Kathleen Kennedy Defends Shawn Levy From Skeptical Star Wars Fans

4 days ago 10

Chris is a Senior News Writer for Collider. He can be found in an IMAX screen, with his eyes watering and his ears bleeding for his own pleasure. He joined the news team in 2022 and accidentally fell upwards into a senior position despite his best efforts.

For reasons unknown, he enjoys analyzing box office receipts, giant sharks, and has become known as the go-to man for all things Bosch, Mission: Impossible and Christopher Nolan in Collider's news division. Recently, he found himself yeehawing along to the Dutton saga on the Yellowstone Ranch.

He is proficient in sarcasm, wit, Photoshop and working unfeasibly long hours. Amongst his passions sit the likes of the history of the Walt Disney Company, the construction of theme parks, steam trains and binge-watching Gilmore Girls with a coffee that is just hot enough to scald him.

His obsession with the Apple TV+ series Silo is the subject of mockery within the Senior News channel, where his feelings about Taylor Sheridan's work are enough to make his fellow writers roll their eyes.

As production continues on Star Wars: Starfighter, Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy is addressing skepticism from fans who’ve questioned whether Shawn Levy is the right filmmaker to steer the franchise’s next theatrical chapter. Levy, whose résumé includes Free Guy, The Adam Project, Deadpool & Wolverine, and a key creative role on Stranger Things, has been labeled by some corners of the fandom as a “lightweight” choice for Star Wars. Kennedy couldn’t disagree more.

“He did family comedies, and that got reinterpreted as ‘lightweight’ — which is completely unfair,” Kennedy said while speaking about Levy’s hiring. “It is so hard to do movies like that. It’s all I look for in directors, and it’s like a needle in a haystack.”

Kennedy made it clear that Levy’s reputation for accessibility and broad appeal isn’t a liability — it’s the point. In an industry where massive budgets, tight schedules, and fan expectations collide, Levy’s ability to deliver polished, audience-friendly films on time and on budget has made him one of the most reliable names in Hollywood.

That reliability is a big reason Lucasfilm tapped him for Starfighter, which stars Ryan Gosling and is set five years after The Rise of Skywalker. While plot details remain tightly under wraps, the project is widely viewed as a key piece in Disney’s effort to restore momentum — and goodwill — to the Star Wars brand on the big screen.

What Is 'Starfighter' Inspired By?

When he recently appeared on On Film… With Kevin McCarthy, Levy spoke honestly about what had inspired him and what it was guiding his first journey into a galaxy far, far away. While many directors point to A New Hope or The Empire Strikes Back as their touchstones, Levy’s answer was more personal — and some fans may have been surprised.

“If I'm being honest, I know the cool answer would be Empire, and sort of the inarguable answer would be A New Hope, but it's kind of Jedi. It's Jedi because of the combination of theme, levity, adventure, heart, and spectacle. Somehow, that movie just got it right for me. I saw that movie so many times in a theater, more times in a theater than New Hope and Empire, and it stuck with me. There’s moments where I'm on set, and I feel like that kid is with me in the director's chair. I'm there making his dream come true.”

Star Wars: Starfighter arrives in theaters in 2027.