shattered box office records around the world and still stands as the biggest movie of all time in the U.S. It marked the start of a new era for Star Wars, and within the span of four years, Kathy and the Lucasfilm team delivered four of the biggest films in history with a box office total of nearly $6B, along with the launch of the incredibly popular The Mandalorian series, Star Wars’ first foray into live-action series, which anchored the debut of Disney+.

During her tenure, Kathy oversaw a significant expansion of Star Wars storytelling with the bold and instantly beloved blockbuster Rogue One and the Emmy-winning prequel series Andor. In addition, she launched the Obi-Wan Kenobi and Ahsoka live-action series, championed new animated series for fans of all kinds from The Bad Batch to Star Wars: Visions, and helped bring the galaxy to real life through the immersive Galaxy’s Edge lands in Disneyland and Disney World. Throughout it all, she has driven Lucasfilm’s legacy of innovation forward – ensuring ILM remains the industry’s preeminent VFX house with five studios around the world as it continues to revolutionize production technology with cutting-edge tools like StageCraft.

What Kathy has accomplished at Lucasfilm is remarkable on its own, but of course she has been shaping the landscape of film and entertainment from the very first film she produced, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, ultimately becoming one of the most successful producers of all time. She has had a hand in so many unforgettable films, from Indiana Jones, Back to the Future, and Jurassic Park to The Goonies, Poltergeist, and The Sixth Sense to Schindler’s List, The Color Purple, and Lincoln. The list goes on, and the 70+ films she has produced have earned a collective 25 Academy Awards and more than 120 nominations, including eight Best Picture contenders. For her countless contributions to the industry, she was honored with the Academy’s prestigious Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award and the PGA’s Milestone Award, among others. There are few who are more deserving, and I’m thankful for her leadership through the years.

I am also excited that we have another visionary storyteller ready to lead the studio. Dave joined Lucasfilm in 2005 and worked closely with George Lucas on the creative side, including building the animation studio from the ground up. He is deeply connected to the franchise’s mythology and has helped steadily expand it to exciting new corners of the galaxy, from The Clone Wars and Rebels to The Mandalorian, earning numerous Emmy wins and nominations along the way. He is currently the showrunner on Ahsoka, which is now in production for its second season, and is working with Jon Favreau to finish up this summer’s The Mandalorian and Grogu.

Lynwen has over 26 years with the company, rising through ILM to become its leader in 2009 and later General Manager of all of Lucasfilm in 2015, before being named President & General Manager, Lucasfilm Business in 2024. Lynwen’s ability to drive innovation with a clear strategic vision has kept the company on the leading edge during a period of massive technology shifts. Her leadership in the industry has been recognized with a lifetime achievement award from the Visual Effects Society as well as a Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire.

With Dave at the creative helm, Lynwen leading the business, Kathy continuing to produce, and the stellar teams at Lucasfilm, ILM, and Skywalker Sound behind it all, audiences can look forward to iconic Star Wars storytelling – and beyond – for a long time to come.

Alan"





     RELATED POSTS :
Labels : ,,,,,,,,,

Friday, August 8, 2025

Matt Smith To Play Villain In Star Wars Starfighter

"Doctor Who" and "House of the Dragon" star Matt Smith has signed on to star in Lucasfilm's upcoming film "Star Wars: Starfighter". The film will be directed by Shawn Levy ("Deadpool & Wolverine") from a script by Jonathan Tropper ("Your Friends & Neighbors", "Banshee").

"Star Wars: Starfighter" also stars Ryan Gosling and Mia Goth. No plot details have been revealed, but Smith is said to be playing the villain. The film is set five years after the events of "Star Wars: Episode IX — The Rise of Skywalker". Production is expected to begin this fall. The release date has been set for May 28, 2027.

Smith is also set to star in Darren Aronofsky's thriller "Caught Stealing", in which he stars opposite Austin Butler, as well as the limited series "The Death of Bunny Monro".





