Kathleen Kennedy Officially Leaving ‘Star Wars’ and Lucasfilm

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After over ten years overseeing the Star Wars universe, Kathleen Kennedy is stepping down from her role at Lucasfilm. This news will likely be welcomed by some fans who have been critical of her leadership, while others may see it as a negative change. Kennedy’s time with the franchise was often controversial, and the studio has announced a new leadership team: Dave Filoni will become EVP and chief creative officer, and Lynwen Brennan will continue as president & GM of Lucasfilm.

People have been talking about this change for a while, but Kennedy confirmed it herself in a recent statement, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

I’ve truly enjoyed spending over ten years working with the incredibly talented people at Lucasfilm. I’m deeply inspired by their creativity and hard work, and I’m very proud of everything we’ve achieved together. I’m looking forward to continuing to create films and TV shows, working with both familiar faces and new storytellers who will shape the future of entertainment.

Despite leaving her position at the studio, Kennedy will continue working as a producer on both The Mandalorian and Grogu and Star Wars: Starfighter for the time being.

A Controversial Legacy at Lucasfilm


Lucasfilm

She’s an incredibly accomplished producer, having worked on beloved films like E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Jurassic Park, Gremlins, Twister, and Poltergeist, among many others. So, when George Lucas sold Lucasfilm to Disney in 2012, she was a natural fit to take a leading role. The 2015 film Star Wars: The Force Awakens was the first sequel to the original Star Wars trilogy in over 30 years, and despite the difficulty of satisfying every fan, it received largely positive reviews and earned over $2 billion worldwide.

The following year, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story became the first official spin-off from the main Star Wars series, earning over $1 billion. However, the release of Rian Johnson’s Star Wars: The Last Jedi in 2017 sparked a highly public and negative reaction from many fans. Like The Force Awakens, The Last Jedi was a big financial and critical hit, but while some viewers loved its fresh take on the familiar story, others criticized it for changing too much about beloved characters. Six months later, Solo: A Star Wars Story was released, but it didn’t reach $400 million in box office revenue.

Some fans consistently blamed Kathleen Kennedy for anything they disliked about recent Star Wars projects, regardless of how many people worked on them or how many creative ideas went into them. Even when something succeeded, like The Mandalorian, she didn’t receive credit, despite some claiming she was the driving force behind it. When Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker received negative reviews, those same fans again attributed the failure to Kennedy.

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Dave Filoni’s strong ability to tell compelling stories, first shown in Star Wars: The Clone Wars and continued through Star Wars Rebels, The Mandalorian, and Star Wars: Ahsoka, made him the natural choice for a new leadership role at the studio. However, some fans worry that this choice is too predictable and that future Star Wars projects might rely too heavily on past ideas. It will take time to see how this change in leadership actually affects the franchise.

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2026-01-16 02:48