Poll of the Day > Who would actually want to be the new Lucasfilms president at this point?

(+) Yeah! (+)

The rumor is after the massive negative reaction The Last Jedi received, than the Han Solo film bombing showing that there was monetary ramifications to it, that Disney is looking to replace Kathleen Kennedy as the president of Lucasfilms.

If you don't know who Kathleen Kennedy is, in short many Star Wars fans have been complaining about her management and decision making for Lucasfilms for a long time, but as the Star Wars movies were still profitable, and were generally well received, Disney had no real problems with her.

But my question is, who would actually want to be the new president of Lucasfilms at this point? You're asking someone to jump into the already sunken ship that is Star Wars and to make it seaworthy again.

And if you fail, you'll be blamed, and your career ruined, all the same, even though the chances of succeeding seemed slim in the first place.

Disney isn't going to hire someone with nothing to lose, because that would mean they lack the credentials to actually run Lucasfilms better than Kathleen Kennedy, and if you have the credentials, why would you risk it all just to try and save Star Wars from the hole it's currently in?
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Someone who likes money would probably take that job.
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I'd absolutely take that job if they offered.

If I fail I destroy nothing that isn't already damaged goods, but if I succeed I salvage something great for future generations. Plus I get paid metric shit-tons of money either way.



TigerTycoon posted...

Disney isn't going to hire someone with nothing to lose, because that would mean they lack the credentials to actually run Lucasfilms better than Kathleen Kennedy

Is there actually anyone out there who could run LucasFilms worse than she has?


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Kevin Smith.

Questionmarktarius posted...

Kevin Smith.

they should let him direct one. chewy hitting the bong would be great

Star Wars needs Michael Bay
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kathleen kennedy is like the action of somebody mugging you and you get stabbed and contract hep C but in human form.
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bump
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TigerTycoon posted...

The rumor is after the massive negative reaction The Last Jedi received

I was sufficiently intrigued by that remark to find out how well (or badly) TLJ performed at the box office.

According to Wikipedia, "The film was the highest-grossing film of 2017, the second highest-grossing film in the franchise (behind The Force Awakens), the fourth highest-grossing film released by Walt Disney Studios, the sixth highest-grossing film in North America and the ninth-highest-grossing film of all time."

If that's correct, why would Disney feel the need to replace Kennedy?

Firewerx posted...

TigerTycoon posted...

The rumor is after the massive negative reaction The Last Jedi received

I was sufficiently intrigued by that remark to find out how well (or badly) TLJ performed at the box office.

According to Wikipedia, "The film was the highest-grossing film of 2017, the second highest-grossing film in the franchise (behind The Force Awakens), the fourth highest-grossing film released by Walt Disney Studios, the sixth highest-grossing film in North America and the ninth-highest-grossing film of all time."

If that's correct, why would Disney feel the need to replace Kennedy?

It's explained in in literally the same sentence you cut out of for the quote.

TigerTycoon posted...

The rumor is after the massive negative reaction The Last Jedi received, than the Han Solo film bombing showing that there was monetary ramifications to it, that Disney is looking to replace Kathleen Kennedy as the president of Lucasfilms.

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Firewerx posted...

If that's correct, why would Disney feel the need to replace Kennedy?

Because muh nerd rage!

Firewerx posted...

If that's correct, why would Disney feel the need to replace Kennedy?

They don't, but salty nerds like to pretend they do.

https://www.wired.com/story/cantina-talk-62/
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TigerTycoon posted...

The rumor is after the massive negative reaction The Last Jedi received, than the Han Solo film bombing showing that there was monetary ramifications to it, that Disney is looking to replace Kathleen Kennedy as the president of Lucasfilms.

Solo's lousy box-office performance ("lousy", in this case, meaning "made back its budget plus ~$100 million") might have less to do with anything related to The Last Jedi and more to do with the fact that it was a boring movie built on a boring premise that lost its directors halfway through filming, necessitating a rapid rewrite/reshoot.

Given that TFA, Rogue One, and TLJ are, respectively, the third, 27th, and 11th highest-grossing films EVER (collectively raking in four-and-a-half billion dollars), methinks the constant bitching about The Death of Star Wars is greatly exaggerated.
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darkknight109 posted...

Solo's lousy box-office performance ("lousy", in this case, meaning "made back its budget plus ~$100 million")

Solo lost money. It didn't profit.

