Known for his work on several Star Wars projects, Dave Filoni has become a key figure in shaping the space opera. Starting with his work on animated projects such as The Clone Wars and Rebels, he has also ventured into live-action projects The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett, and has since assumed the role of chief creative officer at Lucasfilm.
However, when he initially received a call with an offer to work with Lucasfilm Animation, Filoni’s skepticism nearly caused him to overlook the opportunity, as he refused to believe that Lucasfilm Animation even existed and that the offer was potentially a prank.
Dave Filoni Was Skeptical of the Existence of Lucasfilm Animation
After completing the prequel trilogy, George Lucas started working on further expanding the space opera with the animated series, The Clone Wars. One person he had on his mind to establish Lucasfilm’s animation studio was Dave Filoni.
Filoni, however, was working at Nickelodeon at the time for the animated series Avatar: The Last Airbender. And was quite popular for his love for Star Wars, leading his colleagues to often tease him over the same.
So, when he received a call from someone claiming to be from “Lucasfilm Animation,” the producer was skeptical if it was just another way for his colleagues to take a jab at him about his fandom. In an episode of Disney Gallery: The Mandalorian, the director revealed how his skepticism nearly caused him to overlook the opportunity.
“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.”
While the call was actually from a producer involved in The Clone Wars, Filoni believed that it was a “prank call” potentially orchestrated by his colleagues. And his doubt only intensified once he was told that he had been recommended by none other than George Lucas himself.
George Lucas Recommended Dave Filoni For The Clone Wars
Dave Filoni shared that he was tired of constantly being teased for Star Wars and continuing questioning about the show, stating, “Oh, so you’re making Clone Wars, but you kind of already did that, right?” referring to the 2003 animated series by Genndy Tartakovsky.
He continued questioning the producer about the project and upon learning that the new series would utilize computer animation, he retorted, saying, “I don’t do computer animation.” However, Filoni was surprised after learning that he was recommended by George Lucas.
“And she’s like, ‘Well, you’ve been recommended to us by George [Lucas],” he recalled his conversation. Filoni, however, maintained his sarcastic tone, when the producer asked to arrange a meeting.
“This is the way I’m talking, and she goes, ‘Well, I would like to meet with you,'” he said before adding, “And I’m like, ‘Oh, I would like to meet with you.'” However, he soon realized the legitimacy of the offer from Lucasfilm, prompting him to apologize and affirm his suitability for the role.
Disney Gallery: The Mandalorian is available to stream on Disney+.
