After 14 years guiding STAR WARS, the modern Disney era, through all its ups and downs, KATHLEEN KENNEDY is stepping down as the president of Lucasfilm. Her departure from the company is effective this week…
Kennedy had already spent decades producing movies such as Indiana Jones and E.T. when she joined Lucasfilm in 2012, taking on the role of co-chair alongside Star Wars creator George Lucas. She was elevated to sole head of the company just a few months later, after Disney paid $4 billion for the brand and Lucas exited.
In her wake, executive vp and chief creative officer DAVE FILONI has been promoted to oversee the creative direction of the company as president and chief creative officer of Lucasfilm.
“It has been a true privilege to spend more than a decade working alongside the extraordinary talent at Lucasfilm,” Kennedy said in a statement. “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.”
As part of Kennedy’s exit, she will continue on as a producer on the next two Lucasfilm movies, which have already wrapped production; The Mandalorian and Grogu, coming May 22, and 2027’s Star Wars: Starfighter, starring Ryan Gosling…And, She will pursue other projects outside Lucasfilm as an independent producer.
That being said, if you’re wondering about other Star Wars projects that have been talked about, here is an update… Regarding other projects, Kennedy stated, “Taika [Waititi] has turned in a script that I think is hilarious and great.” She added, “Donald Glover has turned in a (Lando) script. And… Steve Soderbergh and Adam Driver turned in a (Ben Solo) script written by Scott Burns. It was just great.” She emphasized that final decisions would not be hers alone: “It’s not just my decision, especially when I’ve got a foot out the door.”
So, while all three projects do have scripts in place, none of them have been given the go-ahead… And as for the “Rey” movie that was announced years ago, your guess is as good as mine.