     RELATED POSTS :
Labels : ,,,,,,,,,

Tuesday, April 22, 2025

Ryan Gosling Shawn Levy Star Wars Starfighter

The title for the upcoming "Star Wars" movie starring Ryan Gosling has been revealed at this year's Star Wars Celebration event in Tokyo. The film will henceforth be knwon as "Star Wars: Starfighter". Shawn Levy ("Deadpool & Wolverine", "Free Guy") will be directing with production expected to begin this fall. The release date has also been revealed as being set for May 28, 2027.

The standalone film will focus on new characters in the "Star Wars" universe, and is set five years after the events of "Star Wars: Episode IX — The Rise of Skywalker". No other casting details were revealed.

The project updated were announced by Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy and chief creative officer Dave Filoni. It has also been confirmed that Jonathan Tropper ("Your Friends & Neighbors", "The Adam Project", "This Is Where I Leave You") has written the screenplay for the film.

Gosling and Levy appeared at the livestreamed Star Wars Celebration to further tease the project: "Being here and seeing all of you [makes it] more inspiring to do it. There's so much creativity and imagination in this room and there's so much love. It's such a great reminder of how much movies can mean to us, specifically how much these movies mean to us. The force is a mysterious thing, but, as I'm here, the force is the fans. All we can hope for is, 'May the fans be with us'."

Levy added: "We're fans too. There's obviously a relationship between these stories and the audience, but we've spent our lives in that audience. We know how meaningful it is."

The first new "Star Wars" theatrical release since "The Rise of Skywalker" will be "The Mandalorian & Grogu", a sequel to the Disney+ series "The Mandalorian", which has already completed principal photography and will open in theaters on May 22, 2026.






     RELATED POSTS :
Labels : ,,,,,,,,,,

Monday, January 27, 2025

Star Wars Daisy Ridley Movie Moving Forward With New Writer

Lucasfilm's "Star Wars" project starring Daisy Ridley has hit a few snags since it was announced in 2023, losing the original writing team of Damon Lindelof ("Lost", "Prometheus", The Leftovers") and Justin Britt-Gibson ("The Strain"). The writers reportedly turned in a draft of their script before leaving, while their replacement Steven Knight ("Peaky Blinders") worked on the script for over a year before exiting in 2024.

The studio has now hired George Nolfi ("Ocean's 12", "The Borne Ultimatum") to pen the script for the film. Tentatively titled "Star Wars: New Jedi Order", the film will follow Rey (Ridley) as she oversees a new class of Jedi knights. The film will be the feature directorial debut for Oscar-winning documentarian Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy. It does not have a confirmed release date.

In the meantime, Jon Favreau"s "The Mandalorian & Grogu" is gearing up for a May 22, 2026 release, and Shawn Levy's "Star Wars" movie is already in the casting stage.






     RELATED POSTS :
Labels : ,,,,,,

Friday, May 25, 2018

James Mangold Picture
Boba Fett Image

As "Solo: A Star Wars Story" rolled into theaters today, a report by the Hollywood Reporter reveals that "Logan" and "Walk the Line" helmer James Mangold is set to write and direct an upcoming "Star Wars" spinoff movie that will focus on bounty hunter Boba Fett. The screenplay is rumored to be written by Simon Kinberg ("The Martian", "X-Men: Days of Future Past"). Along with "Solo", the film will be a part of the studio's lineup of "Star Wars" origin stories that will also include an Obi-Wan Kenobi movie, which might be directed by Stephen Daldry ("The Hours").

Boba Fett was introduced in the original trilogy's "The Empire Strikes Back" and "Return of the Jedi". The character was a notorious Mandalorian bounty hunter who worked for the Empire and Jabba the Hutt and was hired to capture Han Solo. A first attempt at exploring his origin story was made in 2002's "Attack of the Clones". British actor Jeremy Bulloch played Fett in the classic films.

Mangold is also set to direct Christian Bale and Matt Damon in the biopic "Ford vs Ferrari", and will also helm the drama "Crenshaw" based on Katherine Applegate's novel of the same name.





