Heir To the Empire — Lucasfilm Taps Dave Filoni As Chief Creative Officer
While the title usually applies to Grand Admiral Thrawn, it turns out that Dave Filoni was the true heir to the empire all along.
Filoni began his Star Wars journey working closely with George Lucas on both the Star Wars: The Clone Wars feature film and animated series.


Photo: Vanity Fair
Under Lucas, Filoni became steeped in Star Wars history and lore, helping to create the Clone Wars universe that would come to largely define the franchise.


Photo: Lucasfilm
While working on the Clone Wars animated series, Filoni helped create fan-favorite characters including Ahsoka Tano and Captain Rex. Tano would bridge the gap between the prequel trilogy and the age of the New Republic, becoming perhaps the most important character in Star Wars history not named Skywalker.
Keeping George Lucas’ Spirit Alive
After Lucas sold Star Wars to Disney, Filoni continued his work in animation as an executive producer and supervising director of Star Wars Rebels. That series introduced audiences to Ezra Bridger, Sabine Wren, and Chopper — characters who would play an important role in Filoni’s future.
As Filoni continued to rise at Lucasfilm, his gratitude and admiration for Lucas never wavered.
“I mean, it was a masterclass every day. It was a masterclass. So I’m trying to apply that every day and pass on what I’ve learned. I mean, it is the Jedi experience I’ve had,” he explains.


Photo: LucasFilm
“And so honestly, that’s probably my biggest responsibility now, is to try to explain to people what George explained to me about why this all works, why it’s different and unique from any other fantasy series or fiction out there… George leant into a unique point of view, and it’s something that we have to take care of and work on again, and again, and again.”
‘The Mandalorian’ and Live Action
Eventually, Filoni would branch out from animation, partnering with Jon Favreau to oversee shows including The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, and most recently, Ahsoka.


Photo: Disney
As Star Wars feature films increasingly veered from what many perceived as Lucas’ original intent, Filoni was viewed as something of a traditionalist, an extension of Lucas himself.


Photo: Lucasfilm
“You just learn a lot from Dave in general, I think,” says Natasha Liu Bordizzo, who plays Sabine Wren in Ashoka. “I know that he’s traditional in the sense of how he learned so much from George. He has these pillars of storytelling that are dear to him, and then everything else can be untraditional.”
Heir To The Empire
With Star Wars set to expand in unprecedented ways, Lucasfilm is turning to Filoni to help steer the ship.


Source: wired.com
The former Goerge Lucas collaborator will be the Chief Creative Officer at Lucasfilm, where he will help guide Star Wars into the future.
“Now I’m what’s called chief creative officer of Lucasfilm,” Filoni tells Vanity Fair. “In the past, in a lot of projects I would be brought into it, I would see it after it had already developed a good ways.”


Filoni and Favreau. (The Walt Disney Company/Image Group LA)
With his new title, Filoni will now have a creative say in Star Wars animation, streaming, and movies.
“In this new role, it’s opened up to basically everything that’s going on,” Filoni says. “When we’re planning the future of what we’re doing now, I’m involved at the inception phase.”
From Apprentice to Master
As he continues the Star Wars story that George Lucas started a half-century ago, Filoni will not only lean on the lessons that his former mentor taught him but also the years of experience he now has under his belt.


Photo: Photofest
“I’m not telling people what to do,” Filoni says. “But I do feel I’m trying to help them tell the best story that they want to tell. I need to be a help across the galaxy here, like a part of a Jedi Council almost.”


Source: cosmicbooknews.com
Like Lucas before him, Filoni will be playing puppet master in a galaxy far, far, away. Based on his lineage and track record, Lucasfilm has tapped the perfect man for the job.
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