Dave Filoni gets the keys to the Star Wars franchise

Dave Filoni just got rewarded for the success of Ahsoka, The Mandalorian, and other Star Wars shows with a promotion to chief creative officer of Lucasfilm. According to details in a new Vanity Fair interview, he’ll work alongside head developer Carrie Beck, reporting directly to Kathleen Kennedy, and together, the duo will determine the direction of Star Wars overall — not just the streaming shows.

Filoni told Vanity Fair he’ll now be involved “at the inception” of everything that happens in the franchise. He’ll keep his executive vice president title and his director role on the New Republic film that connects to the stories of Ahsoka, The Mandalorian, and The Book of Boba Fett. For many fans, that’ll be a thrilling prospect — I know I’m not the only one who hopes to see Grand Admiral Thrawn on the big screen.

Filoni has been behind the scenes of Star Wars series since taking on directing and supervisory roles for the animated Clone Wars film and TV series. He developed the Rebels series that Ahsoka draws from for a huge part of its lore, and he went on to work as a producer for Jon Favreau’s The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett. In a very real way, Filoni’s work has kept Star Wars alive on screens after the movies fell flat with many of its fans (not that the streaming shows haven’t had their stumbles).