Entertainment Factor

     RELATED POSTS :
Labels : ,,,,,,

Monday, May 4, 2015

Josh Trank drops out of Star Wars Anthology Movie
"Fantastic Four" reboot helmer Josh Trank has dropped out of the upcoming "Star Wars Anthology" movie. This would have been the second in the spinoff series, following Gareth Edwards' "Rogue One" which is set to open in December, 2016. The director has issued a statement in which he explains his decision:
"After a year of having the incredible honor of developing with the wonderful and talented people at Lucasfilm, I’m making a personal decision to move forward on a different path. I’ve put a tremendous amount of thought into this, and I know deep down in my heart that I want to pursue some original creative opportunities. That said, the Star Wars universe has always been one of my biggest influences, and I couldn’t be more excited to witness its future alongside my millions of fellow Star Wars fans. I want to thank my friends Kathleen Kennedy, Kiri Hart, Simon Kinberg, and everyone at Lucasfilm and Disney for the amazing opportunity to have been a part of this. May the Force be with you all."
The project is still being developed, although no other information is available at this point. Meanwhile, "Fantastic Four" opens in theaters on August 7th.



     RELATED POSTS :
Labels : ,,,,,

Monday, April 20, 2015

star-wars-anthology-rogue-one-synopsis-details

This weekend's Star Wars Celebration revealed some new information about the upcoming "Star Wars: Rogue One" spinoff. According to an official tweet, the film will follow a band of resistance fighters who unite for a daring mission to steal the Death Star plans. Furthermore, the film has been called an "anthology film", probably the first of many such standalone installments. The official title will now be "Star Wars Anthology: Rogue One". A logo was revealed at the Celebration:


Felicity Jones Photo
"Star Wars Anthology: Rogue One" will take place between Episode III and Episode IV, and Felicity Jones will star as a rebel soldier. There will be no Jedi in this movie and according to director Gareth Edwards:
"It comes down to a group of individuals that don’t have magic powers, that have to bring hope to the galaxy."
The screenplay has been written by Gary Whitta ("After Earth") and Chris Weitz ("Cinderella") and the story was apparently pitched by ILM's John Knoll.

A teaser for the movie was screened at the Celebration and while any online embeds are forbidden, a description of the trailer did make its way on the Internet:
"A card with “December 2016″ fades in and out, with a sound that is somewhere between a slow Inception horn and a lightsaber. Then a familiar voice: Alec Guinness as Obi-Wan Kenobi, saying “For more than a thousand generations, the Jedi Knights were the guardians of peace and justice in the old Republic. Before the dark times. Before the Empire.”

As he speaks, the teaser fades in on a tracking shot, high up through a forested canyon. We hear a TIE Fighter pass overhead, and see the ship move forward into frame as the camera continues to push forward. We see, dominating the sky, the outline of what could be a moon. But that’s no moon, it’s a… well, you know what it is. The Death Star, under construction. Music swells and the screen goes black. The Rogue One logo comes up, and we hear radio voices, like troops communicating during combat. The chatter gets more frantic and loud as light strobes on the logo, which finally breaks up as the sound cuts out."
"Star Wars Anthology: Rogue One" opens in theaters on December 16th, 2016. Below you can also see a photo of the concept art for Rogue One that was unveiled at the Celebration panel:




     RELATED POSTS :
Labels : ,,,,,,,,,,

Sunday, January 25, 2015

American Sniper

For a second consecutive weekend Clint Eastwood's "American Sniper" dominated the weekend box-office with a huge $64 million which makes it the highest grossing second weekend for an R-rated movie ever. By comparison, previous record holders for R-rated second weekends were "The Passion of the Christ" which grossed $53 million, "The Matrix Reloaded" with $36.9 million and "The Hangover Part II with $31 million. Sniper is also on track to become the highest grossing war movie of all time, a record previously held by "Saving Private Ryan" with $216 million.

In second place we have the Blumhouse thriller "The Boy Next Door" which stars Jennifer Lopez. The film did not make much of an impression on critics, but still managed to gross $15 million in its opening weekend, a solid performance considering its $4 million production costs.

