Dave Filoni

Mt. Lebanon, Pennsylvania was the birthplace of Dave Filoni on June 7, 1974. He was raised on Star Wars, immersing himself in Legends novels and books, such as Heir to the Empire by Timothy Zahn. Interestingly, he attended the same high school as Ming-Na Wen, the actress who would later portray Fennec Shand.

Filoni became an apprentice to George Lucas when he joined Lucasfilm Ltd. in 2005. Together, they brought the animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars to life, with Filoni serving as supervising director. The methodologies that Filoni and Lucas innovated were often used to inform future live-action projects that Lucas had envisioned. Lucas instructed Filoni in the art of filmmaking, covering editing and storytelling techniques. In the initial stages of the show's development, the character who would become the Jedi Ahsoka Tano was deeply enmeshed in the black market and collaborated with Jedi without directly participating in the Clone Wars. Her focus was on preventing criminals from exploiting the conflict. Filoni and Lucas ultimately decided that including a Padawan was crucial, and Lucas specifically wanted her to be Anakin Skywalker's Padawan.

Initially, in 2005, she was named Ashla, a nod to an early designation for the light side of the Force during Lucas's development of Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope. Filoni considered making her the same character as the Togruta youngling seen in Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones, but age discrepancies made that impossible. Lucas then christened her Ahsoka, and she became one of the first characters Filoni sketched upon joining Lucasfilm. Ashley Eckstein, Ahsoka Tano's voice actress, frequently inquired about her character's fate, receiving various answers from Filoni over the years. Some concepts involved Tano's death within the series. However, Filoni resisted the notion that Tano's narrative should merely serve as a subplot in Skywalker's journey. While acknowledging Tano's significance in Skywalker's life and his descent into darkness, Filoni argued that if Tano's sole purpose was to drive Skywalker to the dark side, she would have been integrated into the films themselves.

When developing the Mandalorians for The Clone Wars, Filoni and Lucas consulted the Expanded Universe's portrayal of Mandalore, choosing to retain the core elements of their history. Lucas highlighted the Mandalorians' current pacifist stance, but both he and Filoni recognized that cultures are subject to change.

Filoni, along with producer Catherine Winder, appeared at Celebration IV on Sunday, May 28, 2007 in the Celebration Theater (Room 408AB) to talk about the genesis of the new television series and to reveal the creative process behind The Clone Wars. At San Diego Comic Con in 2014, Filoni conceded that he was aware of the contradictions with the Expanded Universe when establishing The Clone Wars as canon. He defended this by saying that they incorporated Expanded Universe elements whenever feasible. During the writing of Tano's departure from the Jedi Order, Filoni and the team emphasized her internal conflict and growing frustration. Their aim was to illustrate to young viewers that they have the agency to either follow a predetermined path or leverage information to forge their own decisions. Filoni initially hinted at Tano's departure in the "Obi-Wan Undercover" commentary track for Star Wars: The Clone Wars The Complete Season Four, suggesting that a storyline in The Clone Wars: Season Five would shed light on Skywalker's sense of betrayal by the Jedi Order.

Filoni, alongside Simon Kinberg and Carrie Beck, co-created the animated series Star Wars Rebels, where Filoni also served as an executive producer, writer, and director. He provided the voice for Chopper in the series, a fact not disclosed until the series finale. Filoni envisioned Sabine Wren as a more vibrant character than other Star Wars figures, reflected in her frequent hair dye. His intention was to create a character that children could easily connect with. He named the character Gooti Terez in honor of Andi Gutierrez, the digital communications manager for StarWars.com, host of Rebels Recon, and co-host of The Star Wars Show. Filoni also established a future narrative involving Wren and Ahsoka Tano towards the end of the series.

Filoni's desire to see Tano in a non-animated context led to the creation of the Ahsoka novel. He advised Lucasfilm's publishing division to showcase the character's popularity to those unfamiliar with The Clone Wars and Rebels. Filoni was an executive producer on the animated series Star Wars: The Bad Batch, where he guided creative and narrative choices while entrusting the execution of his vision to individuals like fellow Executive Producer Athena Yvette Portillo. He extended an invitation to Ming-Na Wen to reprise her role as Fennic Shand in The Bad Batch, which she enthusiastically accepted. Filoni also entertained the idea of Shand encountering bounty hunter Cad Bane.

