The world of Star Wars is continuing to expand, as Disney and Lucasfilm have announced at least three new films in the works. However, one project that was removed from the docket was a film produced by Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige, and now the head of Lucasfilm, Kathleen Kennedy, has revealed that Feige's film was never really going to happen at all.
In an interview with IGN, via Total Film, Kennedy discussed the future of the Star Wars franchise, especially given the fervor surrounding the recently announced films. She also addressed Feige's shelved feature, which was reportedly scrapped alongside another Star Wars project from director Patty Jenkins. However, Kennedy made it clear that reports of a Feige film being in the works were mostly fiction:
"Kevin Feige's project was something announced in the press, or I suppose fandom, but there was nothing - nothing ever got developed. We never discussed an idea. As everybody knows, Kevin's a huge Star Wars fan, and if he did come up with something, I would be all ears, but that's never really happened. So it's not an abandoned project, it just didn't happen."
This may come as a surprise given that there have been numerous hints about a Feige-led Star Wars film. While plot details were always kept hidden by the Force, it was first reported back in 2019 that Feige was set to helm a film in the galaxy far, far away. At the time, there was said to be a "major actor" attached to the project, and former Walt Disney Studios chairman Alan Horn even seemed to confirm the film, saying in a statement, "With the close of the Skywalker Saga, Kathy is pursuing a new era in Star Wars storytelling, and knowing what a die-hard fan Kevin is, it made sense for these two extraordinary producers to work on a Star Wars film together."
Feige's Film Was Always Bogged Down in Development
However, it was always made clear by Kennedy and the other heads at Lucasfilm that Feige's movie was in the early stages of development. Soon after the film was first reported, Kennedy said in an interview that Feige "talked to us, and he talked to the studio and said, ‘You know, is there any chance I could step in and do one of the Star Wars movies?' And I thought it was a pretty cool idea. So we’re just beginning to talk about what that might be and when that might be. But it’s a ways off.”
Despite that, though, it seemed production on the film was always destined to keep going. One report said that Marvel mainstay writer Michael Waldron had been tapped to pen the screenplay, which Waldron later confirmed to Collider, saying it was a "very exciting thing." After this, though, movement on the film tapered off, and it was finally reported in March 2023 that Feige's project had been shelved indefinitely.
So while it was already known that Feige's film would not see the light of day, Kennedy's new comments have revealed that this may have always been the case from the get-go. However, there is still plenty of Star Wars content on the horizon for fans, among them the Disney+ show Ahsoka set to premiere in August 2023.