After navigating the vast expanse of a galaxy far, far away for over a decade, Kathleen Kennedy is now plotting her course towards retirement. According to a Monday night report by Puck, the Lucasfilm president has confidentially informed her associates of her intention to step down by the end of 2025. Representatives for Kennedy and Lucasfilm were unavailable for immediate comment.
In 2012, Kennedy embarked on a new journey as co-chair of Lucasfilm alongside Star Wars creator George Lucas. Shortly thereafter, she assumed the helm after Disney's $4 billion acquisition of the company led to Lucas' departure. Under her stewardship, the Star Wars franchise was relaunched with J.J. Abrams' Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015), which garnered over $2 billion globally and reignited the brand's cinematic appeal. From 2015 to 2019, Disney released a Star Wars film annually, before taking a brief hiatus following the mixed reception of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, which earned only half of what Force Awakens had just a few years prior.
As the head of Lucasfilm, Kennedy occupied one of Hollywood's most high-profile and scrutinized positions, a role that was not devoid of challenges. She famously terminated Chris Lord and Phil Miller as directors of Solo: A Star Wars Story mid-production, a film that went on to become the first Star Wars movie to incur theatrical losses. Similarly, she sidelined Rogue One: A Star Wars Story director Gareth Edwards, replacing him with Tony Gilroy to oversee reshoots, which ultimately resulted in a $1 billion box office hit. Other promised projects, such as Rian Johnson's trilogy and a series overseen by Game of Thrones showrunners D.B. Benioff and David Weiss, failed to materialize. Meanwhile, Daisy Ridley's anticipated return to Star Wars has been stuck in development limbo since its fanfare-laden announcement nearly two years ago.
Despite Star Wars' struggles to regain its cinematic footing, the franchise found renewed vitality on Disney+, with The Mandalorian launching alongside the streaming service in November 2019. The show became a phenomenon, spawning multiple spinoffs, including the critically acclaimed Andor, returning for its second season in April, as well as several others that failed to capture the zeitgeist, sparking concerns about diluting the Star Wars brand.
On the horizon, Lucasfilm has The Mandalorian and Grogu, directed by Jon Favreau, scheduled for release on May 22, 2026, marking the franchise's first big-screen outing since Rise of Skywalker.
Kennedy's storied career spans collaborations with Steven Spielberg and her husband Frank Marshall, including blockbusters like Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982), Gremlins (1984), The Color Purple (1985), The Goonies (1985), Empire of the Sun (1987), Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988), the Back to the Future trilogy (1985-1990), and the Indiana Jones films, which concluded with last year's Dial of Destiny. In total, she has produced or executive produced over 70 films and has been nominated for eight Academy Awards.
This news precedes April's Star Wars Celebration in Tokyo, where the future trajectory of the Star Wars franchise is anticipated to be unveiled with much anticipation.
