Media Studies Case: How Leadership Changes Reshape Franchise Roadmaps (Star Wars Edition)

Hook: Why today's students and teachers must decode studio leadership shifts

Students and instructors often struggle to connect leadership changes at studios to the creative output and marketing they study in class. You might see a new CEO announced and still wonder: what actually changes for the projects on the slate, the tone of films and series, and the way audiences are courted? This case study uses the 2026 leadership shift at Lucasfilm — the transition to co-presidents Dave Filoni and Lynwen Brennan after Kathleen Kennedy's departure — to show how studio decisions reshape franchise roadmaps. It's built to be classroom-ready: clear learning objectives, step-by-step activities, assessment rubrics, and real-world analysis grounded in 2026 trends.

Executive summary: The big lesson up front

Leadership change is a pivot point. When the people setting strategy change, priorities change: project selection gets re-sorted, creative tone can shift toward the new leaders' strengths, and marketing strategies are recalibrated to target different fan segments and platforms. In early 2026, media coverage reported that Lucasfilm's co-presidency of Dave Filoni (creative lead) and Lynwen Brennan (business/operations lead) signals a probable pivot toward creator-driven, continuity-focused storytelling and accelerated expansion of TV-to-film pipelines — with immediate consequences for the Star Wars slate and brand direction.

Context: What happened at Lucasfilm (Jan 2026) and why it matters

On Jan 15–16, 2026, multiple outlets reported that Kathleen Kennedy stepped down as president of Lucasfilm and that Dave Filoni was elevated to co-president alongside Lynwen Brennan. Industry commentary framed this as a shift toward a Filoni-era creative approach, one that favors serialized character-driven arcs and tighter continuity across series and films. The change matters for classrooms because it provides a concrete example of how an incoming leader’s background and risk appetite influence everything from which projects get greenlit to how the brand is positioned in marketing.

"We are now in the new Dave Filoni era of Star Wars, where he will now be co-president of Lucasfilm alongside Lynwen Brennan after the departure of Kathleen Kennedy... Filoni will be handling the creative/production side of Star Wars from here, and reportedly is looking to accelerate a film slate that has been dormant since 2019's Rise of Skywalker." — Paul Tassi, Forbes, Jan 16, 2026

How leadership change reshapes franchise roadmaps: five decision levers

To analyze studio behavior, teach students to watch five concrete decision levers that shift when leadership changes.

1. Project selection and prioritization — New leaders reprioritize based on their creative vision and commercial read. Projects championed by the prior regime may be shelved; creator-led projects may get fast-tracked.
2. Tonal and narrative direction — A new creative lead influences the franchise's voice. Filoni's background in animated and serialized Star Wars suggests moves toward character-rich, continuity-based storytelling.
3. Distribution strategy — Leadership decides theatrical vs streaming emphasis. Post-2023 industry trends and 2025–26 platform economics make this choice central to revenue and audience reach. For instructors exploring platform pitching and regional strategies, see resources on Pitching to Disney+ EMEA as an example of tailoring projects to platform windows and commissioning rules.
4. Marketing and audience targeting — New teams may pivot between core fans vs mass-market positioning, changing trailers, release windows, and promotional partnerships.
5. Transmedia and merchandising tie-ins — Decisions about theme-park integration, toys, comics, and games follow the creative roadmap and often accelerate under leaders who prioritize franchise breadth.

Applied example: What the Filoni era might mean for the Star Wars slate

Using public reporting from January 2026 as a starting point, analyze likely outcomes across the five levers. These are classroom discussion points and forecasting exercises, not definitive insider statements.

Project selection

Filoni's track record (The Clone Wars, Rebels, The Mandalorian) suggests he values continuity and character arcs built over seasons. Expect:

• Acceleration of projects tied to existing series characters (for example, films or limited series focused on The Mandalorian and Grogu).
• Fewer one-off anthology films; more interlocking narratives that reward long-term viewers.

Tonal direction

Students should note the shift from blockbuster-driven spectacle to intimate character work can change marketing hooks. Trailers and posters may emphasize relationships and serialized stakes rather than only battle sequences.

Distribution strategy

Given the value of streaming subscriptions and Filoni's TV-first background, expect hybrid strategies: flagship theatrical releases supported by closely tied streaming series that expand character backstories and retain subscribers. For practical planning and premiere concepts that mix livestreamed events and in-person premieres, review a Hybrid Premiere Playbook to see how studios are experimenting with event formats and monetization.

