Kathleen Kennedy Leaving Lucasfilm?

Well, I think the latter is what I was essentially arguing.

The very premise for this question over the last few years was because a minority of fans have had problems with each movie to one degree or another, but overall the films have all gotten warm to great reviews, had very positive audience polling and made a crap-ton of money. So why would Disney have been considering her departure in a big-picture sense? The question assumes that it is something that was even being asked at Disney in the first place, and that's a projection of fans who didn't like the new films. But up until Solo everything was fine in terms of the bottom line. But Solo has other factors working against it, and indication is that Disney expected it to bomb a long time ago. Now, this is for sure a strike against her, but balanced against the massive success prior to this, Kennedy's tenure would not be in jeopardy because of one failure that everyone saw coming a mile away. If Disney is only concerned about money, Solo is an anomaly that they were reported to expect to flop back in 2017, financially Kennedy was on a hot streak that almost no producer outside of Disney itself has ever done in terms of money-per-movie average. And if its in terms of fan opinion, the fan consensus seems to be that Solo is actually a pretty decent film, so the backlash of TLJ wasn't repeated, it's (surprisingly IMO) not a very divisive movie. So to me it's odd that her future would not only be in serious jeopardy but that her dismissal would be on the table.

The bottom line is that fans have been reporting on her "leaving" Lucasfilm for a long time now, and the particular report the thread was about seems to me to be no different than any of the others, which is that fans are projecting their own unhappiness with her tenure. I wouldn't say everything is "fine" overall, one film made a ton of money but left some fans unhappy, another made no money but left most fans satisfied, there are some kinks to work out that the last year has shown, but I don't think her position would be on the line--I'm sure they have been having some meetings about how to get things in a better place, for sure, but her imminent departure seems kind of, well, made up. I could be wrong, and like I said, people predict this so frequently that eventually they will be right.

 

I believe that it is Kennedy's fault. But I also believe that the Disney suits should share the blame, including Bob Iger. Kennedy has been around a long time. She has also worked a good deal with both Lucas and Spielberg. So, a part of me cannot help but wonder if some of her decisions regarding the franchise were a result of her kowtowing to the demands of Iger and the other suits. "Solo" is a good movie that deserved better than this.

 

Pot, meet kettle

 

I am "non-remotely" arguing that I have no issue with the "direction" Star Wars is "heading", whatever that means.

Tired of people around here making sweeping statements and "speaking for the fans".

No one speaks "for the fans".

We all speak for ourselves.

 

See, to me, and I think to most people, Star Wars is doing fine. This notion that it's "in serious trouble" is a projection by people that didn't like TLJ, but overall TLJ was enjoyed by most, and even fans have a consensus that Solo is a decent movie, even if it's struggling financially. But to me, Star Wars was never at any point this perfect thing, on a pedestal. The entire prequel trilogy I am not crazy about, and in the OT ESB was divisive in its own way, and I have some issues with ROTJ. Meanwhile the majority of the EU books I feel are actively bad, the comics are a bit more consistent but a lot are forgettable, and the video games are kind of hit and miss. Then, the only official version of the OT you can buy is the Special Edition, which to me is the biggest travesty of them all. Along the way you have some bad TV stuff like the Ewok TV-movies, some forgettable TV stuff like Droids and Ewoks, and the most recent TV stuff like Rebels and Clone Wars is pretty good.

So, to me I don't see the point where Star Wars was in some golden era where everything was perfect, even in the OT era. I just don't look at it with rose tinted glasses. To me, it's doing better than it has I think at any point in time, or at least well as back in the original era--most the movies now are enjoyable, the one that had some fan dislike at least made a ton of money, and the one that didn't make much money at least had little fan dislike. So to me it's kind of like ce la vie.

 

i love it; therefore it is the right direction for me.

doesn't mean i love everything about it; but then i certainly don't feel like i have to either.

 

I knew a few Star Wars OGs who hate anything beyond Empire and think it just became nothing but "kids crap" with ROTJ.
Star Wars doesn't have one kind of fan. We all have varying degrees of which we like everything Star Wars.

Most people seem more than fine with the current coarse.
Some aren't. Box office (overall) suggests that most audiences are on board for new stories.

--- Double Post Merged, Jun 10, 2018, Original Post Date: Jun 10, 2018 ---

Times I've loved everything going on in Star Wars:

--- Double Post Merged, Jun 10, 2018 ---

Firing Kathleen Kennedy is like breaking up with the second most beautiful woman in the world because the most beautiful woman in the world lives in your apartment complex but is happily married to the most handsome man in the world

 

Please explain the above comment. Are you saying I am wrong when I claim that Star Wars is currently headed in the wrong direction? It sure seems like an objective truth and really cannot be debated to anyone who has been looking at the numbers.

