It seems Lucasfilm may have a big change on the horizon. After Walt Disney purchased the studio from George Lucas, they named Kathleen Kennedy as his president and successor. After a 13-year run, it seems Kennedy may be ready to step down and start a new phase of her career.
The Hollywood Reporter has reported that the two favorites to co-lead the company are Dave Filoni and Carrie Beck. Filoni has been with the company for decades and was the executive producer for The Clone Wars while Lucas was still president of the company.
There is a fear among some that he may be to emerged in Star Wars lore. This is a fear for both Lucasfilm and Disney Studios. In my opinion, Kennedy has done a great job of expanding the Star Wars audience beyond what it was before she took over.
The projects on both the big and small screens have brought on a brand-new audience and allowed the franchise to become more mainstream since 2012. Which is why Beck may be the answer to take over for Kennedy.
Beck has been the vice president of animation and live action development for Lucasfilm since 2016. She has been a producer on many acclaimed projects that the franchise has produced.
She was a key part of both the production and development of Star Wars: Resistance. The show ran for two seasons on Disney XD and demonstrated the power of character growth and quality family content.
Beck now has a chance to take over for Kennedy. She has big shoes to fill as such successes as The Mandalorian, Rogue One, Andor, and many other projects have grown the franchise, many did not think possible when Lucas sold the franchise. These all have occurred under Kennedy's watch.
However, she does not have a lot of film experience, which may speak to why she may co-lead with Filoni. It also may explain why Kennedy would stay on as a producer for some projects moving forward. If Kennedy was more of a consultant, and Filoni more behind the story aspect, it would leave room for Beck to make business decisions and lead the franchise.
Beck's experience with both Lucasfilm and MTV in the early part of her career, may demonstrate her ability to stay relevant with younger audiences. The franchise needs to not get stuck and move forward with projects outside of the main Skywalker story.
Kennedy started that under her watch, now it may be Beck's turn.