Kathleen Kennedy Stepping Down as Lucasfilm President

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As a lifelong Star Wars fan, I think a lot of us will be pretty happy to hear this news! Deadline is reporting that Kathleen Kennedy is stepping down as President of Lucasfilm after almost 14 years. George Lucas chose her himself to take over when Disney bought the company back in 2012. Now, instead of one president, Lucasfilm will be led by two people. Dave Filoni, who’s been a huge creative force behind shows like The Mandalorian and Ahsoka, is getting promoted – honestly, that feels like a natural fit, and he’ll also continue as COO. The other co-president will be Lynwen Brennan, who’s been running the business side of things at Lucasfilm for years.

Kathleen Kennedy is stepping down as head of Lucasfilm as new Star Wars films prepare for release. Jon Favreau’s The Mandalorian and Grogu, co-written with Dave Filoni, is scheduled to premiere this May, and Shawn Levy’s Star Wars: Starfighter will follow in May of next year. Kennedy will stay on as a producer for both films before transitioning to independent producing work.

Kathleen Kennedy’s time leading Lucasfilm has been a mix of successes and disappointments. While the sequel trilogy, starting with The Force Awakens in 2015, was a huge financial hit, it also frustrated many fans who felt the story wasn’t well-planned and relied too much on familiar elements. The standalone Star Wars Story films, Rogue One and Solo, faced production problems and didn’t perform as well at the box office, though they each have their supporters. Lucasfilm’s only film outside of the Star Wars universe during Kennedy’s leadership, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, failed to recoup its massive production costs.

Lucasfilm’s streaming shows were key to launching Disney+, though they weren’t always successful, and often sparked intense debate among fans. However, The Mandalorian was a clear hit with almost everyone, and Andor showed that Star Wars stories could be incredibly compelling when aimed at a more mature audience.

It’s difficult for me to agree that Kathleen Kennedy’s leadership at Lucasfilm has been a “failure,” as some online claim. I don’t believe she’s the type of producer who micromanages stories. Instead, she seems to give writers, directors, and other creatives the freedom to develop narratives with her guidance. She doesn’t operate like producers such as Kevin Feige, James Gunn, or Dave Filoni—who has significantly influenced the direction of Star Wars since The Clone Wars began almost 20 years ago.

It’s true that not every movie and TV show from the last fourteen years has been a hit, but that inconsistency has actually led to some really interesting projects. I’m happy to endure a show like The Book of Boba Fett if it means we also get something great like Andor. While things might become more consistent with Filoni and Brennan in charge, we’ll likely see less experimentation and risk-taking.

Kathleen Kennedy has received eight Academy Award nominations for her work as a producer. If she decides to go back to producing independent films, I hope it signals a return to the quality and style she’s known for.

Kyle Anderson is a Senior Editor at TopMob and the host of the weekly podcast, Laser Focus, where he explores pop culture in detail. He also writes film and TV reviews, and you can find him on Letterboxd.

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2026-01-16 02:03