This is why sometimes it pays to wait a beat or two, because the furious reporting of Kathleen Kennedy’s demise at Lucasfilm always felt a bit too convenient. And those shouting it loudest were often folks who have been predicting/desiring her ouster for years. As it turns out, Kennedy isn’t leaving Lucasfilm at all, at least not yet. And if she does leave, it’ll be on her own terms.
Kennedy spoke with Deadline about the reports of her retirement, and said that she’s not going anywhere. However, she admitted to having conversations with Disney’s Bob Iger and Alan Horn about a succession plan for when she does decide to leave Lucasfilm…
“The truth is, and I want to just say loud and clear, I am not retiring. I will never retire from movies. I will die making movies. That is the first thing that’s important to say. I am not retiring. What’s happening at Lucasfilm is I have been talking for quite some time with both Bob and Alan about what eventual succession might look like. We have an amazing bench of people here, and we have every intention of making an announcement months or a year down the road. We are in lockstep as to what that’s going to be, and I am continuing.”
In short, even if she does leave Lucasfilm, Kennedy plans to keep producing movies, probably alongside her producer husband Frank Marshall. While she is best known as president of Lucasfilm since being named by George Lucas in 2012, Kennedy’s resume stretches well beyond Star Wars and Indiana Jones. She’s produced E.T., Jurassic Park, The Goonies, Back to the Future, Schindler’s List, and many other classics.
Kennedy denied reports that she was being shoved out the door…
“It’s absolutely not the case. It could not be further from the truth. And everything that we do inside of Lucasfilm is in lockstep and in communication with Disney. We all know what’s going on. The communication has been completely collaborative as you would expect. This is a big piece of business for them, and they want to empower me to help them make that decision and that choice. I’m doing that.”
Hammering the point home, Kennedy said that if she does leave it’ll be “100 percent my decision.”
It’s safe to say that Kennedy’s time managing Star Wars has been a roller coaster. Currently, there are five movies in the works. The first is Jon Favreau’s The Mandalorian & Grogu which arrives in May 2026. That will be followed by Shawn Levy’s film starring Ryan Gosling. Three more films to be directed by James Mangold, Dave Filoni, and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy were announced at Star Wars Celebration 2023 but are not ready to go.
