Rise of Skywalker’s producer steps down as Lucasfilm SVP

2019 was a rough year for Star Wars as Episode 9: Rise of Skywalker crushed the hopes of fans. Following the fallout of that massive release, Lucasfilm SVP of Live Action Development & Production Michelle Rejwan is stepping down.

An integral part of J.J. Abrams’ vision for Star Wars, Rejwan’s career is tied to Abrams. With the exit of staff from that director’s era finally finishing, will Star Wars return to the Big Screen with a bang?

Michelle Rejwan steps down

Over the past decade, Rejwan worked on a number of Star Wars projects. The Lucasfilm employee served as a full producer for both The Force Awakens and The Rise of Skywalker, helping Abrams bring his movies to life.

Prior to Lucasfilm, Rejwan helped produce other Abrams films. Over her seven year stint at Bad Robot, she co-produced the shockingly bad Star Trek Into Darkness movie. Additionally, Rejwan was an associate producer on Super 8, which is a fine movie.

Since producing Rise of Skywalker, Michelle Rejwan has still been attached to Star Wars projects. On Obi-Wan, Andor and Willow, she has served an executive producer, but not as a full producer.

Despite stepping down as SVP, the producer will still be attached to a number of Star Wars projects. Not only will she continue to serve her role on Andor and Willow, but she will be producing Taika Waititi’s unwritten Star Wars film.

Read More: Nobody is watching Star Wars: Andor, reveals report

Will anything change?

While the Rise of Skywalker producer has stepped down, very little changes are expected to happen at Lucasfilm. Helped my Dave Filoni and Jon Faverau, there is a new direction for the long-running franchise that has proven successful.

Currently, the Star Wars franchise is exploring the space between films, filling in gaps in lore. With such a huge universe to explore, the TV space is perfect for the franchise, even if movies are more exciting for fans.

When Star Wars does return to the big screen, it needs to be big and successful. With that in mind, having a fresh pair of eyes in Rejwan’s role is probably a good idea. After all, we don’t want a repeat of The Rise of Skywalker.