Longtime Star Wars franchise veteran Dave Filoni — of Star Wars: The Clone Wars and The Mandalorian fame — was promoted to executive creative director at Lucasfilm last summer. However, the studio's website was only updated this week, leading many, including Ming-Na Wen and Katee Sackhoff, to offer belated congratulations.
"HELL YES!!! So happy for you, [Dave Filoni]!!" Wen wrote on Twitter. "So deserve this!" I mean.....This Is The Way," Sackhoff echoed. Other fans also expressed their joy in Filoni's promotion, not realizing that he has held the position for quite some time.
Filoni served as director of Star Wars: The Clone Wars' 2008 theatrical movie and supervising director on its follow-up TV series that aired on Cartoon Network, Netflix and Disney+. In addition to expanding upon the stories and characters of George Lucas' prequel trilogy, The Clone Wars introduced multiple beloved protagonists like Ahsoka Tano and Captain Rex, as well as a revived Darth Maul, who have since become central to Star Wars' timeline following the franchise's acquisition by Disney.
"Dave Filoni realized a lifelong dream in 2005 when he was selected by George Lucas to help build Lucasfilm's animation studio from the ground up and create the company's first series, Star Wars: The Clone Wars," the Lucasfilm page reads. "Over a span of seven seasons, and more than 100 episodes, The Clone Wars (2008-2020) pushed the boundaries of television animation, receiving acclaim not only for its technical achievements, but its complex and compelling storylines. The series won four Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Special Class Animated Program two years in a row, and introduced countless fan favorite characters to the Star Wars saga."
Filoni also oversaw the creation of various animated shows set within the Disney-era Star Wars timeline, including Star Wars Rebels and Star Wars Resistance. He also executive produces Disney+'s acclaimed live-action series The Mandalorian alongside director Jon Favreau, who coincidentally voiced the Mandalorian antagonist leader Pre Vizsla on The Clone Wars. In addition to producing the show, Filoni directed The Mandalorian's series premiere episode and its Season 2 episode "The Jedi," the latter of which starred Rosario Dawson as Ahsoka Tano in her first live-action appearance.
Filoni's next Star Wars projects include producing the upcoming Mandalorian spinoffs Ahsoka, Rangers of the New Republic and The Book of Boba Fett. His most recent animated show, Star Wars: The Bad Batch, is currently available to watch on Disney+.
Source: Lucasfilm, Ming-Na Wen, Katee Sackhoff, via Variety
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