Kathleen Kennedy’s Lucasfilm Exit May Be Imminent

The Star Wars franchise has seen many changes since it’s been under the purview of Disney, but a recent report suggests that the franchise might be on the verge of saying goodbye to the one constant across this entire era of its existence.

While the Star Wars franchise is George Lucas’ magnum opus, the legendary filmmaker would opt not to remain at the helm of the series following his decision to sell the invaluable IP to Disney along with Lucasfilm in 2012. Instead, Lucas opted to nominate Kathleen Kennedy to be President of the company in his stead. Over the last 13 years, Kennedy has overseen a mainline trilogy of films and a few spinoffs, as well as the franchise’s move to establish itself on streaming via Disney+ shows. Kennedy has recently been behind the push to bring back Star Wars sequel trilogy stars as well as overseeing the approval of many other projects in the franchise from myriad creators, including film projects from Shawn Levy, Taika Waititi, and James Mangold.

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While it’s been previously rumored that Kennedy’s time with Star Wars may be over sooner than later, more recent murmurings seem to indicate a much clearer timeline for this departure. A recent report from Puck alleges that Kennedy will step away from her role as President of Lucasfilm after more than a decade in the role. While the three sources cited are not identified beyond that designation, the report also states that Kennedy has informed “friends and associates that she will exit as Lucasfilm president by the end of the year.” Additionally, other sources reporting on the story seem to indicate that this move is 71-year-old Kennedy’s retirement from high-level executive roles, as opposed to a move to another similar position. This is in line with some details in the Puck report, which includes Kennedy reportedly selling off her Malibu home and art collection, as well as discussing collaborating with her husband, filmmaker Frank Marshall, more going forward.

While the news wouldn’t come as a surprise for an executive who’s been in the industry for decades and accomplished as much as Kennedy has, there’s a bit more to her exit than just serving her time and clocking out. Kennedy has acquired a lot of detractors over the years, including former Star Wars actress Gina Carano, who notably slammed Kennedy after the release of a South Park episode parodying Kennedy’s leadership at the tail end of 2023. There’s also a subset of the fanbase that blames Kennedy’s leadership for the faults of the sequel trilogy and the generally mixed fan appreciation that the franchise has suffered since. This attitude has persisted through the Disney+ era, with Kennedy’s name not far from discussions concerning divisive projects like The Acolyte and even the lukewarm reception to the High Republic multimedia rollout, a matter that seems entirely removed from her role as President of Lucasfilm. Less highlighted are her contributions to overseeing the birth of the Disney+ era with The Mandalorian, which did a lot to revitalize the franchise amidst the failures of the sequels and led to more successful projects like Ahsoka. Like most other executives, Kennedy has overseen both success and failure with only some influence on which of the two emerges.

Regardless of whether Kennedy’s departure is really happening, the Star Wars franchise will keep on going. With tons of projects already in development and a rumored solo series rescuing a fan favorite from Star Wars Legends purgatory and bringing her into the mainline continuity, there’s a lot to look forward to in addition to the current slate of popular Disney+ shows. Fans should probably enjoy the hype for Andor‘s second season and wait for official confirmation about a potential change in leadership, for better or worse. One way or another, a Kennedy departure won’t be felt on the content side of things for at least a few years.

The Star Wars franchise is available to stream on Disney+.

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Source: Puck