Not so much happiness for Johnny Depp and George Lucas, however. Depp's newest comedy, "Mortdecai" flopped with a $4 million debut versus a $60 million budget, and reviews that were equally disastrous. As for Lucas, the animated feature "Strange Magic", a collaboration between Disney and Lucasfilm, failed to attract its target demographic and landed on 7th place with $5.5 million. Although the film's budget has not been released, it can't be good. Lucas contributed the story and acted as executive-producer for the film. This is his second flop as executive-producer after 2012's "Red Tails", although that film actually opened with $18 million, which is probably what "Strange Magic" will make in its entire domestic run.

New Wide Releases: "The Boy Next Door", "Strange Magic", "Mortdecai".

Biggest Drop : "Taken 3" (-48%)

Smallest Drop : "American Sniper" (-28%)

Rank Title Weekend Domestic ForeignBudgetDays
1
American Sniper
$64M
$200M
$47.5M
$58.8M
32
2
The Boy Next Door
$15M
$15M
N/A
$4M
3
3
Paddington
$12M
$40M
$129.5M
N/A
10
4
The Wedding Ringer
$11.6M
$39.6M
$1.6M
$23M
10
5
Taken 3
$7.6M
$76M
$149M
$48M
17
6
The Imitation Game
$7M
$60.6M
$50M
N/A
59
7
Strange Magic
$5.5M
$5.5M
N/A
N/A
3
8
Selma
$5.5M
$39M
N/A
$20M
32
9
Mortdecai
$4M
$4M
$5M
$60M
3
10
Into the Woods
$3.8M
$121M
$34M
$50M
32
 

     RELATED POSTS :
Labels : ,,,,,,,,,,,,

Thursday, January 22, 2015

Strange Magic Soundtrack Cover
Composer
Marius De Vries

Total Time:
38:04

Label
Hollywood Records

Format:
CD, MP3

Release Date
January 20, 2015




Order links, audio samples and track list after the jump.

CLICK TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE >>
Labels : ,,,,,,,,,,

Tuesday, January 20, 2015

Strange Magic Movie Clips

Five new clips have been released for Lucasfilm's upcoming animated feature "Strange Magic". Based on a story by George Lucas and partly inspired by "A Midsummer Night’s Dream", the film tells the tale of a colorful cast of goblins, elves, fairies and imps, and their hilarious misadventures sparked by the battle over a powerful potion. The film features the voices of Evan Rachel Wood, Kristin Chenoweth, Alan Cumming, Maya Rudolph, Sam Palladio, Meredeth Anne Bull, Alfred Molina, Elijah Kelley, Bob Einstein and Peter Stormare.

"Strange Magic" opens in theaters on January 23rd.

Watch the clips after the jump.

CLICK TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE >>
Labels : ,,,,,,,,,

Tuesday, November 25, 2014

strange-magic-trailer-images-george-lucas

The first trailer and images for Lucasfilm's animated feature "Strange Magic" have been released. The film is based on a story by George Lucas who drew inspiration from "A Midsummer Night’s Dream", and it focuses on goblins, elves, fairies and imps, and their hilarious misadventures sparked by the battle over a powerful potion. The film is a musical and it uses popular songs from the past six decades to help tell the tale. The voice cast features Alan Cumming, Evan Rachel Wood, Kristin Chenoweth, Maya Rudolph, Sam Palladio, Meredeth Anne Bull, Alfred Molina, Elijah Kelley, Bob Einstein and Peter Stormare.

"Strange Magic" opens in theaters on January 23rd.

Check out the trailer and images after the jump.

CLICK TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE >>
Labels : ,,,,,,,,,,,,

Friday, November 7, 2014

Star Wars Episode 7 The Force Awakens

J.J. Abrams has completed principal photography on "Star Wars: Episode VII" and Lucasfilm marked the occasion with a tweet revealing the film's official title: "Star Wars: The Force Awakens". The title suggests a strong return for the franchise and contains just the right amount of mystery to tease the fans. The sequel will be set thirty years after "Return of the Jedi" and it stars John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Harrison Ford, Adam Driver, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Lupita Nyong’o, Oscar Isaac, Domhnall Gleeson, Andy Serkis, Gwendoline Christie and Max von Sydow. "Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens" will be released on December 18, 2015.



