Highlights
- Director Shawn Levy has received a surprising level of creative freedom from Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy for his upcoming Star Wars movie.
- This freedom is reflective of Kennedy's mandate to Levy, which was to create a film that reflects his style, taste, and what he brings to his movies, while still being a Star Wars story.
- The success of Star Wars: Andor, which prioritized a compelling story over the Star Wars setting, suggests that this focus on the creator's vision may become more common in future Star Wars projects.
Some Star Wars fans think Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy ruthlessly rules over the franchise with a beskar fist. As cool as that sounds, the truth is far more chill. At least, that's what the case seems to be based on one upcoming movie.
Despite still working on Deadpool 3, director Shawn Levy is already set to create a Star Wars movie. That's also on top of his time as a producer and director for Netflix's huge hit Stranger Things. But somehow, he manages to juggle it all well enough to the point where his upcoming Star Wars project doesn't worry those in charge. At least, that's what seems to be the case with Kennedy's directive for Levy regarding it.
In a recent interview with Variety, Levy revealed a surprising mandate he received from Kennedy about his Star Wars movie. "When Kathy Kennedy brought me on board to make a Star Wars movie," he replied when asked how he'll do things differently in the franchise, "her central mandate to me was 'I want a Shawn Levy movie. I want a story and a tone that reflects you and your taste and what you bring to your movies — with a Star Wars story.' So I have felt extremely empowered." To give an idea of what that freedom looks like, fans might catch a glimpse of it when Deadpool 3 releases.
"The experience that I'm currently having with Marvel on Deadpool is showing me firsthand that it is indeed really possible to feel empowered and personal about making a movie within a universe that is bigger than any one film," Levy continued. "My Deadpool movie is turning out to be exactly what Ryan [Reynolds] and I had hoped when we started off. So I'm going into the development of my Star Wars movie with a similar optimism, and faith that my instincts will be allowed to lead the way."
This level of freedom could be, at least partially, a byproduct of the success behind Star Wars: Andor. Unlike any Star Wars project before or since, Andor succeeded largely thanks to showrunner Tony Gilroy seemingly prioritizing a compelling story first before worrying about the actual Star Wars setting. The show was a Gilroy joint that happened to be set in a galaxy far, far away. So, focusing on the creator's vision over the larger franchise may be a more common occurrence.
Given how Levy plans to keep Deadpool 3 raw and gritty in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, he's got a lot of creative freedom with his upcoming projects. It might be a bit of a shock to Marvel and Star Wars fans. But it's always better to have a wide range of earnest styles like this than trying to force creators into a box of conforming to some standard. Higher risk equals higher reward for the creator and the viewer.
Levy's untitled Star Wars movie currently has no confirmed release date.
Source: Variety