It is being reported that Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy has informed Disney, as well as friends and associates, that after 13 years she will step down from her role at the end of 2025.
Kennedy will be 72 in June and the knives have been out for her since the second sequel film, The Last Jedi, was launched in 2017, as many fans thought the franchise was going in the wrong direction, and this was further compounded by the poor reception of the final sequel film, The Rise of Skywalker.
This news comes ahead of Star Wars Celebration Japan in April, where details on the future of Star Wars is expected to be revealed. Star Wars celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2027 and many thought Kennedy would stay in her role to oversee this huge milestone, passing on the baton at the end of the celebrations. Dave Filoni, who was promoted as Lucasfilm’s Chief Creative Officer last year, is in the running to take over the role and is very much seen as a fan favourite who understands the franchise, and worked alongside George Lucas to create Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
There has been no comment on this story from Lucasfilm or Disney, and it may be that this news is held over for Star Wars Celebration Japan in just 8 week’s time.
Kennedy joined Lucasfilm in 2012 as co-chair alongside Star Wars creator George Lucas, and a few months later took the reins after Disney paid $4 billion for the company and Lucas exited.
She relaunched the franchise, beginning with J.J. Abrams’ Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015), which grossed more than $2 billion globally and reinvigorated the property as a big screen brand. Disney released a Star Wars film every year from 2015-2019 and then took a pause following Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, which received a mixed response and earned just half of what Force Awakens had brought in just a few years earlier.
As Lucasfilm boss, Kennedy held one of the most visible and scrutinized jobs in Hollywood, and it was not always smooth sailing. She fired Chris Lord and Phil Miller as directors of Solo: A Star Wars Story in the middle of production. (The film went on to be the first Star Wars movie to lose money theatrically.) She also sidelined Rogue One: A Star Wars Story director Gareth Edwards, replacing him with Tony Gilroy, who was brought on to oversee reshoots. (The film became a $1 billion hit). Other projects were promised that never materialized, such as Rian Johnson’s trilogy, and another one overseen by Game of Thrones showrunners D.B. Benioff and David Weiss. Daisy Ridley’s upcoming return to Star Wars has been languishing in development since being announced to fanfare almost two yaers ago.
But even as Star Wars struggled to return to the big screen, the franchise found newfound life on Disney+, with The Mandalorianlaunching in November 2019 along with the streaming service. It became a breakout hit, spawning multiple spinoffs, including the critically acclaimed Andor, which returns for a second season in April, as well multiple shows that failed to hit the zeitgeist and sparked worries of diluting the Star Wars brand.
Coming up, Lucasfilm has The Mandalorian and Grogu from director Jon Favreau due out May 22, 2026 as the first big screen outing for the franchise since Rise of Skywalker.
Kennedy’s storied career includes work with Steven Spielberg and husband Frank Marshall, with collaborations including Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982), Gremlins (1984), The Color Purple (1985), The Goonies (1985), Empire of the Sun (1987), Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988) and the Back to the Future trilogy (1985-1990) and the Indiana Jones films, which concluded with last year’s Dial of Destiny. In all, she has produced or executive produced more than 70 films and been nominated for eight Oscars.
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