Kathleen Kennedy Plans Retirement from Lucasfilm

Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy is reportedly planning on retiring from the George Lucas-founded production company at the end of the year.

The Big Picture: Lording over all things Star Wars (and Indiana Jones, but that franchise seems to have run its course) is one of the most enviable and anxiety-inducing jobs in Hollywood… almost as much as running James Bond. With Kennedy stepping down, expect every ambitious exec in Hollywood to jockey for the position.

Behind the Scenes: After 13 years, Kennedy is leaving the Jedi Council (the Disney lot).

• She was installed as co-chair of Lucasfilm in 2012 (handpicked by Lucas himself) and then fully took over the reins when the company sold to Disney later that year for $4 billion.
• During her tenure, she presided over the production of five Star Wars films, seven Star Wars shows, and a few other movies and shows outside of the Star Wars universe.
• She’ll oversee this year’s release of the second season of Andor and will leave one more film ready for release in 2026, The Mandalorian & Grogu (the first Star Wars movie in over six years).

Closing Credits: Kennedy — a legendary producer behind over 70 movies, including classics like Back to the Future and E.T. — has had a mixed track record at Lucasfilm. She produced more Star Wars titles than have ever been released, led The Force Awakens to become the fifth-highest-grossing movie of all time, and ramped up TV output to meet the demands of Disney’s streaming mandate. But in creating so many projects (and abandoning even more), many have argued that Lucasfilm’s overall quality has slipped over time. Fans, the media, and the internet have relentlessly put Kennedy’s feet to the fire.

Regardless, Kennedy — who was trained under the tutelage of none other than Steven Spielberg — will likely form a new venture. After decades of blockbusters, it’ll be interesting to see where her creative ambitions lead next.