As exiting as it would be to see Kevin Feige take over Lucasfilm and the Star Wars franchise, he told us seven years ago why he wouldn’t take the gig. Recent weeks saw multiple reports that Kathleen Kennedy was imminently stepping down from her role as President of Lucasfilm, only for Kennedy herself to debunk those reports. Nevertheless, the conversation has generated questions about who might take her place when she eventually does leave the galaxy far, far away.
In truth, Kathleen Kennedy is still sticking around and overseeing the Star Wars franchise for a while longer. However, she did say that a succession plan is being formed and that she would stay on long enough to aid in the transition for whoever takes on her role. Regardless, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige has already made it clear that taking on Lucasfilm is not an aspiration or goal for his future beyond the MCU.
Kevin Feige Has Never Wanted To Run Star Wars
He’s Enjoys Being A Fan Too Much
Rumors about Kathleen Kennedy stepping down from Lucasfilm are nothing new. Case in point, the topic of taking over Lucasfilm was brought up to Kevin Feige as far back as 2018 when Kennedy was allegedly on her way out (rumors that similarly proved to be false). That said, Feige explained in an interview with Slash Film why he’d never want to oversee the Star Wars franchise, as he’s far too big of a Star Wars fan himself:
“I have two jobs: Running Marvel, being a big Marvel fan, and being a Star Wars nerd. Those are my two jobs. My house is full of Star Wars so I’m as big a Star Wars fan as there is. What’s great is, I’ve often said if I wasn’t making these Marvel movies I’d be waiting in line to see them but, and this must happen to you too, you’re behind the scenes, you see things, and you’re losing the purity of the experience of being a film fan. I’ve not lost that at all with Star Wars and I don’t want to lose that. I saw The Force Awakens at the premiere but I probably knew less than you about the movie. … The closest I have is sometimes, we were doing Doctor Strange in the vicinity where there were some Star Wars things starting to happen and sometimes I’d try to peek around a corner and see a piece of plywood being turned into a ship of some kind and geek out. So I like being the Star Wars fan that I am.”
As a big Star Wars fan himself, it makes sense that Feige is more interested in keeping his distance with the ability to look forward and experience new Star Wars content just like any other fan. He doesn’t want to run the machine and subsequently knows everything about how the sausage is made, as he does with the MCU (especially being the one in charge of the entire franchise).
Feige Considered Making A Star Wars Movie, But He Has Enough To Deal With At Marvel
Could The Movie Happen One Day?
That being said, Feige was attached to make some sort of Star Wars project for Lucasfilm. However, it’s reportedly not happening any longer. This is probably for the best, as the MCU is currently trying to improve the overall quality of its franchise after a few misfires in the post-Endgame landscape, which is more than achievable under Feige’s continued leadership following major successes like ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool & Wolverine and the new ground that will be broken with Fantastic Four: First Steps. It would still be fun if Feige got to eventually make his mysterious Star Wars movie, though perhaps after the Multiverse Saga is concluded.
