Star Wars Boss Kathleen Kennedy Departs After 14 Years: ‘A True Privilege’

Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy is stepping down after 14 years of leading the studio that makes Star Wars. On Thursday, the studio announced that Kennedy will become a full-time producer for the house.

As per reports, Dave Filoni, who has worked on several animated Star Wars shows, will take the role of president and chief creative officer, working alongside co-president Lynwen Brennan.

Kathleen Kennedy Steps Down From President Position

The 72-year-old Kathleen Kennedy was picked by Star Wars creator George Lucas to lead the company. She has led Lucasfilm since 2012, when Disney bought the studio, home to the Star Wars and Indiana Jones franchises.

Kennedy oversaw the relaunch of the Star Wars franchise with five feature films, which collected more than $5 billion worldwide in total. The list includes the sequel trilogy movies – starring Daisy Ridley and Adam Driver – which broke the box office.

Lucasfilm has also expanded into producing live-action streaming TV series under Kennedy, including The Mandalorian, Ashoka, and Andor. Under her reign, the company also added Star Wars-themed lands at Walt Disney World in Florida and at Disneyland in California.

Dave Filoni’s Works in Lucasfilm

In 2005, Filoni was hired by Lucas to help build a Star Wars animation studio. Filoni, who is often seen at Hollywood premieres and fan events, helped create the animated TV series The Clone Wars. Filoni will now head the highest-grossing movie franchises in history as well as live-action and animated TV shows.

Kathleen Kennedy Is ‘Proud’ Of Her Work

As per reports, during a statement, Kennedy reflected on her decision to step down from her position and shared, “It has been a true privilege to spend more than a decade working alongside the extraordinary talent at Lucasfilm. Their creativity and dedication have been an inspiration, and I’m deeply proud of what we’ve accomplished together.”

Talking about her future works, she added, “I’m excited to continue developing films and television with both long-time collaborators and fresh voices who represent the future of storytelling.”

The Mandalorian will head to the big screen in May in a film co-written by Filoni titled The Mandalorian and Grogu. Additionally, the movie Star Wars: Starfighter, featuring Ryan Gosling, is scheduled to reach cinemas in May 2027. Kennedy will continue to work as a producer of these films.