Kathleen Kennedy Addresses Lucasfilm Future: She’s Not Leaving Yet, But There Have Been Discussions

Kathleen Kennedy confirms that she isn’t stepping away from Lucastfilm just yet.

For decades, Star Wars was under the singular vision of George Lucas, who meticulously controlled its direction. While he took heat from fans, especially after the prequel trilogy, he continued shaping the franchise until 2012, when he sold Lucasfilm to Disney.

That deal also meant handing over creative control, and Lucas chose longtime collaborator Kathleen Kennedy to take the reins.

Since then, Kennedy has overseen the sequel trilogy, numerous TV series, including The Mandalorian, and various spin-offs. But her time at Lucasfilm hasn’t been without its issues and problems.

Multiple projects have been announced and then shelved, major film productions have seen dramatic last-minute shifts, and fan sentiment has been, to put it mildly, divided.

This week it was reported that Kennedy would be retiring in 2025, which at 71, wouldn’t seem out of left field. However, in a new interview with Deadline, Kennedy was quick to shut down the speculation:

“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."

So, that puts an end to that, but she did acknowledge that discussions about the future of Lucasfilm have been happening behind the scenes:

“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. I’m producing Mandalorian the movie right now, and I’m also producing Sean Levy’s movie, which is after that.

“So I’m continuing to stay at Lucasfilm and looking very thoughtfully with Bob and Alan as to who’s stepping in. So that is all underway, and we have every right to make that announcement when we want to make it.”

So, there’s no immediate departure on the horizon. She’s actively involved in upcoming Star Wars films, but she also recognizes that her time leading Lucasfilm won’t last forever and is working closely with Disney leadership to find the right successor.

When asked if Dave Filoni would take over, Kennedy didn’t give a name, but whenever that transition happens, it won’t be a hard exit as she’ll still be involved in Star Wars as a producer.

While some fans might have been ready for a change, for now, the Kennedy era continues.