as the Force wills it
Marvel Studios' president is headed to the Star Wars franchise — and he's got a 'major actor' in mind
The producers behind the world's two biggest film franchises are joining forces in the Force.
Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige, who has spearheaded the wildly popular Marvel Cinematic Universe, has been hired by Disney to develop a new Star Wars film, The Hollywood Reporter reports.
No details about the movie Feige is attached to have yet been revealed, but Walt Disney Studios co-chairman Alan Horn confirmed the news, in a statement saying that "knowing what a die-hard fan Kevin is, it made sense for these two extraordinary producers to work on a Star Wars film together." The Disney Star Wars films are produced by Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy.
The Reporter adds that Feige has "told a major actor that there’s a specific role he would like that person to play if and when he makes the movie." Let the speculation begin over whether an Avenger, perhaps even Robert Downey Jr., could be be headed to the galaxy, far far away.
After December's Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, described as the finale of the main Skywalker saga, Disney's planning a three-year break before the franchise resumes in 2022. A series of films from the creators of Game of Thrones, David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, has been announced, as well as a trilogy from The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson.
Though details of Feige's project remain unclear, his involvement is a big deal considering, as CNN notes, he's "one of the most successful producers in Hollywood history," with his unprecedented Marvel universe having culminated in the new highest-grossing movie in history, Avengers: Endgame. It's somewhat surprising that Feige even has time for another franchise, but then again, thanks to a dispute between Sony and Disney, he no longer has Spider-Man movies to worry about. One Spider-Man-sized door closes and another Luke Skywalker-sized door opens.