Lucasfilm Boss Kathleen Kennedy Expected to Retire This Year

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Following over a decade’s tenure in a distant galaxy, Kathleen Kennedy is mapping out her journey towards retirement. As head of Lucasfilm, Kennedy has informed colleagues that she intends to retire by the close of 2025, according to Puck’s recent report.

Reps for Kennedy and Lucasfilm were not immediately available for comment.

Kennedy began working at Lucasfilm in 2012, partnering with George Lucas, the originator of Star Wars, as co-chair. Shortly afterwards, when Disney purchased the company for $4 billion, Lucas departed, leaving Kennedy to take over leadership responsibilities.

Disney revitalized the Star Wars franchise, kicking it off with J.J. Abrams’ “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” (2015), which raked in over $2 billion worldwide and restored the brand’s prominence on the big screen. From 2015 to 2019, Disney released a new Star Wars film annually, but after “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker”, they decided to take a break following its mixed reception and earnings that were only half of what the earlier film had generated.

Under Kennedy’s leadership at Lucasfilm, her position was one of the most prominent and closely watched in Hollywood, and it wasn’t always a smooth ride. She made controversial decisions like dismissing Chris Lord and Phil Miller as directors of “Solo: A Star Wars Story” during production. This film ended up being the first “Star Wars” movie to lose money at the box office. Additionally, she took Gareth Edwards off the director’s chair for “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,” replacing him with Tony Gilroy, who oversaw reshoots. This move led to the film becoming a billion-dollar hit. However, some projects were announced but never came to fruition, such as Rian Johnson’s trilogy and another one spearheaded by “Game of Thrones” creators D.B. Benioff and David Weiss. Daisy Ridley’s next “Star Wars” appearance has been in development limbo since its announcement nearly two years ago.

Meanwhile, despite facing challenges with its cinema comeback, the Star Wars franchise experienced a remarkable resurgence on Disney+. The Mandalorian premiered alongside the streaming platform in November 2019 and quickly became a sensation, leading to numerous spinoffs like Andor, which is set to debut its second season in April. However, other shows in the franchise have not resonated as expected, fueling concerns about potentially watering down the Star Wars brand.

Upcoming, you’ll see “The Mandalorian and Grogu” directed by Jon Favreau hitting theaters on May 22, 2026. This will mark the first cinematic return for the franchise since “Rise of Skywalker”.

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On May 22, 2026, we can look forward to “The Mandalorian and Grogu”, directed by Jon Favreau, which is the initial big-screen outing for the franchise after “Rise of Skywalker”.

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In your calendar, mark down May 22, 2026, as the day when “The Mandalorian and Grogu”, directed by Jon Favreau, will be shown. This is the first time the franchise has appeared on the big screen since “Rise of Skywalker”.

Kennedy’s celebrated career spans collaborations with Steven Spielberg and Frank Marshall, resulting in numerous projects such as “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 entire “Back to the Future” series (1985-1990) and the “Indiana Jones” films, culminating in last year’s “Dial of Destiny.” To date, she has produced over 70 films and earned eight Oscar nominations.

The news arrives before the April Star Wars Celebration in Tokyo, where it’s anticipated that details about the future of the Star Wars series will be revealed.

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2025-02-25 09:24