With the announcement that Lynne Hale will be retiring by the end of the year, Lucasfilm announce her successor Chris Coxall, who has already served as the Director of Global Publicity and Vice President of Global Publicity for Disney.
Lucasfilm has found its next PR head. Chris Coxall has been named VP, publicity and communications for the Disney-owned studio. Coxall will replace the departing Lynne Hale, a 35-year veteran of Lucasfilm who announced last week that she will retire at the end of the year. Coxall and Hale will work together during the transition.
Coxall joined Disney in 2013 and has worked on every Star Wars project since the company purchased Lucasfilm in 2012, beginning with Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015). He has led global feature campaigns across Lucasfilm, Pixar, Walt Disney Animation Studios and Disney, including Disney’s Maleficent (2014), Mulan (2020) and Jungle Cruise (2021); Pixar’s Luca; and Walt Disney Animations Raya and the Last Dragon (2021). He also worked on the awards campaigns for Disney+’s The Mandalorian, which has collected 14 Emmys across two seasons.
In his new role, Coxall will serve as the primary spokesperson for Lucasfilm and develop its overall communications strategy. He will lead publicity on all Lucasfilm features and episodic projects and oversee fan relations. He will also create strategic communications plans for initiatives such as May the 4th and the fan convention Star Wars Celebration. He will continue to work closely with Disney Studio’s publicity team.
With arguably the busiest slate of upcoming projects Lucasfilm has ever had, he comes in at a crucial time and is succeeding a Lucasfilm legend, but with his stellar pedigree is well set to prosper. Best of luck to Chris in his new role.