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/solo-will-post-first-loss-disneys-star-wars-empire-1116927

https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/solo-a-star-wars-story-disney-loss-box-office-sales-latest-a8384151.html
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It shouldn't be that hard to make a star wars film.

All you need:
-Bad ass saber fights
-don't have useless characters
-space ships fights
-force stuff
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TigerTycoon posted...

darkknight109 posted...

Solo's lousy box-office performance ("lousy", in this case, meaning "made back its budget plus ~$100 million")

Solo lost money. It didn't profit.

The hit most people don't really think about is marketing budget. Production budget on Solo was $275, but marketing is usually close to whatever the production budget was, which would put the total cost of Solo somewhere around $550m.

Solo made enough money to offset the production budget, but almost certainly didn't offset the marketing deficit.

It could turn around once DVD sales come into play, but it doesn't really change the fact that it's still officially the worst-received Star Wars film ever in terms of financials, which may terrify Disney, since they want to milk this franchise for all its worth for decades to come. If audiences as a whole are already souring on it, they may need to do some major course correction.

That doesn't necessarily mean firing Kennedy, though. A good enough salvage job on Episode IX might be enough - which is why they brought JJ Abrams back into the mix.


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JOExHIGASHI posted...

It shouldn't be that hard to make a star wars film.

All you need:
-Bad ass saber fights

The best Star Wars films arguably didn't even have that.

The key is to have lightsaber fights that actually have MEANING in the narrative and emotional resonance, and which aren't just an excuse to show off elaborate choreography and special effects.

One old dude and one tall dude in a vision-obscuring helmet lightly tapping broomstick handles at each other was more worthwhile than any of the fights in the prequels.


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TigerTycoon posted...

Solo lost money. It didn't profit.

No movie is "profitable". It's better that way, for tax reasons or something.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hollywood_accounting

Questionmarktarius posted...

TigerTycoon posted...

Solo lost money. It didn't profit.

No movie is "profitable". It's better that way, for tax reasons or something.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hollywood_accounting

Yes, but there's a difference between "not profitable for tax reasons" and "literally not profitable because you fail to recoup your investment".

Solo basically needed to clear about $500-550m or so combined production/marketing budget. It did not. Disney will absolutely see that as a failure.

They might eventually see it as a "redeemed" film if it proceeds to make a few hundred million on DVD/Blu-Ray/etc, but as-is, they definitely don't see it as a success.


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Questionmarktarius posted...

Kevin Smith.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5EcBHnVCzNE" data-time="

me pls
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TigerTycoon posted...

Disney isn't going to hire someone with nothing to lose, because that would mean they lack the credentials to actually run Lucasfilms better than Kathleen Kennedy, and if you have the credentials, why would you risk it all just to try and save Star Wars from the hole it's currently in?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vk5VuJ7QDq0" data-time="

ParanoidObsessive posted...

The hit most people don't really think about is marketing budget. Production budget on Solo was $275, but marketing is usually close to whatever the production budget was, which would put the total cost of Solo somewhere around $550m.

Solo made enough money to offset the production budget, but almost certainly didn't offset the marketing deficit.

This, tbh.

ParanoidObsessive posted...

The best Star Wars films arguably didn't even have that.

The key is to have lightsaber fights that actually have MEANING in the narrative and emotional resonance, and which aren't just an excuse to show off elaborate choreography and special effects.

ESB's and ROTJ's (using "best" loosely in the case of ROTJ) fights were *still* badass, though. And the prequel trilogy certainly had a few emotional lightsaber fights.

ANH's *only* real lightsaber fight was largely devoid of any real emotion, choreography, or effects, even though it got people hyped on the concept.

ParanoidObsessive posted...

They might eventually see it as a "redeemed" film if it proceeds to make a few hundred million on DVD/Blu-Ray/etc, but as-is, they definitely don't see it as a success.

Well, that and merchandising. Although I don't expect Solo to really do great when it comes to merch, either.
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Ill take the job, I like money.
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I don't think Kennedy is going anywhere unless IX also bombs, which is unlikely. Outrage from the 1% of hardcore Star Wars fans isn't going to impact the main viewing public.

For now it just seems like they're going to be scaling back on Star Wars in general, as they haven't found a way to turn it into the next Marvel. Also because China hates it, which means it's starting the race with only one leg.
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ParanoidObsessive posted...

The key is to have lightsaber fights that actually have MEANING in the narrative and emotional resonance, and which aren't just an excuse to show off elaborate choreography and special effects.

