To The Surprise of No One…

Kevin Feige has finally given in to Bob Iger’s begging on hands and knees or conversely submitted to his threats. Regardless, Feige will now be doing a Star Wars movie.

“To the surprise of no one, Kevin Feige is a huge Star Wars fan. It might surprise many, however, that the Marvel Studios chief is going to be developing a Star Wars movie as Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy makes new plans for a wave of projects set in the universe, The Hollywood Reporter has learned. 

Feige had discussed a foray into the Star Wars universe in a late summer meeting with Kennedy and studio co-chairmen Alan Horn and Alan Bergman, sources say. In response to a query from THR, Walt Disney Studios co-chairman and chief creative officer Horn said, “We are excited about the projects Kathy and the Lucasfilm team are working on, not only in terms of Star Wars but also Indiana Jones and reaching into other parts of the company including Children of Blood and Bone with Emma Watts and Fox. With the close of the Skywalker Saga, Kathy is pursuing a new era in Star Wars storytelling, and knowing what a die-hard fan Kevin is, it made sense for these two extraordinary producers to work on a Star Wars film together.”

As I have said before, Bob Iger can’t spot talent. He is simply not that guy. The only thing he can do is look at a spreadsheet and try to guess about future earnings based on past performance.

It’s no secret that Iger was desperate to replace Kennedy with a Big Name producer  following the disastrous release of Solo a Star Wars Fail. The problem was nobody wants to be captain of the Titanic after it hit the iceberg.  The biggest hurdle was Star Wars IX. Sure you’d be a hero if it made two billion dollars but of course everyone knows it isn’t going to make two billion dollars.  The franchise is wrecked and the Rey saga is an unworkable mess. The famously loyal fans of the franchise finally shrieked, “enough!” and walked away. 

But that was last year. Star Wars The Rise of Skywalker may or may not be finished but it is going to be in the theaters come December. The people that are going to get the blame will be blamed likely Kathleen Kennedy will be promoted to a non-position in the company and the pretenders to her throne now plot and gather.

Hilariously, the “fans” of the Last Jedi are insisting that Roundhead Rian is still in the running because KK insists that his project is still a go. Jon Favreau is off to an early lead by managing the near miracle of reviving fan interest with the Mandalorean.  But he’s not the F-Bomb. Kevin Feige has unmatched record in Hollywood as a money volcano of unearthly proportions. 

If I was in Feige’s shoes I would be more than a little interested in distancing myself from Marvel at this point.  It is far from a certainty that he was the one that decided to adopt Woke Marvel heroes for the Fourth Phase. That honestly sounds and feels like bad ideas being imposed from Above.  And speaking of Above: 

The stockholders and sane members of the BOD want a creative type in charge of the company when Iger retires in 2021.  True Iger has his own few ideas about who should replace him but so did Micheal Eisner and those came to nothing.

If Feige succeeds with his Star Wars film and takes over the franchise…  More importantly if he can turn Star Wars around… Then he is going to be in the running for the big brass ring.