Lucasfilm boss Kathleen Kennedy, who has overseen Star Wars since 2012, is reportedly stepping down this year. Chosen by George Lucas as her replacement, Kathleen Kennedy has been responsible for leading Lucasfilm since Disney’s purchase 13 years ago. She’s been a controversial and polarizing figure; even South Park released an episode blaming Kennedy for problems at the studio, mocking both her decisions and her detractors. Insiders have insisted Kennedy is no “woke warrior,” but instead is a careful and shrewd businesswoman.

Initially reported by Matthew Beloni of Puck News, Kennedy – aged 72 – is stepping down this year. According to Beloni, three sources have confirmed she’s informed Disney, as well as friends and ᴀssociates. “Kathy was actually planning to leave last year,” Beloni reports, “and had even set up an exit interview with a journalist, but she decided to stay for one more year.” Variety has now confirmed sources telling them Kennedy will step down when her contract finishes at the end of the year, although another source close to Kennedy dismissed this as “pure speculation.“

Kathleen Kennedy’s Departure Is Timed For A Major Star Wars Relaunch

She’s Overseen Successes & Failures

Kennedy’s tenure has been a controversial one, but that’s nothing new for Star Wars; the fandom has always been divided and divisive; George Lucas was warned young Anakin would destroy Star Wars, and modern viewers tend to underestimate just how controversial the prequels were. Kennedy was responsible for overseeing the sequel trilogy, which grossed over $4.4 billion in worldwide box office, albeit with diminishing returns. More recently, she was charged with reinventing Star Wars for the Disney+ era; again, output has been decidedly mixed, but the cultural significance of The Mandalorian alone cannot be underestimated.

Kennedy is aged 72, which meant the smart money was on her retiring fairly soon. This seems rather well-timed; next year’s The Mandalorian and Grogu will see Star Wars return to the big screen at last, and it also feels as though there are signs the TV side is set to relaunch after Andor season 2. Her successor will take over at a key time, and no doubt many will ᴀssume she’ll be replaced by Dave Filoni, George Lucas’ protégé.

Our Take On Kathleen Kennedy’s Departure

A Controversial Figure At A Challenging Time

Kennedy has often served as a lightning rod for criticism of the Disney era, and criticisms haven’t always been in good faith. We tend to underestimate the scale of the challenge she was faced with when she took over Lucasfilm in 2012; as Disney CEO Bob Iger noted in his autobiography The Ride of a Lifetime, the studio had no formal structure, no development pipeline, and nothing really in the works bar some sequel trilogy scripts by Lucas that would likely have been as controversial as the prequels. Kennedy had the responsibility for changing all that.

Kennedy’s Lucasfilm has had many successes; as heavily-criticized as the sequels may be, few trilogies gross $4.4 billion worldwide. But she’s also undoubtedly had many stumbles, with accounts of constant behind-the-scenes drama, an over-correction after the box office failure of Solo: A Star Wars Story, and the fandom divided after the backlash and cancelation of The Acolyte last year. We already had a strong sense that Star Wars was about to go through something of a relaunch, and this feels like the right time.

There will now be intense speculation over Kennedy’s successor. Most will ᴀssume Dave Filoni will take over; George Lucas’ protégé, Filoni has been responsible for overseeing the various TV shows in recent years. But Filoni, too, has stumbled; he was more heavily involved with The Mandalorian season 3 than with previous seasons, and that proved to be something of a misstep for Star Wars. He also currently lacks significant filmmaking experience. It may be too soon for Filoni at this stage.

This year’s Star Wars Celebration feels like the critical moment for Lucasfilm and Star Wars. ᴀssuming Beloni’s reports are accurate, it will mark the end of the Kennedy era and the beginning of something… new. Only time will tell what that is.

Source: Puck News, Variety