Kathleen Kennedy to be replaced by The Mandalorian’s Dave Filoni at Lucasfilm as Star Wars fans rejoice

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Lucasfilm is undergoing a change in leadership, with Kathleen Kennedy, who has served as president for many years, leaving her position.

Dave Filoni, currently a top creative leader at Lucasfilm – the studio behind Star Wars and Indiana Jones – will now help run the production company, officials announced Thursday.

Okay, so everyone’s talking about Kennedy finally stepping down, and honestly, I suspected something was up almost a year ago! I was reading Puck News and they hinted at it back then. But the real news? Dave Filoni is taking over! I mean, the guy created The Mandalorian – he’s a genius! It just took forever for it to be officially announced, but it’s happening, and I’m so excited!

It seems Disney, the company that owns Lucasfilm, is planning to divide the responsibilities Kathleen Kennedy held during her 14 years leading the studio. Dave Filoni will now share control with Lynwen Brennan, who currently manages the business side of Lucasfilm.

Okay, so it’s finally happening! They’re changing things at Lucasfilm, and honestly, it’s about time. For years, we, the real fans, have been voicing our concerns about how Kathleen Kennedy was running things after George Lucas stepped down. It’s just… she didn’t seem to get it, you know? And it’s not like the movies weren’t making money! The sequels and spin-offs were huge hits, but it felt like something was off. We just wanted someone who understood the magic George created, and now, maybe, just maybe, we’ll get that.

The Daily Mail has reached out to Kennedy for comment. 

Kathleen Kennedy said it’s been an honor to work with the incredibly talented people at Lucasfilm for over ten years. She’s very proud of everything they’ve achieved as a team, and is looking forward to continuing to create films and TV shows with both familiar colleagues and new storytellers.

Disney CEO Bob Iger also paid tribute to the departing Kennedy in a statement.

Over ten years ago, when we bought Lucasfilm, we gained not just a hugely popular and timeless collection of stories, but also an incredibly talented team, headed by a filmmaker George Lucas specifically chose himself, he explained.

Alan Bergman, a co-chairman at Disney Entertainment, also commended Kathleen Kennedy’s leadership and welcomed the new team at Lucasfilm. Filoni and Brennan will report directly to Bergman.

He said it’s been a wonderful experience working with the incredibly talented people at Lucasfilm for over ten years. He’s very proud of everything they’ve achieved together and finds their creativity and commitment inspiring. He’s now looking forward to continuing to create movies and TV shows, working with both familiar faces and new storytellers.

Despite stepping down from her role as president of Lucasfilm, Kennedy will continue to be involved as a producer on the upcoming Star Wars projects, The Mandalorian & Grogu (releasing May 22nd) and Star Wars: Starfighter (expected in 2027), according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Kennedy will also be free to produce projects outside of Lucasfilm.

After she leaves, Dave Filoni will become president and chief creative officer at Lucasfilm. In this new role, he’ll be in charge of the studio’s overall creative vision.

Brennan will be responsible for the business affairs of the studio as co-president, Lucasfilm.

Disney’s approach of keeping its creative and business sides separate isn’t anything new, according to the report.

Disney has used this leadership structure before, like when Pete Docter and Jim Morris led Pixar alongside Jared Bush and Clark Spencer at Walt Disney Animation.

For a long time, Filoni was the expected choice to take over from Kennedy, but Brennan’s appointment to a leadership role at Lucasfilm came as a surprise.

Kennedy achieved significant accomplishments during her time leading the studio, most notably bringing the Star Wars franchise back to the big screen with the sequel trilogy.

She chose J.J. Abrams to direct Star Wars: The Force Awakens in 2015, and the film earned over two billion dollars at the box office.

The follow-up film, The Last Jedi (2017), directed by Rian Johnson, grossed over $1.3 billion and is widely considered a standout Star Wars movie by critics. Despite The Rise of Skywalker (2019), directed by J.J. Abrams, receiving mixed reviews and disappointing many fans, it still earned over a billion dollars.

As a lifelong Star Wars fan, I loved seeing the universe expand with ‘Rogue One’! It was a fantastic addition. But honestly, ‘Solo’ just didn’t quite hit the mark, and it was a bit disappointing to see a Star Wars film not succeed for the first time.

The movie showed the start of a frustrating pattern for Kennedy: the initial directors, Phil Lord and Chris Miller, were let go and replaced by Ron Howard.

After the disappointing performance of that movie, several directors – like Taika Waititi, Patty Jenkins (director of Wonder Woman), and the producers of Game of Thrones, David Benioff and D.B. Weiss – were initially chosen to direct future Star Wars films, but those projects never moved forward.

Even though many fans reacted negatively to The Last Jedi, the movie was a huge financial success. Because of this, it was logical that Lucasfilm would want to work with director Rian Johnson on future films.

Okay, so it’s confirmed. My heart is broken, absolutely shattered. Rian Johnson himself said it – that amazing, incredible trilogy he’d planned after The Last Jedi? It’s… it’s not happening. Gone. Just like that. I was already planning my vacation time around the release dates! It’s devastating, truly.

Colin Trevorrow, who directed Jurassic World, was initially hired to write and direct the final film in the sequel trilogy, The Rise of Skywalker. However, he ultimately left the project, allegedly because of disagreements with Kathleen Kennedy.

Abrams eventually came back to finish the trilogy he began, but the final movie—despite Trevorrow still receiving credit for the story—received some of the lowest ratings of any film in the series.

Kennedy faced another setback with the Indiana Jones franchise, adding to her difficulties with major Lucasfilm properties.

The Indiana Jones series returned in 2023 with Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. However, the film—the first not directed by Steven Spielberg—received generally unfavorable reviews and performed poorly in theaters.

Kennedy’s tenure also coincided with a rush of Star Wars shows on Disney+.

Although shows like The Mandalorian and Andor have been popular and well-received, other Star Wars series haven’t fared as well, receiving poor reviews and failing to capture audience interest.

Dave Filoni started his Star Wars journey as an apprentice to George Lucas, who brought him on board to lead the animated series, The Clone Wars. Filoni later co-created the popular Disney+ shows, The Mandalorian and Ahsoka. While some fans have voiced desires for a new creative path, it’s uncertain if Lucasfilm will make any sudden shifts, given Filoni’s long-standing collaboration with president Kathleen Kennedy.

As a longtime Star Wars fan, I have to admit I was thrilled to see the news about Kennedy leaving Lucasfilm. For years, she’s been the target of a lot of negativity from the more passionate parts of the fanbase, and honestly, it felt like a weight lifted for many of us.

One user expressed excitement and speculation, writing, “Could this finally be happening? I’m wondering if the recent test screenings of ‘Mando & Grogu’ are connected to this news.”

I noticed people were really getting into the celebratory spirit online! They were sharing all sorts of fun memes – everything from a classic moment from the musical Wicked to a hilarious GIF of Stone Cold Steve Austin downing a few beers. It was a great way to join in the excitement!

‘Why not 14 years ago?’ one fan wondered. 

Another user said the respected Kennedy, but described her leadership of Lucasfilm as ‘terrible.’

They acknowledged the leadership change was needed, but questioned the qualifications of the new people taking over.

Some people were concerned that replacing her with two Lucasfilm executives would lead the studio to prioritize predictable, low-risk movies.

‘Too little, too late,’ another fan complained. 

However, Kennedy had supporters, and one fan explained that ‘true fans respected Kathleen and her work.’

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2026-01-16 05:10