The writing has been on the wall for some time, but Lucasfilm has now confirmed that Kathleen Kennedy is stepping down as the studio's President. Now, current Chief Creative Officer Dave Filoni will serve as President, with Lynwen Brennan, who has served as Lucasfilm Executive Vice President and General Manager, will be co-President.
In an interview with Deadline (via SFFGazette.com), Kennedy explained that she approached Bob Iger and Alan Bergman two years ago to discuss stepping down and how the transition would be handled.
After crediting Brennan with helping her run the business side of Lucasfilm, Kennedy said of Filoni, "He’s very talented and immersed in Star Wars. He and Pablo Hidalgo are like the walking encyclopedias inside the company."
When it was put to her that, like Iger, she could eventually return to Lucasfilm, the executive replied, "That is not happening here. I told everybody I would stick around a bit longer than I had intended, but I am so ready to go off and have the chance to make lots of movies." Kennedy also intends to begin working with AI companies in Hollywood.
As Lucasfilm President since 2012, Kennedy has been responsible for just as many hits as misses. The Mandalorian, for example, has been hugely successful, while the box office receipts for the sequels—love or hate them—speak volumes. Andor has been another critical success, but Solo: A Star Wars Story bombed, creative clashes were commonplace, and we've lost track of announcements that have led nowhere.
Asked by the trade about what the worst lows were for her, Kennedy said, "The lows are that you’ve got a very, very small percentage of the fan base that has enormous expectations, and basically they want to continue to see pretty much the same thing. And if you’re not going to do that, then you know going in that you’re going to disappoint them."
"I’m not sure there’s anything you can do about that, because you can’t please everybody. All you can do is try to tell good stories and try to stick to the essence of what George created," she continued. "I wouldn’t do that any differently and I wouldn’t change anything that we’ve done over the years. I understand why some people may like certain things more than others, but that’s not going to change why I decided to do certain things and why I decided to work with the people that we worked with."
Creative decisions aside, Kennedy has often faced vitriol from some Star Wars fans for being a woman. As a result, she's been the victim of misogynistic and sexist abuse, with some YouTubers making a living from dragging her through the mud.
Addressing that, Kennedy mused, "I’m honest, especially with the women that come into this space because they unfairly get targeted. I don’t try to sugarcoat it. And I emphasize that it’s a very small group of people, with loud megaphones. I truly do not believe that it’s the majority of the fans."
"And I think we’re also in this weird world of where bots can affect things. You have to develop a tough skin. That is exactly right. That’s what you have to do. You can’t make it go away," she noted. "All we can do is put our heads down and do the work and believe that we’re doing the best we can, telling the best story we can."
Beyond that, Kennedy has no regrets. Well, maybe one. Reflecting on 2017's Solo: A Star Wars Story, she admits that despite Alden Ehrenreich being "a wonderful actor," Lucasfilm put the Ironheart star in "an impossible situation" by expecting him to pick up where Harrison Ford left off as Han Solo.
All eyes will now be on Filoni and Brennan to see what they can do with Star Wars. A handful of projects are already on the way, like The Mandalorian and Grogu, Ahsoka Season 2, and Star Wars: Starfighter. Beyond that, Filoni isn't beholden to any of the decisions or unfulfilled announcements made by his predecessor.