It was early last year when we first learned that Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy was gearing up to step down from her executive role. The news was welcomed by Star Wars fans who had lost faith in Kennedy's vision for the franchise, though she later made it clear that there were no plans for her to immediately step down.
Well, it appears Disney has now found Lucasfilm's new Co-Presidents. According to a report from Puck (via SFFGazette.com), Dave Filoni and Lynwen Brennan will take over from Kennedy. The latter is being promoted from her General Manager position and is set to oversee executive duties, while Filoni will oversee creative development.
An official announcement is expected to be made in a matter of weeks, and this setup doesn't sound all that different from how Peter Safran and James Gunn run DC Studios.
George Lucas mentored Filoni and, after cutting his teeth as a creative on The Clone Wars, he's since worked alongside Jon Favreau to spearhead Star Wars' streaming stories. After taking charge of Ahsoka in 2023, Filoni is knee-deep in pre-production on Season 2 and still expected to direct his own Star Wars movie.
Kennedy joined Lucasfilm as co-chair alongside Star Wars creator George Lucas in 2012 and later took over following his exit when Disney acquired the company for $4 billion.
Initially, Kennedy found great success in the role. Star Wars: The Force Awakens was a box office hit that grossed $2 billion worldwide. Some fans didn't love the movie, but it was a critical success, and two years later, The Last Jedi was another win for the studio. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story also grossed over $1 billion in 2016 and received positive reviews despite creative issues behind the scenes.
The trouble started when she fired filmmakers Chris Lord and Phil Miller in the middle of shooting Solo: A Star Wars Story. Longtime friend Ron Howard was enlisted to finish the project, but it was a flop. In 2019, The Rise of Skywalker was panned by critics and fans alike as a disappointing conclusion to the Skywalker Saga.
We then entered an era of movies being announced, only for them to never materialise. The franchise has found success on streaming with the likes of The Mandalorian, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Andor, but there have still been notable missteps, including The Book of Boba Fett and The Acolyte. Unfortunately, this shift has turned Star Wars into a TV property rather than a film one.
We've seen other failings on Kennedy's watch, including Disney+'s Willow revival (which was panned by critics and later pulled from the streamer altogether) and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, another finale widely considered a let-down.
Even now, several Star Wars movies have been announced that still haven't come to fruition. With Brennan handling the business side, Filoni will be free to get this Galaxy Far, Far Away back on track at a time when Lucasfilm is struggling to move on from the Skywalker Saga.
Kennedy has a couple of projects left before she goes, including this May's The Mandalorian and Grogu and next year's Star Wars: Starfighter. The animated Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord is on the way, but work appears to have been paused on any live-action TV shows beyond Ahsoka Season 2.