(To be clear, I am talking about things from a financial standpoint, not a creative standpoint - it seems that point was not clear in my original statement so I apologize for my poor wording)

--- Double Post Merged, Jun 10, 2018, Original Post Date: Jun 10, 2018 ---

You mention several times that Solo was expected to bomb all along as if "seeing it coming a mile away" exonerates Kennedy. First of all, your statement isn't even accurate. As recently as April, this movie was projected to open at $150 million to $170 million. Nobody really had any indication of what a disaster the box office would actually be until the numbers started rolling in. Second of all, the reason why it was expected to do poorly was because of what a complete mess the production was.

IMHO she has 1 major thing working in her favor and 1 major thing working against her: In her favor is the fact that 3 of the 4 movies were tremendously successful. Working against her is the fact that while things started incredibly high, they have gone in only one direction since then: downhill. A certain amount of decline is to be anticipated, but it is hardly going out on a limb to suggest Disney is not happy with how fast it happened and how far it has gone.

My prediction is she will be allowed to produce E9, but will not be involved in any decisions from that point going forward. That would be a natural breaking off point.

 

You didn't ask me, but.....yes, I am saying you are wrong for saying that. "Direction" is a rather broad term. I personally don't have any major problems with any of the movies post Lucas, I liked all of them. I am looking forward to upcoming TV series, Episode IX, and whatever is the next standalone project.

 

Yes it is - which is why I admitted my first post on the matter may have been unclear so I clarified exactly what I meant in the very next paragraph after the part to which you responded (which, for some reason, you deleted when you replied).

Again, to be clear, I am not talking about creative decisions which are entirely subjective. I am also looking forward to those upcoming projects you mention.

 

Do you realize what you are saying when you say any decisions from that point going forward. There are already so many things in process.

EP9
New Animated Show - Release this fall
New Live Action Show - Release short after EP9
RJ Trilogy - Will be in active production when EP9 releases possibly even filmed already
Dan and Dave series - Will be in production when Ep9 releases
Theme Parks (Yes LFL is involved)
Not even mentioning any stand alone films

So if she doesnt make any decisions post EP9 production here wonderful hand will have made an indelible mark upon Star Wars. Only way she doesnt is if Disney gets rid of her now and stops all the productions. AKA not going to happen. Even if they replaced her very little of those projects would stop.

 

Box office analysts were saying that it would do $180, and basically box office analysts are just people making up numbers. I'm a box office analyst by that standard, I've worked in the film industry and have published text books on it. When the analysts were saying $150 mil, Disney was saying, no, $110-130 mil. It still came in lower, but they knew the writing was on the wall, that it would be really low.

In another way, anyone could see how the marketing cycle for Solo was so dysfunctional. TFA had 13 months of marketing, Rogue One and Last Jedi had 9 months of marketing. Solo had 4, and even then they had to pull the initial poster-series because of plagiarism claims, and the initial teaser failed to connect. This was all because LFL couldn't market it at all back in 2017. I think the plan was to start marketing in late 2017, but with making the film twice after firing Lord and Miller they were still filming in October. All the footage from before then, they had to throw out, or it's use was in disarray. ILM had to start re-compositing footage from scratch in the fall of 2017 to make the new footage presentable, and it wouldn't have been ready in time. Meanwhile TLJ is about to come out, and the renders for the final TLJ trailers are being patched in to the final stages of the marketing for that. I have industry connections, since I used to be part of the industry, and this is the state of chaos that late 2017 was in. I'm not tryng to toot my own horn or anything, just saying that there is an industry of hundreds of thousands of people who knew what the score was. We aren't elite celebrities, we're just crew that work in film, same as electricians and carpenters who work in residential construction just make homes for people, we see the same thing for movies. The buzz around Solo was toxic, no one even wanted it, and the talk of the town was that it was a disaster.

Hence: https://www.screengeek.net/2017/12/24/disney-expects-solo-a-star-wars-story-to-bomb/

These reports did not come out of nowhere. This is why Disney gave up on Solo. TLJ needed to own December and most of January, so the marketing for Solo began in February. Four months ahead of release. They knew it would be a disaster in 2017--at that time they had to decide: do we move it to December of 2018, or not? Disney decided, screw this film, Mary Poppins is the Disney film that gets December of 2018. That meant Solo had May of 2018, and that was terrible. Disney moved heaven and earth to bring Infinity War one week earlier, which screwed up so many corporate contracts, to give Solo breathing room, but also Deadpool's placement was not announced at the time they scheduled Solo. So, by the time the new year was in swing, Disney was aware: Solo is not going to do well.

