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Lucasfilm is experiencing a leadership change as its long-time president, Kathleen Kennedy, is leaving her position.
The studio responsible for creating Star Wars andIndianaJones series, will now be jointly managed by Lucasfilm Executive Vice-President andChief Creative Officer Dave Filoni was revealed on Thursday.
Kennedy, 72, was mentioned byPuck Newsto have hinted at her departure almost a year prior, but Filoni — who is most recognized for co-creating The Mandalorian — was only recently announced as her successor.
Nevertheless, Lucasfilm’s parent company, The Walt Disney Company, seems to be suggesting that two individuals will now handle the role that Kennedy managed alone throughout her 14-year period, as Filoni will co-lead the studio alongside the present President and General Manager of Lucasfilm business, Lynwen Brennan.
A shift in leadership comes after years of fan dissatisfaction with Kennedy’s management of Lucasfilm, since George Lucas stepped down from overseeing the franchise he created, even though the sequel trilogy and spinoff movies released under her direction achieved significant financial success.
The Daily Mail has contacted Kennedy for a response.
It has been an incredible honor to work with the remarkable talent at Lucasfilm for over ten years,’ Kennedy stated in a release on Thursday. ‘Their innovation and commitment have been a source of motivation, and I am truly proud of all we have achieved together. I look forward to furthering film and television projects with both established partners and new talents who embody the future of narrative creation.
Disney CEO Bob Iger also honored the outgoing Kennedy in a statement.
“About a decade ago, when we purchased Lucasfilm, we understood that we were welcoming into the Disney family not just one of the most cherished and long-lasting narrative worlds ever developed, but also a group of remarkable professionals guided by a creative director—someone who had been specifically chosen by George Lucas himself,” he stated.
Alan Bergman, the co-chair of Disney Entertainment, who will be the supervisor of Filoni and Brennan, also expressed appreciation for Kennedy’s leadership and the new team at Lucasfilm.
It has been a genuine honor to work with the remarkable talent at Lucasfilm for over ten years,” he stated. “Their innovation and commitment have been a source of motivation, and I am truly proud of our collective achievements. I look forward to furthering film and television projects with both long-standing partners and new talents who embody the future of narrative creation.
Kennedy is not completely severing ties with Lucasfilm, as she will continue as a producer for the next two upcoming projects.Star Warsmovies, The Mandalorian and Grogu, set to debut on May 22, and Star Wars: Starfighter, which is not anticipated until 2027, as reportedThe Hollywood Reporter.
Kennedy will also have the freedom to create works beyond Lucasfilm.
After her exit, Filoni’s new position will be president and chief creative officer at Lucasfilm, and in this capacity, he willsupervise the artistic vision of the studio.
Brennan will handle the business matters of the studio as co-president, Lucasfilm.
The publication points out that Disney is not pioneering the approach of dividing the creative and financial elements of its subsidiaries.
Disney had previously adopted a similar strategy, with Pixar being co-led by Pete Doctor and Jim Morris, while Walt Disney Animation was managed by Jared Bush and Clark Spencer.
Nevertheless, although Filoni was generally considered the natural candidate to follow Kennedy, Brennan was an unexpected selection to assist in leading Lucasfilm.
Kennedy can highlight significant achievements during her leadership, such as the decision to bring back the Star Wars movie series with the sequel trilogy.
She played a key role in choosing J. J. Abrams to direct 2015’s The Force Awakens, a film that earned over two billion dollars.
Its follow-up, Rian Johnson’s 2017 film The Last Jedi, generated more than $1.3 billion and is regarded by critics as one of the top Star Wars movies, and although J. J. Abrams’ 2019 finale, The Rise Of Skywalker, faced with mixed feedback and fan dissatisfaction, it stillmade over a billion dollars.
The spinoff movie, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, was another success for the franchise, but the prequel film Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018) marked the first failure for the series.
The movie showcased a regrettable pattern for Kennedy, as the initial directors of Solo, Phil Lord and Chris Miller, were removed from the project and subsequently replaced by Ron Howard.
Following the movie’s poor reception, several directors — such as Taika Waititi, Patty Jenkins, who directed Wonder Woman, and David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, producers of Game Of Thrones — were named for upcoming Star Wars projects that never moved forward.
Although fans were split in their reaction to The Last Jedi, the movie was a massive financial success, which explained why Lucasfilm wanted to continue working with director Rian Johnson on upcoming projects.
Nevertheless, Johnson stated that a scheduled sequel trilogy was no longer being developed earlier this year.
The director of Jurassic World, Colin Trevorrow, was also brought on to write and direct the final trilogy of The Rise Of Skywalker, but heeventually left the project, reportedly because of conflicts with Kennedy.
Abrams eventually came back to helm the final installment of the trilogy he initiated, although the movie — which Trevorrow still had a story credit for — received some of the poorest reviews in the series.
Kennedy also faced another failure with another significant Lucasfilm project, the Indiana Jones series.
The show made a comeback in 2023 with *Indiana Jones and The Dial of Destiny*, but the movie — which was thefirst the original director Steven Spielberg refused to come back for— garnered varied reviews and underperformed at the theater.
Kennedy’s time in office also overlapped with a surge of Star Wars series available on Disney+.
Although The Mandalorian and Andor were popular among audiences, other series have garnered minimal praise and little attention from fans.
Filoni joined Star Wars as a student of its original creator, George Lucas, who employed him to manage the well-known animated show The Clone Wars. He later helped develop The Mandalorian and Ahsoka for Disney+. While some fans voiced their desire for a shift in focus on social media, it remains uncertain if Lucasfilm will implement any sudden changes, as Filoni has been collaborating with Kennedy for many years.
On X, many fans expressed delight at the announcement that Kennedy was finally departing Lucasfilm, as she had been a target for some of Star Wars’ most intense fans for a long time.
“Wow, maybe this is actually true. I’m curious if the test screenings of Mando & Grogu are related to this,” one user commented.
Some people posted celebration memes, such as a clip from Wicked and a video of Stone Cold Steve Austin drinking beers.
“Where was this 14 years ago?” one fan questioned.
Another individual referred to the esteemed Kennedy, yet characterized her management of Lucasfilm as “awful.”
“This shift in leadership was essential,” they remarked, while casting doubt on her successors.
Some were concerned that her replacement by two Lucasfilm executives indicated the studio would prioritize ‘secure’ movies.
“Too little, too late,” another supporter expressed frustration.
However, Kennedy had her supporters, including a fan who stated, ‘Most people, the genuine fans, respected Kathleen and her actions.’
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