The announcement that Kathleen Kennedy was stepping down from Lucasfilm sparked a huge reaction from fans, with opinions sharply divided. Some were saddened by the news, recognizing Kennedy’s long history of achievement in the film industry. Others celebrated, believing she was responsible for the recent direction of the Star Wars franchise. However, the change is unlikely to cause immediate disruption. Daisy Ridley has indicated that Kennedy’s departure won’t significantly alter plans for her upcoming Rey Skywalker film.
Last December, USA Today inquired about rumors that Kennedy might be leaving. Ridley addressed the possibility by saying:
Honestly, if the rumors are true, it doesn’t really change things for me. What I love most is seeing how excited everyone is about the movies – that’s fantastic! It’s amazing to be involved in a project where there’s still a lot of mystery, and I think it’s great that people are curious. It’ll be a wonderful surprise when everything is finally revealed, and I can’t wait for them to see it!
It’s good to know the change in studios won’t delay the new Rey movie, but some fans might be hoping for faster progress. When asked about potential updates this year, Daisy Ridley admitted she wasn’t sure about 2026, but hinted at a future announcement sometime down the line.
A Disturbance in the Force
In 2012, George Lucas, the creator of Star Wars, sold Lucasfilm to Disney. While some fans were upset by this change, it allowed Disney to create new Star Wars content. Daisy Ridley joined the franchise in 2015 with Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which was both a critical and commercial success. However, as is common with Star Wars fans, not everyone enjoyed the film, and some viewers reacted negatively to a female character taking on a powerful role with a lightsaber.
The Star Wars prequels always sparked debate, but when they came out, social media wasn’t really a thing. By 2015, unhappy fans could directly target people working on the films, which led Daisy Ridley to quit social media. Rian Johnson’s unconventional choices in Star Wars: The Last Jedi intensified the negativity within the fanbase. This resulted in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker trying to satisfy fans of both The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi, but ultimately becoming the lowest-rated film in the entire series.
Despite negative reactions from some fans and poor reviews of the last film, it was unexpected news when Ridley announced she’d be back to continue the story, focusing on Rey’s efforts to create a new generation of Jedi.
What’s Next for ‘Star Wars’?
Disney
Okay, so get ready, because Din Djarin and Grogu are finally hitting the big screen this spring! It’s the first Star Wars movie we’ve gotten since The Rise of Skywalker, and honestly, it’s a welcome sight. But this isn’t a one-off; Dave Filoni—now a big shot at Lucasfilm—is already working on a larger movie that’s going to tie together everything that happened in The Mandalorian, Ahsoka, and The Book of Boba Fett. It sounds like a really exciting way to continue their story and bring all those threads together.
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Both fans and critics of the Kennedy era at Lucasfilm are eager to see an end to the studio’s habit of announcing projects that are later delayed or canceled altogether. A prime example is the 2017 announcement that Rian Johnson would create a new trilogy of films, which has since been abandoned. Beyond those publicly revealed plans, James Mangold, the director of Logan, was also previously working on a film about the origins of the Jedi.
Despite previous reports, Shawn Levy is indeed directing a Star Wars film, with set photos now appearing online. Additionally, Simon Kinberg and Taika Waititi are both still developing their own separate Star Wars movies.
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2026-01-30 02:55