This week, rumours began swirling that Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy is gearing up to step down from her executive role. The news has been met with relief from Star Wars fans who have lost faith in Kennedy's vision for the franchise. All the while, speculation about a successor has run rampant.
Deadline (via SFFGazette.com) has interviewed Kennedy and confirmed that, while she does intend to eventually relinquish her position, it's still relatively early in the succession process.
It's been said that an announcement could be made as soon as this April's Star Wars Celebration in Japan. Kennedy, however, says, "The truth is, and I want to just say loud and clear, I am not retiring. I will never retire from movies. I will die making movies. That is the first thing that’s important to say. I am not retiring."
"What’s happening at Lucasfilm is I have been talking for quite some time with both Bob [Iger] and Alan [Fine] about what eventual succession might look like. We have an amazing bench of people here, and we have every intention of making an announcement months or a year down the road. We are in lockstep as to what that’s going to be, and I am continuing."
"I’m producing the Mandalorian movie right now, and I’m also producing Shawn Levy’s movie, which is after that. So I’m continuing to stay at Lucasfilm and looking very thoughtfully with Bob and Alan as to who’s stepping in," she continued. "So that is all underway, and we have every right to make that announcement when we want to make it."
That doesn't sound overly different from what's been reported this week, especially as Kennedy is actively searching for her replacement and acknowledges one could be found within months.
The word "retirement" may be the biggest point of contention. Regardless of how soon we learn who will be next to call the shots at Lucasfilm, it seems she intends to remain actively involved with the franchise for the foreseeable future.
"We’ll probably make an announcement months or a year out," Kennedy confirmed, "and I have every intention of sticking around to help that person be successful. I’m already producing the Mandalorian movie, and Shawn Levy’s is after that." Pushed on whether she'll step down this year, the executive said she "[doesn't] know at this stage" and said it's "100%" her decision.
Later in the conversation, Kennedy addressed the continued frustration and backlash surrounding the sheer number of Star Wars projects announced by Lucasfilm that have failed to materialise. Among them are at least two trilogies and Wonder Woman director Patty Jenkins' Rogue Squadron.
"What’s troubling and frustrating is that our development gets scrutinized, and I don’t know any other production company where their development gets scrutinized like that. It’s very hard for anything to happen within Star Wars without some aspect of it becoming public before you even want it to become public."
"So I guess managing the message in some way is also quite a challenge because, of course, not every single thing we put in development we going to make. That’s not unusual," Kennedy argued. "We want to make those things that we feel are the best. We want to make those things that, as time passes, feel relevant to what the audience is responding to. So there’s constant discussion around that."
"So yeah, that’s a tricky one because a lot of the scrutiny around Star Wars and the negativity has been about development. Of course, we’re going to develop lots of different things with an understanding that not everything gets made."
Kennedy's time as Lucasfilm President is winding down but she intends to step down on her terms and that should make this an interesting year for Star Wars fans.
The franchise needs a steady hand (and there's more to this role than just creative decision), so throwing someone like Dave Filoni into the position might not be as beneficial as many believe. As always, stay tuned for updates.