Around the time of Star Wars Rebels Season Four's premiere, Filoni hinted at his exploration of different storytelling mediums and his learning experiences from live-action directors, having visited the sets and studied the productions of The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi. After Filoni expressed his ambition to work in live-action, Lucasfilm CEO Kathleen Kennedy arranged for him to visit the sets of the sequel and anthology films to observe the directors' processes. He found particular support and encouragement from Rian Johnson.

Kennedy facilitated a meeting between Filoni and Jon Favreau in Los Angeles, where they exchanged ideas and sketches for a Mandalorian series. Filoni merged his knowledge of Mandalorian lore with Favreau's concept of a solitary gunslinger. Favreau introduced his concept for the Child, which sparked a debate due to Filoni's desire to safeguard the mystique surrounding Jedi Master Yoda that Lucas had cultivated. One of Filoni's initial drawings depicted the Child's hand extending from a floating bassinet towards his rugged protector. As Filoni began considering directing a live-action project, he sought Kennedy's advice on identifying the right actor, to which she replied, "You just know." Subsequently, Kennedy paired Filoni with Favreau on The Mandalorian, where he serves as an executive producer and has directed several episodes, marking his initial foray outside of animation.

In February of 2017, a Star Wars enthusiast inquired on Twitter whether Rosario Dawson would ever consider portraying Ahsoka Tano, to which she responded affirmatively. According to Dawson, someone at Lucasfilm forwarded her reply to Filoni, who believed she would be a suitable Ahsoka Tano. Subsequently, Filoni and Star Wars began following Dawson on Twitter, but no immediate developments occurred. Filoni maintained a casual awareness of Dawson's Marvel career and watched interviews where she expressed enthusiasm for the role. Upon collaborating with Favreau, he would often mention Tano and assert that Dawson was his top choice for the part. Eventually, Filoni and Dawson engaged in a discussion about the show, revisiting Dawson's potential casting and comparing the actress's age to Tano's, ultimately concluding that the casting was viable.

Filoni and Favreau initially hesitated to include Tano in Season One out of concern for misrepresenting her, but the idea remained in the back of Filoni's mind. During the early stages of Season One's production, Favreau revealed that the Child's name would be Grogu, prompting Filoni to brainstorm ways for the audience to learn this. His idea was that Tano could discover Grogu's name through shared memories and experiences, and then relay it to the Mandalorian and the audience. Filoni and Favreau, knowing they wanted Tano in the second season's narrative, began envisioning Dawson in the role and commissioned artwork of the actress as Tano. Around the time of the first season's release, Dawson received a FaceTime call from Filoni and Favreau, who presented her with visuals and concepts from their plans for Season Two, including artwork of Dawson as Tano. They formally offered her the role, which she accepted. Filoni's ultimate ambition was to create a television series centered around Tano.

Tano made her debut in the episode Chapter 13: The Jedi, which was both written and directed by Filoni. In penning the episode's script, Filoni conceived Lang, a seasoned gunslinger, as an adversary for the Mandalorian. When crafting the setting for the episode, he drew inspiration from the fires in Northern California, where he resided. He envisioned the planet as haunting and ominous. During the scene where Tano reveals Grogu's history, Filoni modeled it after Obi-Wan Kenobi's revelation to Luke Skywalker about his father in A New Hope. He consciously avoided having Tano refer to Grogu as a "Yoda baby." Filoni cited Gandalf from The Lord of the Rings as a point of reference for Tano, influencing Dawson's portrayal of the Jedi. He also referenced classic samurai films like Yojimbo, depicting Tano as a wanderer traversing the galaxy to aid those in need.