     RELATED POSTS :
Labels : ,,,,,,

Saturday, June 21, 2014

star-wars-episode-8-writer-director-announced
Rian Johnson to write and direct Star Wars Episode 8
It seems J.J. Abrams will not return to direct the sequel to "Star Wars: Episode VII". Instead, Deadline reports that Rian Johnson will write and direct "Star Wars: Episode VIII". Johnson's past works include "Brick" and, my personal favorite, "Looper". The latter made quite an impression when it was released in 2012, performing very well at the box-office ($176 million worldwide versus a $30 million budget) and being hailed as a new sci-fi classic. Johnson also directed three episodes from the final season of "Breaking Bad".

Furthermore, he will also be given the task of writing a treatment for "Star Wars: Episode IX". It also seems that he will direct the third installment in the new sequel trilogy, although it's still too far in the future to be absolutely certain about that. I have to admit, I very much like that Disney and Lucasfilm are trying to freshen up the franchise with directors like Abrams and Johnson. Time will tell just how well they'll do. In the meantime, "Star Wars: Episode VII" will be released in theaters on December 18th, 2015.


     RELATED POSTS :
Labels : ,,,,,,,,,,,

Monday, November 12, 2012


Since Lucasfilm was acquired by Disney, Episode 7 of the "Star Wars" saga has been fast-tracked, prompting speculations and endless debates all over the internet. Now, we have our first official news from Disney, which is that screenwriter Michael Arndt ("Toy Story 3", "Little Miss Sunshine") has been hired to write the script for "Star Wars: Episode VII". Here is the official press release :
"As pre-production of Star Wars: Episode VII begins, Lucasfilm has confirmed that award-winning writer Michael Arndt will write the screenplay for the new Star Wars film. As revealed in the ongoing video series posted here on StarWars.com, Kathleen Kennedy and George Lucas have begun story conferences with Arndt. Arndt won an Academy Award® for Best Original Screenplay for writing Little Miss Sunshine (2006), and was nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay for writing Toy Story 3 (2010).

For more news about Star Wars: Episode VII — slated for a 2015 release — keep checking StarWars.com."


     RELATED POSTS :
Labels : ,,,,,,,,,

Wednesday, October 31, 2012



In the last 24 hours, everyone's been buzzing about the big news that Disney bought Lucasfilm from George Lucas for the astronomical figure of $4 Billion. Above is a video of Disney CEO Bob Iger and George Lucas discussing the finer details of this deal. It's quite obvious that this is not just a simple acquisition, but also a golden oportunity for Disney to carry on with such franchises as "Star Wars" and "Indiana Jones". And that is exactly what they plan to do. The first thing Disney announced is that "Star Wars: Episode 7" is planned for a 2015 release date. Not only that, but Episode 7 will mark the beginning of a new trilogy, with episodes 8 and 9 to be released in 2017 and 2019, assuming that no Earth-shattering cataclysm occurs until then. Indeed, Disney gives a whole new meaning to the term "planning ahead". The new "Star Wars" releases will be entirely Disney property and 20th Century Fox will no longer be involved. However, it seems that Fox still holds the home video release rights and that contract doesn't expire until May 2020, so it's safe to assume that a legal battle will ensue. The legal troubles include the 3D re-releases of the remaining five films in the series, which Fox will also handle. Hopefully, they'll get things sorted out until 2015.

But let's put aside the dark legal aspects for a bit and talk some more about "Star Wars: Episode 7". Lucas will still be attached to the franchise as a "creative consultant" and Kathleen Kennedy will serve as executive producer for the new trilogy. Here is a video of George Lucas and Kathleen Kennedy discussing the future of the "Star Wars" films :



The acquisition also involves Lucas' videogame franchises, his visual effect company Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) and Skywalker Sound. Disney plans to leave ILM "as it is". Also, there is no mention of future "Indiana Jones" films, but never say never. In case you haven't had enough of details about this deal, click the link below to read the full official press release.

CLICK TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE >>
Labels : ,,,,,,,,
Subscribe to:Posts (Atom)