Lucasfilm boss supports writers’ strike: “You can’t do any of this without great writing”

The Hollywood writers’ strike continues, and with each day more people in the film industry lend their voices to the call to reach a reasonable settlement. Just yesterday we reported on The Sandman creator Neil Gaiman hitting the picket lines and laying into the practice of mini-rooms, where writers are brought in for a few weeks to outline and script a series before being shut out of the rest of the production process. Today, another notable person in the field has chimed in as well: Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy.

Kennedy has been in the film business for quite a while; she’s been a producer on Indiana Jones since The Raiders of the Lost Ark, and as such, she’s seen a few of these sorts of Hollywood labor actions. She shared her thoughts on the writers’ strike at the Cannes Film Festival today, where she was part of a panel to promote the release of Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny alongside director James Mangold, as well as Harrison Ford, Mads Mikkelson, Phoebe Waller-Bridge and other members of the cast. Check out this video from Variety for her full response:

Kathleen Kennedy is in “full support of the writers getting what they deserve”

“When it comes to acknowledging the importance of writing, I think everybody up here has demonstrated that you can’t do any of this without great writing,” Kennedy said. “You can’t do any of this without great writing. All of us who create anything…I am in full support and I know most people are in full support of the writers getting what they deserve.”

Kennedy emphasized that it will take time to make sure that the issues facing the striking Hollywood writers are addressed fully, and that she hopes things can be settled “in an environment where people can talk about what are some really complicated issues that are effecting the entire industry.”

"I think what the meta issue is here is how is [what the writers want] being impacted by an industry that’s really changing, that is in the midst of change, both technologically and just the basic aspects of how we work. That’s going to take time. That’s what everyone is getting ready for. I think that we should take the time necessary to articulate what those feelings are."

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny director James Mangold also lent his support to the writers’ strike. “No movie happens without a great script, and no great script happens without writers,” he said. “Writers are often – because they’re first in the process, they’re the first to be forgotten. So true in many parts of the business. I support them in their struggle for what is fair for everybody.”

With the news that the Screen Actors Guild is voting to authorize a strike of their own in solidarity with the writers’ guild, the developments in the WGA strike continue to draw major media attention. Here’s hoping it helps see the situation resolved in an equitable and sustainable way.

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is due out in theaters on June 30.

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