For much of Star Wars’ history, George Lucas oversaw the direction of the sprawling franchise he created decades ago. The veteran filmmaker hasn’t been quite as involved with it in recent years, however, especially since he sold Lucasfilm film to The Walt Disney Company in 2012. Since then, other figureheads like Kathleen Kennedy and Jon Favreau have helped steer the (star)ship, so to speak. A person who’s been particularly impactful on that front is Dave Filoni, who has a firm understanding of Lucas’ mythology. He’s been quite successful since joining the company in the 2000s, and there’s a funny story about his hiring, which includes a moment Filoni thought was a prank.
Dave Filoni’s work within the galaxy far, far away began in earnest with the animated series The Clone Wars, which is now revered in some circles. The writer’s work in the animation corner of the franchise also includes Rebels, The Bad Batch and more. The past few years have also seen Filoni try his hand at penning and directing live-action projects, including The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett. His most recent endeavor is Ahsoka, and it’s received favorable reviews from critics and fans alike. Unsurprisingly, Filoni is also busy with upcoming Star Wars shows and movies. He’s accomplished so much, which makes the story behind his hiring all the more ironic and chuckle worthy.
Dave Filoni Had A Lot Of Creative Experience Under His Belt Prior To Being Hired By Lucasfilm
Before he was tasked with handling the journeys of Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Ahsoka Tano and more, the now-49-year-old producer was a busy animator. He spent years working on a variety of TV shows for different networks. There are adult-oriented credits on his resume, such as King of the Hill and The Oblongs. But he also cut his teeth on kid-centric fare, including Kim Possible, Fillmore! and American Dragon: Jake Long. (Coincidentally, those three shows and a few others he worked on were also produced by Disney.)
Yet the show that really allowed Dave Filoni to experiment with serialized storytelling and complex action sequences was Nickelodeon’s Avatar: The Last Airbender. During an episode of Disney Gallery: The Mandalorian (which is streamable with a Disney+ subscription), Filoni briefly mentioned his time working on the beloved series. He seemed to relish the experience, particularly because he has a “love” for anime and action. Considering the scope and tone of Airbender, Filoni seemed like a perfect fit for Star Wars, which he was already a massive fan of. He, however, didn’t believe anyone, let alone George Lucas, would reach out with an opportunity, though.
The Animator Received A Phone Call From Lucasfilm That He Believed Was A Prank
Dave Filoni was working on Avatar at Nick during the early 2000s and, while at the studio, his co-workers became well aware of his love for Star Wars. As he explained, his fandom led his colleagues to lightly poke fun at him once in a while. It’s for that reason Filoni was skeptical when he received a phone call from someone claiming to represent the animation branch of Lucasfilm. When explaining why he thought his recruitment was a joke, the writer/director said the following:
I almost didn’t get the job because I thought it was a practical joke. I was working at Nickelodeon, and somebody called from Lucasfilm Animation. And I’m like, ‘There is no Lucasfilm Animation.’ And I thought I had just been so excited about Revenge of the Sith coming out and talking about it all the time that the guys from SpongeBob were just busting my chops over Star Wars. And so I thought it was a prank call. It was this producer who I’d never heard of from ‘Lucasfilm Animation,’ and they’re doing The Clone Wars.
Honestly, given the circumstances, you really can’t blame him for being somewhat untrustworthy at that moment. The inquiry would’ve felt a bit too perfect to me, if I’d been in the Dave the Barbarian alum’s shoes. There were also a few other key reasons he didn’t believe an animated Clone Wars series was in the works at that point. He continued:
You get so tired of being picked on. You’re just like, ‘This is the SpongeBob guys. I know it is.’ And I’m like, ‘Oh, so you’re making Clone Wars, but you kind of already did that, right?’ And I’m talking like that because Gendy [Tartakovsky] did the Clone Wars, and she said, ‘Well, this is going to be computer animation, a whole new series.’ And I’m like, ‘I don’t do computer animation.’ And she’s like, ‘Well, you’ve been recommended to us by George [Lucas]’, and I’m like, ‘Really, George recommended me, huh?’ This is the way I’m talking, and she goes, ‘Well, I would like to meet with you.’ And I’m like, ‘Oh, I would like to meet with you.’ Then it’s dawning on me the way she’s talking, but I’m like ‘Ah, I don’t want to buy into this. I always buy in.’
But he did indeed buy in (and SW fans are definitely better for him having done it). You can’t help but laugh when you consider his storied tenure at Lucasfilm began with that humorously awkward phone call. Before he could officially land the job though, there was another key step in the hiring process. He had to meet with the enigmatic Mr. Lucas.
What Went Down When Dave Filoni And George Lucas Met For The First Time?
We all know what it’s like to apply for a job, right? You receive communication from a prospective employer, and then you have to go through interviews. That process was no different for Dave Filoni when it came to him joining the Lucasfilm family. He further explained that he had to go through two rounds of meetings before actually sitting down with George Lucas, who had Filoni’s portfolio in front of him during their eventual meet-up. The animator admitted to being nervous during the sit-down, which sounds like it was both intimidating and enlightening:
He closes my portfolio, and then he looks at me and he says, ‘Well, a Jedi would do this…’ And he starts on this elaborate description of how a Jedi would handle a negotiation – more like a Samurai, more like a mafia [boss] putting their lightsaber on the table and saying this is how we’re going to do business.
At the same time, the Avatar vet found major “validation” due to the fact that he and the filmmaker shared many of the same thoughts on the sci-fi series’ lore. The relatively quick interview eventually ended, of course, and, as it would turn out, the animation vet would get confirmation of his hiring in no time:
It was about 10 minutes, and then the producer said, ‘Well, that’s it. Your time is up.’ And [George Lucas] says, ‘OK.’ And I stood up, and I was like, ‘Well, I’m never gonna see this guy again.’ So I said, ‘Well, it’s very nice to meet you,’ and I shook his hand. And he said, ‘It’s very nice to meet you.’ And I left, and I went into the green room next to his office, and I was like, ‘That’s awesome. This was a great experience.’ Because he was cool, he was super knowledgeable. He was everything that you thought the guy who created Star Wars was. It was a great experience. And then the producer opens the door and said, ‘He likes you, you got the job.’ And then she shut the door.
And the rest is, as they say, history. From there, Dave Filoni began working on Star Wars: The Clone Wars, starting with the feature film of the same name (a.k.a. the series’ pilot), which he directed. While he’s mostly entrenched in the TV side of the franchise, Filoni is now set to direct a movie (that’ll utilize cutting-edge technology), and it’ll conclude the overarching story that runs through the TV shows. Not much has been shared about the project, but Filoni did name-drop Revenge of the Sith as a major source of inspiration. Ironically, that’s the same movie he was hyped about around the time Lucasfilm hired him. It’s funny how things work out, and I’m glad Filoni landed where he’s meant to be.
You can check out much of the producer’s contributions to the Star Wars franchise on Disney+.
