Former Disney CEO Bob Chapek Reportedly Responsible For Lack of ‘Star Wars’ Movies

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bob chapek onstage

Credit: Disney

If Bob Iger stayed with Walt Disney, Star Wars fans might have some new movies to enjoy right now.

George Lucas with Bob Iger
Credit: The Hollywood Reporter

Related: Bob Iger Is Getting Compared to Elon Musk As He Returns to Disney

When Bob Chapek was made CEO of Disney, it was during the start of the COVID pandemic, and Lucasfilm was facing some severe backlash from the Sequel Trilogy. That backlash was warranted as fans were upset over the direction of the trilogy because there was no clear vision from the directors involved.

After the Sequels, fans were divided until The Mandalorian helped point fans to a new hope. Disney+ could bring a new era to Star Wars, and it did. Fans had fantastic moments with The Mandalorian, and The Clone Wars returned for a final season.

The Mandalorian in The Book of Boba Fett
Credit: Lucasfilm

Related: New ‘Star Wars’ Series In More Demand Than ‘The Mandalorian’ Or ‘Andor’

There were some excellent times for Star Wars fans, but it doesn’t mean it couldn’t have been better. The Book of Boba Fett and Obi-Wan Kenobi proved that some stories are suited for a Disney+ series if given a lower budget, and when you have something like The Mandalorian as the gold standard, it’s hard to sustain the same quality. Unfortunately, this made both shows with iconic characters feel less exciting and full of wasted potential.

While fans love to blame Kathleen Kennedy as the head of Lucasfilm, she might not be the only responsible person for why Lucasfilm can’t seem to release any movies. Not a single movie has gone into production in the past few years, and there have been close to a dozen different Star Wars movies announced. Patty Jenkin’s Rogue Squadron made it the farthest, but it is now shelved.

Kathleen Kennedy (left) with JJ Abrams (right)
Credit: Fandom Entertainment YouTube (Screenshot ITM)

Related: Lucasfilm Seemingly Delays ALL ‘Star Wars’ Movies Until 2025

According to John Campea, Bob Chapek may have given the order to Lucasfilm to take their sweet time with their next wave of Star Wars movies as he didn’t want any movies made immediately:

“Other people have heard this as well, that the lack of movies coming out of Star Wars was actually a Chapek directive. Chapek directed that there weren’t going to be any movies coming out right now.”

bob chapek
Credit: Screenshot via Annual Shareholders Meeting

Related: Disney Confirms Bob Chapek Was Fired, Bob Iger’s New Salary Revealed

Campea shared the news in one of his videos where he shared how Kathleen Kennedy might be part of Lucasfilm until 2025, but he wouldn’t be surprised if that changes for the better or worst:

“I believe her current deal takes her to 2025. I personally don’t believe Kathleen Kennedy makes it to that or past it. I don’t think she’s going to go anywhere immediately. Amidst all the chaos and the shakeup, Iger’s going to want to steady things pretty quickly. And the last thing that I think Iger wants to do now is start replacing these studio heads as well.”

Ewan McGregor (left) and Kathleen Kennedy (right) at D23 Expo
Credit: Lucasfilm

Related: Kathleen Kennedy Prevented From Announcing More ‘Star Wars’ Projects

In the end, Kennedy might end up stepping down, but she will probably have some role at Lucasfilm for a few more years. Just like Dave Filoni, Kennedy had worked at Lucasfilm for a long time as she worked under George Lucas when the Prequel Trilogy was being made and now has been involved with a new trilogy and a lot of new projects.

With Bob Iger, fans got a lot of Star Wars movies which may have been why the Sequel Trilogy was rushed so that Disney could grab their paychecks. Now that the streaming platform is costing them millions, Disney might want some more Star Wars movies to be made and fast. If this is the case, fans might end up in another era with more rushed movies, but if Iger is smart, he won’t repeat the same mistakes if he wants the movies to be successful.

What are your thoughts on Chapek holding back on making more Star Wars movies? Let us know what you think!

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