Kathleen Kennedy, George Lucas‘s hand-picked successor, has stepped down as head of Lucasfilm. Kennedy, who co-founded Amblin Entertainment in 1981 and produced a series of hits including E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial and Jurassic Park, took the reins of Lucasfilm in 2012, when Lucas retired and sold the studio to Disney. In the nearly decade and a half since, Kennedy has overseen an explosion of Star Wars content as well as a new Indiana Jones movie, but critical and financial success for the brands have been spotty.
Kennedy will be replaced by Dave Filoni as President and Chief Creative Officer, with Lynwen Brennan as Co-President. Both Filoni and Brennan have worked at Lucasfilm for years, with Filoni overseeing many of the most successful Star Wars projects since Revenge of the Sith.
“My love of storytelling was shaped by the films of Kathleen Kennedy and George Lucas. I never dreamed I would be privileged to learn the craft of filmmaking from both of them,” Filoni said in a statement on StarWars.com. “From Rey to Grogu, Kathy has overseen the greatest expansion in Star Wars storytelling onscreen that we have ever seen. I am incredibly grateful to Kathy, George, Bob Iger and Alan Bergman for their trust and the opportunity to lead Lucasfilm in this new role, doing a job I truly love. May the Force be with you.”
“Lucasfilm has played such a meaningful part in my life,” added Brennan. “It’s a community of inspiring storytellers with a rebel spirit like no other, and I am honored to join Dave Filoni in leading us forward. I have been so fortunate to learn from George Lucas, Kathy Kennedy and Alan Bergman and have unwavering faith in Dave’s creative vision for the next chapter in this storied studio’s legacy.”
Filoni worked closely with George Lucas to establish the studio’s animation presence with Star Wars: Clone Wars, and later developed The Mandalorian with Iron Man director Jon Favreau. Filoni is the showrunner on Ahsoka, and is working with Favreau on the theatrical feature The Mandalorian and Grogu.
Brennan began her time at Lucasfilm in 1999, working at Industrial Light and Magic. She eventually became the head of ILM, and then took a promotion to General Manager of Lucasfilm in 2015, and another to President & General Manager of Lucasfilm Business in 2024.
Kennedy will reportedly return to producing films, free from the constraints of managing some of Disney’s biggest brands. During her nearly 50-year career, Kennedy’s films have won 25 Academy Awards and been nominated more than 100 times.
“When we acquired Lucasfilm more than a decade ago, we knew we were bringing into the Disney family not only one of the most beloved and enduring storytelling universes ever created, but also a team of extraordinary talent led by a visionary filmmaker — someone who had been handpicked by George Lucas himself, no less,” said Bob Iger, CEO of The Walt Disney Company. “We’re deeply grateful for Kathleen Kennedy’s leadership, her vision, and her stewardship of such an iconic studio and brand.”
“Kathleen Kennedy has been a tremendous force in the industry for 50 years, and it’s been our privilege to have her here at Disney leading Lucasfilm for nearly 14 of them,” added Disney Entertainment Co-Chairman Alan Bergman. “She has steered Star Wars to incredible box office heights and brought a new generation of fans into the fold. We appreciate having her on board to produce our next couple of films, and the studio remains in extraordinarily capable hands with Dave Filoni, who’s a brilliant storyteller, and Lynwen Brennan, an avid innovator and business leader. They are deeply passionate and experienced executives who will continue to drive the studio and Star Wars forward in exciting new directions.”
“When George Lucas asked me to take over Lucasfilm upon his retirement, I couldn’t have imagined what lay ahead,” said Kennedy. “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. I’m excited to continue developing films and television with both longtime collaborators and fresh voices who represent the future of storytelling.”
Because of the nature of Star Wars and geek culture, Kennedy has become a divisive figure in recent years, with online malcontents frequently calling for her to be fired. That discourse has muddied discussion around Kennedy’s potential retirement from Lucasfilm, as rumors would frequently pop up, either organically or as a result of YouTube trolls, that Kennedy was nearing the end of her time with Disney. Last week, when rumors started to swirl that Kennedy planned to step down, it was not clear whether the new rumors had any more weight than they had the previous half-dozen times.
Filoni, meanwhile, has yet to draw the ire of the Star Wars fandom in the same way. So far, his projects have been fan-favorites, and Disney can’t be too sad about all that “Baby Yoda” merch money. Of course, without Kennedy to take fire now, the success of The Mandalorian and Grogu has instantly become the highest possible priority for Lucasfilm.
