After more than 10 years with Star Wars, Kathleen Kennedy is preparing for retirement. According to Puck, the Lucasfilm president has informed colleagues of her plans to step down by the end of 2025. Representatives for Kennedy and Lucasfilm have not responded to requests for comment.
Kennedy joined Lucasfilm in 2012 as co-chair alongside Star Wars creator George Lucas. A few months later, she took over leadership after Disney acquired the company for $4 billion and Lucas stepped away.
Kennedy revived the Star Wars franchise with J.J. Abrams’ The Force Awakens (2015), which earned over $2 billion worldwide and reestablished the series as a major box office draw. From 2015 to 2019, Disney released a new Star Wars film each year but paused after The Rise of Skywalker, which had a mixed reception and made only half of The Force Awakens’ earnings.
Advertisement Read More: Disney Reportedly Made Over $1 Billion in Star Wars Merchandise Sales Last Year
As head of Lucasfilm, Kennedy held one of Hollywood’s most high-profile and scrutinized roles, facing several challenges along the way. She dismissed Chris Lord and Phil Miller as directors of Solo: A Star Wars Story during production, and the film became the first Star Wars movie to lose money at the box office. She also replaced Rogue One director Gareth Edwards with Tony Gilroy, who managed reshoots and helped turn the film into a $1 billion success. