'Dare to Be Great': Dave Filoni's Vision for the Future of Star Wars

As 'The Mandalorian and Grogu' hits theaters, new Lucasfilm chief Dave Filoni — George Lucas's hand-picked protégé — lays out where Star Wars goes next, from breaking the franchise's own rules to a packed movie slate. His guiding mantra: 'Dare to be great.'

The Star Wars galaxy lost George Lucas years ago — but as "The Mandalorian and Grogu" arrives in theaters, the franchise has handed the Force to the man Lucas trained himself. Dave Filoni, now Lucasfilm's president and chief creative officer, has laid out his vision for where Star Wars goes next, and it comes down to three words Lucas used to tell him: "Dare to be great."

From Lucas's Apprentice to Lucasfilm's Leader

Filoni's Star Wars education started at the source. He worked side by side with George Lucas in the 2000s on "The Clone Wars," the animated series that became the most significant Star Wars project between the prequels and the sequels. From there came "Ahsoka" and "The Book of Boba Fett" — and in January, the apprentice became the master: Filoni was named Lucasfilm president and chief creative officer.

"I'm very excited and feel very privileged to be in this position," Filoni, 51, says. "I learned from the best — not just George, but the people that were foundational to Lucasfilm during the prequel era, some from the original era."

A Movie That Breaks the Star Wars Mold

Filoni isn't only shaping the future — he's central to the present as co-writer and producer on "The Mandalorian and Grogu," which brings bounty hunter Mando (Pedro Pascal) and his Force-sensitive foundling to the big screen after three seasons of the Disney+ series. He tapped Jon Favreau to direct, and the film wears its influences proudly — Favreau cites everyone from stop-motion pioneers Ray Harryhausen and Willis H. O'Brien to American Graffiti and Flash Gordon. "We draw from everything George has done, but also everything that influenced him," Favreau says.

It also deliberately bends Star Wars tradition: there's no opening crawl (just opening credits), Oscar-winning composer Ludwig Göransson leans on varied soundscapes instead of the usual symphony orchestra, and — notably — no one says "May the Force be with you."

"Dare to Be Great"

For Filoni, evolving the galaxy is the whole point. "When George made The Empire Strikes Back, he didn't just sit on what he did in A New Hope. He furthered things," Filoni says. "I didn't know there were walkers. I didn't know there was a city in the clouds. I didn't know that Yoda existed… It's a much more flexible galaxy, and a point of creativity, than I think people realize." Adding new ideas, he argues, matters as much as honoring the past: "You understand the great, giant shoulders you're standing on… but you also want to add your own page to it."

He stays coy on specifics — "Oh, I have a lot of vivid plans, I'm sure you can imagine," he says with a smile — but the slate is filling in. Several films are reportedly in development, including one bringing back Daisy Ridley's Rey, while "Star Wars: Starfighter," directed by Shawn Levy and starring Ryan Gosling, is set for May 28, 2027.

What This Means for Star Wars Fans

Filoni frames his real job simply: bring in talent who love Star Wars and "maintain balance in the Force." Favreau calls him "a great guiding force" with a sharp instinct for how a moment will land with audiences. Filoni puts it in the only terms a lifelong fan would: "I enjoy… being kind of like a little Obi-Wan when people need it, to help them understand the Force and guide them through this galaxy." For fans who've wondered who's steering Star Wars after Lucas, that's about as reassuring a mission statement as it gets — and with a movie in theaters now and a packed slate ahead, we're about to find out what "dare to be great" really looks like. Reporting via USA Today.