Star Wars producer and Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy is reportedly planning to retire later in 2025.
Ending a tenure that has lasted for well over a decade, Kathleen Kennedy reportedly plans to retire from her role of Lucasfilm president by the end of 2025. The news emerged from Puck – generally a reliable source for film industry gossip – though no official comment has emerged from Kennedy or Lucasfilm itself.
According to Puck’s report, Kennedy has been planning her exit for a while, and even got as close as setting up an interview with an unnamed journalist to announce her departure in 2024, but decided to remain in post for another year.
Already a veteran producer, Kennedy took on the role of Lucasfilm president when George Lucas sold the production company to Disney in 2012. Under the Disney banner, the company has seen mixed fortunes since; in 2015, The Force Awakens effectively rebooted the Star Wars franchise to huge box office success. Despite a rocky production, 2016’s Rogue One launched a planned series of A Star Wars Story spin-offs – only for those plans to dissipate following the tepid response to 2018’s Solo.
On TV, The Mandalorian and Andor were warmly received by audiences, and their sagas are ongoing: spin-off movie The Mandalorian And Grogu is due to appear in cinemas next year, while Andor season 2 will stream in April. Other shows, however, haven’t landed in quite the same way; The Acolyte, for example, was cancelled after its first season.
The past decade has also seen persistent reports of firings and production difficulties. Phil Lord and Chris Miller were fired from the aforementioned Solo, with much of the footage they shot scrapped. The film was eventually brought to the screen by Ron Howard. Numerous other Star Wars projects have also been announced but failed to materialise; Wonder Woman director Patty Jenkins’ Rogue Squadron was announced in 2020 but doesn’t appear to have moved since.
Writers and filmmakers including Guillermo del Toro, James Mangold and Colin Trevorrow are among those who’ve spent time developing Star Wars movies without tangible results.
Read more: Star Wars | Lucasfilm is exceptionally good at not making movies
Away from the Star Wars saga, Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny, reportedly among the most expensive movies ever made, failed to make a similarly outsized impact on the global box office.
For the past 13 years, Kathleen Kennedy has therefore been a subject of almost microscopic scrutiny. And while there are critics who’ve pinned every creative decision and scrapped project on Kennedy, it’s fair to say that being the boss of Lucasfilm must be one of the most difficult jobs in the mainstream film industry.
Speculation over who will replace Kennedy has already begun, with one possibility being Lucasfilm’s current chief creative officer, Dave Filoni. We’ll bring you more on Lucasfilm’s plans – including a statement, should one emerge – as we get it.
Star Wars: The Mandalorian And Grogu is scheduled for release on the 22nd May 2026.
