Kiri Hart Talks Rebels and the Future of Star Wars Storytelling
With the marketing campaign for Star Wars Rebels in full swing, today Ben Fritz of the Wall Street Journal features Kiri Hart as the centerpiece of a report on the future expansions of Star Wars storytelling. In addition to the main article, the interview with Hart is her first since joining Lucasfilm.
Although we’ve known for a while that Hart is the head of the Story Group handpicked by Kathleen Kennedy, the articles elaborate publicly more on her role than previous reports. The direct comparison to Kevin Feige at Marvel is certainly telling, in terms not just of importance but also the weight of a guiding hand overseeing all of the projects in production. (The article notes that Kennedy maintains ultimate say on major decisions.) Fritz also references the size of the Story Group for the first time: “Ms. Hart and her team of five are putting tighter parameters on the fictional timeline spanning thousands of years to keep the “Star Wars” storyline consistent in books, games and rides.”
Hart emphasizes the goal of cross-platform storytelling, and mentions that story ideas are developed internally before being matched with creators brought aboard to work on them. In her interview with Fritz, Hart talks about several topics dear to FANgirl:
Do you think it’s significant that on this franchise traditionally seen as being more popular with boys, the top two creative executives are women?
I haven’t experienced “Star Wars” being for boys, because I loved it from seven years old. I was so powerfully influenced by Princess Leia as a kid. I remember being transfixed by her — she was so empowered and smart and funny.
There are a lot of different types of characters. “Star Wars” should be diverse because it’s a big galaxy.
It’s not just the professional side we learn about, either. Hart’s office includes a “Will Work for Books” sign, for example. Hopefully that’s a good sign for the future of the prose-fiction Star Wars line.
Don’t miss the television premiere of Star Wars Rebels tomorrow night, Friday, October 3, at 9:00 p.m. Eastern on the Disney Channel.
For updates on all things FANgirl follow @FANgirlcantina on Twitter or like FANgirl Zone on Facebook. At times she tries the Tumblr.
Tricia Barr's novel, Wynde, won the 2014 Independent Publisher Book Award Gold Medal for Best Science Fiction/Fantasy/Horror Ebook. She was also part of Silence in the Library's successful all-female creator science fiction and fantasy anthology Athena's Daughters, which is available now. For excerpts and tales of her adventures in creating a fictional universe, hop over to TriciaBarr.com.
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