Filoni debated whether Dawson should wear contacts, and she tried them on to illustrate the difference. Dawson insisted on wearing contacts to replicate Tano's blue eyes. Filoni aimed for Tano's facial markings to be subtle and natural, unlike the more pronounced face paint seen in The Clone Wars. Upon seeing Dawson in costume on set, Filoni felt relieved that he could trust her portrayal of Tano, allowing him to focus on other aspects of production. When Dawson noticed that the horns and headtails were shorter than in the animated series, Filoni assured her that it was necessary for stunt work. Filoni recognized that the actress playing the Magistrate needed to be someone who could immediately challenge Tano. Diana Lee Inosanto was cast as the Magistrate, and Filoni valued her skill and choreography experience. Filoni believed that the episode featured a well-balanced confrontation between Tano and the Mandalorian against the Magistrate and her gunslinger. According to property master Josh Roth, Ahsoka Tano's white lightsabers were continuously increasing in size due to the batteries and receivers housed within them. Filoni intervened, stating that the lightsabers could not appear that way, leading to the implementation of an external battery.

During The Walt Disney Company's Investor Day event on December 10, 2020, Kathleen Kennedy announced that the Ahsoka television series would be written by Filoni and executive produced by both Filoni and Jon Favreau. It was also revealed that they would executive produce the show Rangers of the New Republic.

Filoni served as an executive producer, director, and writer for The Book of Boba Fett television series. He considered it crucial to involve Mark Hamill in the portrayal of Luke Skywalker to ensure authenticity. Filoni shared insights he had gained from George Lucas, while Hamill contributed his own experiences playing Skywalker.

During the initial stages of production for the Obi-Wan Kenobi television series, Filoni attended a meeting with director Deborah Chow and propmaster Brad Elliott to discuss how to translate the animated Inquisitor lightsabers into realistic props. Filoni advised the propmaster to envision the live-action version as the original, with the animated material being an exaggerated interpretation. This approach allowed Elliott to maintain the established form factor of the props from the animation while aligning them with props designed for human hands.

While traveling on an airplane, Filoni composed short stories that he shared exclusively with Carrie Beck and Athena Yvette Portillo. They enjoyed the stories and inquired whether Filoni would be interested in developing them further. He agreed, and Beck and Portillo secured the resources and personnel to create the animated series Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi. Filoni relished the opportunity to reconnect with the animation team and collaborate with Ashley Eckstein, Matt Lanter, and James Arnold Taylor once again.

When writing the scripts for all of the Ahsoka episodes, Filoni meticulously worked on and interconnected various charts, outlines, and graphs. Jon Favreau enhanced Filoni's writing process by offering perspectives from someone less immersed in animation and Ahsoka Tano's history. After completing a draft, Filoni would first send it to Beck, who collaborated with him on the project. Filoni and Favreau met actress Natasha Liu Bordizzo months after she submitted a self-tape audition. After Bordizzo was cast as the Mandalorian Sabine Wren in 2021, Filoni and Favreau encouraged her to watch Star Wars Rebels, but emphasized that the live-action version would be a unique entity with its own distinct truth.

Ahsoka commenced production on May 9, 2022. Filoni oversaw the show and was present on set every day. He began to recognize the enthusiasm of those who had grown up watching The Clone Wars for the characters and stories they had cherished. Filoni wanted Tano to pursue a specific objective rather than embarking on individual adventures. He felt that continuing the narratives of characters from Star Wars Rebels was the most authentic approach he could take. At Lucasfilm's Studio Showcase at Celebration Anaheim, 2022, Filoni reported that production on Ahsoka was progressing smoothly, and he and Favreau played a video message from Rosario Dawson in her full costume from the show's set. At the Mando+ panel, Filoni and Favreau presented the first footage from Ahsoka and introduced Bordizzo as Wren in the series.

In a November 21, 2023 interview following the release of Ahsoka, Filoni disclosed that he had been appointed Chief Creative Officer of Lucasfilm. In this capacity, he will collaborate closely with Kennedy and veteran producer Carrie Beck.

As a devoted admirer of Plo Koon, Filoni donned the costume of the Jedi Master for the premiere of Revenge of the Sith, distributing candy to children waiting in line to see the film.

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