One old dude and one tall dude in a vision-obscuring helmet lightly tapping broomstick handles at each other was more worthwhile than any of the fights in the prequels.

you took this straight from mr. plinkett

It's been a common complaint since way before Plinkett became famous for nitpicks.

PO is like the original Plinkett.
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ParanoidObsessive posted...

Is there actually anyone out there who could run LucasFilms worse than she has?

George Lucas.
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Dave Filoni would be my pick given how great Clone Wars and Rebels were overall. He clearly cares about characters and setting far more than anyone doing the films at this point.

dainkinkaide posted...

ParanoidObsessive posted...

Is there actually anyone out there who could run LucasFilms worse than she has?

George Lucas.

Touche, friend... touche.

Especially since he made his desperate bid for renewed relevance not too long ago, pointing out how he would have done sequels, and his entire pitch was basically just doubling down on the worst parts of the prequels and recycling even more of the ideas he originally cut out of the Star Wars script in the 1970s for being terrible.


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Zeus posted...

And the prequel trilogy certainly had a few emotional lightsaber fights.

And by "a few", you mean "none."

Literally every prequel fight, with one exception I'll get to in a moment, had zero emotion behind it because the combatants barely knew each other and really had no reason to care about the other's fate. Darth Maul and Grievous could have been replaced with cardboard boxes with lightsabers taped to them and frowny-faces painted on them for all the difference it would have made to their characters. Dooku acted like he had some great observation to make on the Jedi and the Sith, but never got around to it before he was disposed of.

About the only fight that had any real emotion behind it was Anakin vs. Obi-Wan, and that fight was so ridiculously bloated and overdone that it's basically a farce of itself. That and the emotion is driven by a non-existent friendship that existed entirely offscreen and which is relayed to us by the two characters saying what good friends they are, while doing nothing onscreen except arguing with each other.
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I remember how ecstatic people were when George Lucas sold the rights for Star Wars to Disney.

Though I bet people would be pissed either way at this point.
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darkknight109 posted...

Zeus posted...

And the prequel trilogy certainly had a few emotional lightsaber fights.

And by "a few", you mean "none."

Literally every prequel fight, with one exception I'll get to in a moment, had zero emotion behind it because the combatants barely knew each other and really had no reason to care about the other's fate. Darth Maul and Grievous could have been replaced with cardboard boxes with lightsabers taped to them and frowny-faces painted on them for all the difference it would have made to their characters. Dooku acted like he had some great observation to make on the Jedi and the Sith, but never got around to it before he was disposed of.

About the only fight that had any real emotion behind it was Anakin vs. Obi-Wan, and that fight was so ridiculously bloated and overdone that it's basically a farce of itself. That and the emotion is driven by a non-existent friendship that existed entirely offscreen and which is relayed to us by the two characters saying what good friends they are, while doing nothing onscreen except arguing with each other.

No, by a few I mean a few. Anakin vs Obi in ROTS had more force behind it than Obi vs... well, Annie in ANH. And then the long drawn out affair with Maul had a sizable impact, with strong body language, etc, despite it being their first serious confrontation. Not to mention the always-classic "You killed my master!" stuff, which sold the fight further.

And, contrary to shitty red screen or whatever YT videos, Annie and Obi *did* demonstrate much of their friendship on-screen even if they discussed off-screen events.

LeetCheet posted...

I remember how ecstatic people were when George Lucas sold the rights for Star Wars to Disney.

Though I bet people would be pissed either way at this point.

tbh, I think I was probably skeptical at that point other than liking the promise that the sequel trilogy would happen.
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darkknight109 posted...

while doing nothing onscreen except arguing with each other.

Me and my best friend argue all the time. We fought over a bag of gummies once...
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Zeus posted...

No, by a few I mean a few. Anakin vs Obi in ROTS had more force behind it than Obi vs... well, Annie in ANH.

Not really.

By that point in the movie, it was basically a fight between an idiot and a whiny little shit, which had very little emotional investment because the prequels had mostly done fuck-all to make me care about either of them or believable establish a realistic friendship between them (and I will bring that up again later). If not for the fact that there's always that underlying "Hey, I know these are characters I care about from better movies I watched 20 years ago" feeling tickling around in the subconscious, it would have very little impact at all.

And then they took that fight I barely cared about and stretched it out over like 40 minutes, long past the point where CGI fatigue set in, and it started feeling like an annoying endless boss fight in a video game.



