Kathleen Kennedy has been at the forefront of the Star Wars franchise for well over a decade after taking over the reins from creator George Lucas. Kennedy’s tenure at the helm has been tumultuous, to say the least with fans frequently questioning her leadership. However, if reports are to be believed, the prolific producer is expected to step down by the year’s end.
In February 2025, reports emerged that Kennedy was planning to retire after serving as the Lucasfilm President for close to thirteen years. Followup reports quickly suggested that her replacements were already being eyed and it would be none other than a fan-favorite duo the fans have asked to take over the keys to the galaxy far, far away. Here is the latest news on Kathleen Kennedy’s rumored exit from Lucasfilm.
Lucasfilm reportedly eyeing fan-favorite duo to replace Kathleen Kennedy
Kathleen Kennedy was appointed co-chair of Lucasfilm in 2012 and promoted to President after George Lucas sold the company to Disney and exited. Kennedy shepherded the franchise through the sequel trilogy era and ushered the company into the streaming era.
According to reports, Kennedy is now planning her retirement, with the 71-year-old producer looking to step down from her position as Lucasfilm President. On X, the Discussing Film managing editor Andrew J. Salazar shared these reports along with a hint at Kennedy’s potential successors.
Following the tweet, fans quickly deduced that the user was hinting at Lucasfilm Chief Creative Office Dave Filoni and director Jon Favreau as the potential replacements for the outgoing Kennedy.
The duo has worked closely on the Star Wars franchise’s streaming side of things after Filoni first rose to prominence working directly under Lucas on The Clone Wars animated series. Reception to Filoni and Favreau’s work on the franchise has been generally positive and the former is the most experienced within the Lucasfilm hierarchy following Kennedy, which makes the duo a viable option for the company.
Kathleen Kennedy reportedly exiting Lucasfilm by the end of 2025
Since Kennedy was appointed the President, fans have been vocal about the visible decline in the franchise’s quality. While box office numbers and critical reception of the sequels dwindled with each subsequent installment, the franchise launched several fan-favorite shows, such as Andor and The Mandalorian under her regime.
However, questions over Kennedy’s leadership rapidly mounted following the colossal failure of The Acolyte, which was canceled after a solitary season. Moreover, work on the three further films officially announced in April 2023 has progressed at a snail’s pace. As a result, most fans might agree that a change of leadership was in order at Lucasfilm.
According to a report from The Hollywood Reporter, Kennedy has informed her associates about her plans to retire by the end of 2025. However, no official announcement has been made regarding the matter. As a result, Kennedy is presumably stepping down out of her own choice and not from the mounting fan pressure. Therefore, it might be a while before her replacement(s) are officially confirmed.
The Star Wars movies and TV shows are streaming on Disney+.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
