Kathleen Kennedy on Daisy Ridley’s New STAR WARS Movie and OBI-WAN KENOBI Season 2

The Star Wars franchise has been making headlines lately, especially after the recent Star Wars Celebration event that took place in London. Many exciting announcements were made at the event, and fans were eager to hear from Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy about the latest developments in the Star Wars Universe.

In an interview with Variety, Kennedy shared her insights on a range of topics related to the franchise. One of the major announcements that generated a lot of buzz was the unveiling of the Star Wars: Rogue One trailer. Kennedy discussed the importance of the movie and how it fits into the larger Star Wars narrative. She highlighted the fact that Rogue One is a standalone film, but it also has connections to the larger story of the Star Wars Universe.

Kennedy also addressed the casting of Alden Ehrenreich as the young Han Solo in the upcoming Han Solo spinoff film. She praised Ehrenreich’s talent and enthusiasm for the role, and expressed her confidence in the film’s director, Phil Lord and Chris Miller, to deliver a great film. She emphasized the importance of getting the casting right for such an iconic character, and she believes that Ehrenreich has what it takes to do justice to the role.

In addition to the Rogue One trailer and the Han Solo spinoff film, Kennedy also discussed the upcoming Star Wars: Episode VIII. While she didn’t reveal any plot details, she did say that the movie is going to be “spectacular.” She also praised director Rian Johnson for his creativity and his ability to push the boundaries of what is possible in the Star Wars Universe.

Kennedy also addressed the recent controversy surrounding the lack of female directors in the Star Wars franchise. She acknowledged the issue and promised to do better in the future. She emphasized the importance of diversity both behind the camera and in front of it, and she is committed to making sure that the Star Wars Universe reflects that.

Overall, Kennedy’s interview with Variety provided fans with a lot of insight into the current state of the Star Wars franchise. With so many exciting projects in the works, including Rogue One, the Han Solo spinoff, and Episode VIII, there’s a lot for fans to look forward to in the coming months and years.

When asked about the new movie featuring Daisy Ridley’s Rey, Kennedy said she called Ridley about showing up to the event, saying:

“It was a pretty straightforward phone call. I started out by just saying, ‘Hey, I think we’re getting near being ready.’ We’ve been talking a lot about what we’re doing in the movie space and I said, ‘I think we’re getting close to being ready. How would you like to go to Celebration?’ That was really the beginning of it. She was out of her mind excited.”

She went on to offer an update on the future of a Rian Johnson-directed project, saying:

“Rian and I talk all the time. He is unbelievably busy. So we’re not actively involved in anything at the moment because he’s doing another one of the ‘Glass Onion’ movies and then God knows what else. But he really wants to step back into the space. It’s a big commitment of time, so that’s really on him.”

Taika Waititi is also working on a movie in the Star Wars universe. Kennedy gave an update on that as well.

“Taika is still working away. He’s writing the script himself. He doesn’t really want to bring others into that process and I don’t blame him. He has a very, very unique voice. So we want to protect that and that’s what he’s doing. But we’re going to make that one day.”

Kennedy also fielded a question about a second season of the series Obi-Wan Kenobi at Disney+, as some fans have pushed for a follow-up adventure for Ewan McGregor’s Jedi.

“That is not an active development. But I never say never, because there’s always the possibility. That show was so well-received and [director] Deborah Chow did such a spectacular job. Ewan McGregor really wants to do another. Everybody’s all hands on deck with what we’re doing right now, as you can see by what we showed everybody [at the Celebration]. We’ll turn our attention to that again maybe down the road.”