Marketing and audience targeting

Marketing could become more fan-centric and lore-forward. That reduces general mass-market outreach but strengthens retention among the franchise base — a tradeoff instructors should have students evaluate. Consider micro-events and creator-led programming as part of fan engagement; resources on micro-events and creator co‑ops provide useful parallels for grassroots fan activation.

Transmedia and merchandising

A leader who understands serialized storytelling often leans into transmedia continuity: toys, comics, and theme-park experiences that echo narrative beats and reward deep fans. This makes product teams and licensing partners central stakeholders; see a field guide to physical–digital merchandising for hybrid fulfilment for how merch and experiences are being coordinated in 2026.

Classroom-ready case study: learning objectives and materials

Designed for a 2–3 week module (can be compressed into a 90-minute seminar or extended into a full project), this case study teaches students to map leadership decisions to franchise outcomes.

Learning objectives

• Explain how leadership backgrounds influence creative and commercial studio decisions.
• Apply strategic frameworks (SWOT, stakeholder map, PESTLE) to evaluate a franchise slate.
• Create a prioritized slate memo and aligned marketing strategy under a new leadership scenario.
• Present and defend stakeholder tradeoffs using evidence from 2025–2026 industry trends.

Materials and preparation

• Short reading packet: media reports on Lucasfilm leadership change (e.g., Jan 2026 coverage), background on Filoni's projects, and industry trend summaries for late 2025.
• Access to box-office and streaming performance summaries (public sources or simulated data for classroom use). If you're building a production workflow or transmedia adaptation project, consult a cloud video workflow guide that maps asset flows across platforms.
• Templates: slate-memo, marketing brief, tone bible, stakeholder map.

In-class activity: Simulate a studio re-slate

Split the class into three teams. Timebox each phase to keep the activity focused.

1. Phase 1 — Audit (30 minutes): Each team audits the existing slate. Identify which projects align with the new leader’s strengths and which are at risk. Use a simple scoring model (creative fit, commercial potential, production readiness).
2. Phase 2 — Re-slate (40 minutes): Produce a prioritized 3-year slate (3–6 projects) with rationale and risk mitigation. Include at least one cross-platform series and one theatrical tentpole.
3. Phase 3 — Marketing plan (30 minutes): For the top project, draft a one-page marketing strategy specifying target segments, key messages, primary channels, timing, and a KPI dashboard.
4. Phase 4 — Present & critique (20 minutes): Each team presents. Peers and instructor critique using provided rubric.

Assessment rubric (teacher-ready)

• Strategic alignment (30%): Does the slate reflect the new leadership’s creative identity and business constraints?
• Evidence and reasoning (25%): Are claims backed by industry trends, data, or logical inference?
• Feasibility and risk management (20%): Are production schedules, budgets, and contingency plans realistic?
• Marketing coherence (15%): Does the marketing plan connect messaging to the target audience and KPIs?
• Presentation and communication (10%): Clarity, persuasiveness, and ability to respond to critique.

Analytical tools: frameworks students should master

Teach students to use these concise, classroom-ready tools when analyzing leadership effects on franchises:

• SWOT: Map the studio's internal strengths/weaknesses and external opportunities/threats after leadership change.
• Stakeholder Map: Identify creative leads, talent, distributors, licensors, parks, and fans; rate power/influence and likely alignment.
• PESTLE: Evaluate political, economic, social, technological, legal, and environmental trends that affect distribution and marketing strategies (e.g., streaming regulation, global box office recovery, AI pre-visualization).
• KPI dashboard: Recommend measurable indicators such as opening weekend box office, first 28-day streaming viewership, social sentiment index, merchandise sell-through, and subscriber uplift.

2026 trends to discuss in class and incorporate into projects

Anchor student work in contemporary context by integrating these late-2025 and early-2026 trends:

• Creator-driven IP: Studios are increasingly elevating showrunners and franchise auteurs — a core reason a Filoni-led creative slate matters.
• Streaming-theatrical hybrids: Optimized windows and eventization strategies continue to evolve; students should weigh subscription value versus theatrical revenue.
• Data-informed greenlighting: Predictive analytics and audience segmentation tools are shaping which pitches advance; students must consider both creative and data signals. For technical architectures that support rapid audience data and decisioning, see work on serverless data mesh for edge microhubs.
• Franchise fatigue mitigation: Brands explore smaller, character-focused stories to refresh interest without oversaturating marquee characters.
• AI and production innovation: By 2026, AI tools are used in pre-visualization, script analysis, and audience testing — affecting speed and cost of development. Balance AI-enabled workflows with editorial judgement; read why AI shouldn't own your strategy for a cautionary perspective.