The box office predictors analyses multiple films per week, per month, but Solo was a more complex case than any of them. Even I didn't think it would do as badly!

Disney gave up on Solo before the marketing even started. I do think they secretly hoped that they were over-reacting, that it would all sort itself out. But they had a contingency plan in that, in the worst case scenario, the financial success of TLJ, Black Panther, and IW, will combined give Disney not only it's highest earning quarter in history, but the highest studio quarterly earnings in history. Solo is small potatoes in the bigger picture of the multi-billion-dollar end-game this mega-capitalist entertainment entity called Disney is playing.

 

Yes I realize what I am saying. I doubt Kennedy will have any say in the post-E9 world, and I would not bet the farm on the idea the each and every single one of the above mentioned movies get made.

 

Then you are saying that Disney is going to give into the toxic fandom that hit a tipping point this week. No matter what your motivation is, it would be a PR nightmare for KK to be relieved of duty and other movies that would be presented as giving into hate. The prime targets for cancellation have to be stand alone films based on Obi-Wan and Boba Fett and to make the toxic fans happy the RJ trilogy. That means that Star Wars in theaters will be taking like a 3 year break post EP9. So you make toxic fans and TLJ haters happy and everyone else mad. Tell me again why Celebration 2019 is 5 days?

 

No box office analysts are not "just making up numbers." They have complicated algorithms they use to make projections.

Um.... is the above paragraph supposed to be a defense of Kathleen Kennedy? Because everything you just listed could easily be seen as a good reason to fire her.

Seriously, you talk about the toxic buzz for Solo and how everyone knew it was going to be a disaster. And whom do you think all the toxicity reflects on?

It amuses me how so many people point to how well Disney is doing overall as if that helps Kennedy. Disney is making money hand over fist, but nobody is going to care how much money Black Panther or Infinity War made when evaluating Kennedy's position because she had nothing to do with those films. The fact that Marvel has a license to print money won't matter to KK's position.

--- Double Post Merged, Jun 10, 2018, Original Post Date: Jun 10, 2018 ---

That's why you frame it to look like she is voluntarily stepping down. As I mentioned, E9 is the most logical stepping off point. You get her replacement to work alongside her for a year or so. It isn't like they are just going to come out an announce "Kennedy fired!!"

What in the world makes you say that? If they make their decisions by the end of this year and have their pieces in place, they could easily have the next movie ready by December 2020.

 

I agree. I just think that if you are going to dismiss a head-of-production president from a "we paid 4 billion dollars for this property" position, there would be way more nuance than this. I also agree with her stepping aside from "Phase One" if that's the way it is going to go. Okay, after Episode IX. IMO it doesn't seem like this is the best time IMO, but hey you never know.

 

If all the films KK put out were awful I could see her fired, but the film that most have a problem with made a billion dollars at the box office. I don't see how logically they would fire her. Because some people dislike a film she should be fired? Solo is the first film that hasn't made a billion dollars, and Disney is gonna fire her for that? It just doesn't make any sense at all.

My personal opinion is that episode 9 will be successful, so KK is not going any where unless she decides to resign. But why would she resign? For a few bitter fans... come on its ridiculous and laughable at best.

Disney is made of money... Maleficent (241 million domestic) was not well received at the box office yet Disney is making Maleficent 2. Call me crazy but after all the blue ray sales of Solo, and Disney recoups some money back we could see Solo 2... LMFAO

 

A movie she was not instrumental in getting off the ground. Getting story, pre-production, script, actors, director all picked and ready to go so it can be filmed in early 2019 to be ready by December 2020. You are really asking for a rush job, piece of crap just so one of Hollywoods most successful producers isnt involved. I think you nose is going to meet a sharp knife, but your face will be spited.

 

She's not going anywhere. Lucas handpicked her to take his place. She has produced some of the most revered blockbuster movies of all time. There is no one on these boards remotely qualified to even presume whether Kennedy is worthy and up to the job. Move along little doggies.

 

If KK is leaving LF, then it's not because of the hate/backslash, but her age. She's 65 years old right now.

Do you guys know how hard and exhausting her job can be? She's often on set for 10-12 hours and for someone who worked on sets for 10-16 hours a day I know this isn't easy. So, she deserves to go after EPIX is finished.