Zeus posted...

And then the long drawn out affair with Maul had a sizable impact, with strong body language, etc, despite it being their first serious confrontation.

It was a fight between a cypher non-character who existed solely to sell toys and two other characters - one of whom had a limited presence in the film up to that point, and one who seemed to make a phenomenal chain of poor decisions to the point where it was almost a mercy to see him get cut in half.

And again, if not for the fact that Alec Guinness had helped establish a fondness for one of those characters years previously, and Ewan McGregor was at least trying to live up to that (even if he was given almost nothing to work with, and was sadly the only person connected to the movie who even remotely gave a shit), it would be a fight between three characters I don't even remotely care about.

And then the pacing is absolutely ruined by cutting away from that fight to focus on Padme's shenanigans and Anakin's absolute bullshit plot-line, killing any enthusiasm I might have had.



Zeus posted...

And, contrary to shitty red screen or whatever YT videos, Annie and Obi *did* demonstrate much of their friendship on-screen even if they discussed off-screen events.

Not really. Almost everything meant to establish their friendship falls into the realm of "Tell, don't show". We're repeatedly told they're friends, but they do almost nothing to show that. If anything, what I walk away from those movies with is that Anakin has always been a whiny little shit, has always resented Obi-Wan, and that neither of them has ever really liked the other in any way.

Yes, I GET that friends can needle each other or make little sarcastic or insulting comments to each other, and it's playful rather than malicious, but almost every line out of Anakin's mouth sounds like it's packed with venom, and almost every reply from Obi-Wan is thinly-veiled disgust. The story being told is that these are two people who HATE each other, but who have to work together. And then Obi-Wan mentions that Anakin is his super-bestest friend and he doesn't want to fight him, and that's supposed to be all the character development we need. They're not buddy cops who learn to work together and respect each other, they're characters on The Office who have to work together while hating each other.

Genndy Tartakovsky basically managed to show more warmth and friendship between them in 2 hours worth of cartoons than Lucas managed across three theatrical release movies.

No wonder Lucas had the Genndy Tartakovsky Clone Wars declared non-canon - he was annoyed by just how terrible it made him look, by proving just how easy it was to do it better.


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ParanoidObsessive posted...

No wonder Lucas had the Genndy Tartakovsky Clone Wars declared non-canon - he was annoyed by just how terrible it made him look, by proving just how easy it was to do it better.

That series was only declared non-canon because it conflicted with the CG series.

LaggnFragnLarry posted...

Questionmarktarius posted...

Kevin Smith.

they should let him direct one. chewy hitting the bong would be great

I want this, ok?
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Why don't they just adapt the Thrawn trilogy?
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Well, I was going to reply to Zeus's post, but PO basically did it for me and nailed pretty much all the points I would have.
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ParanoidObsessive posted...

JOExHIGASHI posted...

It shouldn't be that hard to make a star wars film.

All you need:
-Bad ass saber fights

The best Star Wars films arguably didn't even have that.

The key is to have lightsaber fights that actually have MEANING in the narrative and emotional resonance, and which aren't just an excuse to show off elaborate choreography and special effects.

One old dude and one tall dude in a vision-obscuring helmet lightly tapping broomstick handles at each other was more worthwhile than any of the fights in the prequels.

That's the badass saber fight I'm referring to
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Being forced to deal with mentally-unhinged SJW's/feminists on one hand, and then deal with moronic fanboys on the other? No thanks.
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GanonsSpirit posted...

Why don't they just adapt the Thrawn trilogy?

Because Thrawn in the new canon is now active and has his downfall pre-A New Hope.

That was so dumb too

He did barely anything of note

Jesus Ezra is lame af

He's everything people feared Ahsoka would be.
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I hope I can still enjoy things when Im as old as some of you.
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Kevin Feige has a passion for Marvel, which has helped the MCU alot, we need someone on his level to take over star wars.
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I mean in my idea world, Rebels would have been handled differently, while Clone Wars would have continued to completion without the interruption. The 7-9 trilogy would have combined the stories of Mara Jade, Kyle Katarn, and Thrawn into a single story becoming its own thing. Basically Kyle vs. Thrawn with Mara Jade as villain who turns good after the 1st movie. I imagine it opening at the end of a battle between two imperial fleets with the loser being forced to surrender and submit to Thrawn as he goes about forcefully reuniting the Imperial remnants with Mara at his side (initially).