Practical, actionable advice for students and emerging media managers

1. Map the leader’s prior work: List the new leader’s previous projects and extract recurring themes, formats, and audiences. That predicts likely slate preferences.
2. Score projects against leadership fit: Use a 1–5 rubric for creative alignment, commercial potential, and production readiness.
3. Draft a 1-page tone bible: For any proposed project, summarize voice, target audience, and three sample marketing taglines — this bridges creative and marketing teams.
4. Design a minimum viable KPI set: Choose 3–5 KPIs that will decide the project's continuation (e.g., viewership retention after episode 3, opening weekend, pre-sales, social sentiment).
5. Prepare contingency plans: For each high-priority project, list one creative pivot and one release-strategy pivot in case early signals underperform.

Discussion prompts and exam-style questions

• Explain how a leader's personal creative background should (and should not) determine an entire franchise's direction. Provide examples and counterexamples.
• Debate: Is accelerating a film slate under a new creative president riskier than slowing down to realign? Use financial, brand, and fan community arguments.
• Design a marketing experiment to test whether fans prefer continuity vs standalone stories in a franchise. What metrics and sample sizes would you require?

Advanced strategies for media managers facing leadership change

For advanced students or practitioners, these strategies help operationalize transitions:

• Early stakeholder alignment: Convene cross-functional workshops to translate the new leader’s vision into production and marketing checkpoints. Consider using clip‑first automations to speed sizzle development; industry news on clip-first studio tooling partnerships shows how teams are shortening feedback loops.
• Portfolio hedging: Mix low-risk, brand-safe projects with experimental titles to protect revenue while innovating.
• Canonical clarity: If the leader emphasizes continuity, create a canonical management team to minimize contradictory storytelling and fan confusion.
• Data-to-creative feedback loop: Implement fast-turn audience testing (trailers, sizzle reels, scripts) to inform iterative creative choices. For production teams, edge-assisted collaboration tools and live micro-hubs are changing how those loops operate; see edge-assisted live collaboration for workflow examples.
• Manage fan communities proactively: Use authentic creators as ambassadors and keep communication channels open during slate changes to reduce backlash. Micro-events and creator co‑ops are powerful channels to test messaging; read about micro-events as a model.

Case evidence and critical perspectives

Media coverage in January 2026 framed the leadership shift as an inflection point. Some commentators raised red flags about early project lists (noting that a slate focused on existing characters could risk creative stagnation), while others welcomed clarity and a tighter creative hand. Use these mixed reactions as primary source material for classroom debates. Encourage students to identify bias in commentary and weigh that against public data and statements from the studio. For practical merchandising and cross-platform strategies, examine examples like physical–digital merchandising that tie narrative beats to product launches.

Suggested further reading and sources (class packet)

• Contemporary coverage of the leadership change (e.g., Jan 16, 2026 articles reporting Kathleen Kennedy's departure and Filoni's promotion).
• Profiles of Dave Filoni's creative work and storytelling style (The Mandalorian, animated series).
• Industry reports on streaming economics and theatrical windows published in late 2025.
• Academic readings on franchise management and transmedia storytelling.

Final synthesis: What students should be able to do after this case

By the end of this module, students should be able to:

• Explain how leadership changes at a studio concretely alter project selection, tone, and marketing strategy.
• Apply strategic frameworks to recommend a re-slate under new leadership.
• Design a marketing plan and KPI dashboard aligned to leadership priorities.
• Defend their choices with evidence from recent 2025–2026 industry trends.

Call to action

Turn this case into a classroom activity this term: download or create the one-page templates listed in the materials section, assign teams to simulate Lucasfilm's re-slate under the Filoni-Brennan structure, and bring industry context from late 2025–early 2026 into your debates. Want a ready-made slide deck and printable rubric based on this lesson plan? Reach out to your department or bookmark this case for the next module — and encourage students to publish their slate proposals and marketing one-pagers for peer review. Apply these skills now: leadership changes in media are not theoretical noise — they are industry levers that shape the stories we see next. For instructors building hybrid modules that combine in-person screenings with livestreamed panels, consult a hybrid premiere playbook to design interactive event formats.

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