‘I felt it too’: Star Wars producer addresses fans disappointed by recent films

If we look at Star Wars performances since the license was acquired by Disney, the general impression is mixed, if not negative. George Lucas, the creator of the saga, will not say otherwise!

At the Palme d’Or ceremony on the Croisette, the director criticized the recent Star Wars films – and especially the films of the new trilogy (Episodes VII, VIII and IX) – accusing them of “having”. brought “nothing new” to the franchise.

The new Star Wars production left fans disappointed

A sentiment shared by many fans of the saga, which explains why many spin-off film projects never saw the light of day. At the same time, the Star Wars universe has developed on television, in the form of television series that are sometimes very successful (Andor, The Mandalorian, etc.), other times disappointing (Obi-Wan Kenobi) or even completely unsuccessful (The Book of Bob).

Legendary producer Kathleen Kennedy is now at the helm of Lucasfilm. In the eyes of fans, this great friend of George Lucas was the perfect person to manage the interests of the franchise after its purchase by Disney. But since then, his work has come under a lot of criticism, and many fans especially regret the lack of sequence between the films of the new trilogy.

Kathleen Kennedy understands the criticism, but…

Kathleen Kennedy understands this criticism perfectly. In a rare interview New York TimesThe American producer has taken his share of responsibility for the criticism leveled at recent Star Wars performances. But the latter still wanted to separate the groups of disappointed fans from the hate messages written by certain Internet users:

As a fan myself, I know how disappointing some of the Star Wars stories have been in the past. I send all my sympathies to the Star Wars fans. But I want to be clear. People who express bigotry, racism and hate speech… are not people I consider a fan.

This intervention offers the producer the opportunity to give unconditional support to screenwriter Leslie Headland, showrunner of the new series The Acolyte. Because of the fan base “mostly male” According to Kathleen Kennedy, the latter received a far greater share of criticism than the male cast members of other Star Wars franchises.

Even before its release, The Acolyte was the subject of a discriminatory campaign on social media. The series was also called The Wakelyte (sic) by a group of Internet users due to its casting of many performers of various backgrounds. Openly lesbian Lesley Headland has also been the target of vile homophobic attacks among the same groups.

Episodes of Star Wars Acolyte can be seen every Wednesday exclusively on Disney+.

Discover the list of series currently available on the platform!