Inheriting a film empire means inheriting the hordes of fans and all of the opinions that come with them. Perhaps no one knows that better than producer and president of Lucasfilm, Kathleen Kennedy.
Disney recently wrapped up its D23 Expo, in which news about upcoming projects that fall under the Disney umbrella was shared. That included a brand-new look at “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.” However, the excitement over the new “Star Wars” film is a bit dampened after the controversy that has surrounded the franchise since the 2017 film, ‘The Last Jedi,’ written and directed by Rian Johnson.
Critics generally praised the film, while fans were a little less taken with the newest chapter. It’s hard to pinpoint what exactly rubbed so many fans the wrong way. Whether it was the treatment of Mark Hamil’s Luke Skywalker character (with the actor fanning the flames with his own words during the publicity rounds), the introduction of even more diverse faces in the cast (new addition Rose Marie Tran was the target of disgusting racist and sexist social media messages, forcing her to delete her online presence), or just fans feeling like their beloved “Star Wars” franchise had changed too much for their liking, there was no shortage of issues that led to the current state of toxicity amongst the fandom.
And those negative voices made sure they were louder than the positive ones.
Needless to say, “The Last Jedi” left the “Star Wars” fandom on shaky ground. And with Rey perhaps using a red lightsaber these days, Kennedy and Co. are at risk to further piss off the “diehards” with the release of “The Rise of Skywalker.” However, she’s not concerned. Kennedy said she welcomes the comments — both good and bad.
“I frankly love the feedback and frankly the criticism,” she said in an interview with Yahoo.
Kennedy added, “You develop a little bit of an armor, but you learn from that. It’s kind of like having a continual focus group that’s out there telling you things, whether it’s what you want to hear or you don’t want to hear.”
At the end of the day, Kennedy hopes to continue the epic storytelling that began with a forlorn Luke Skywalker stranded on Tatooine all those years ago.
“We’re just like the fans out there, we’re just trying to find what’s cool, what’s heartfelt, what’s strong storytelling and so I have to say – within reason – I love the feedback,” said Kennedy.
Don’t worry, it’s a guarantee that fans will be eager to give that feedback.
“Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” arrives in theaters on December 20.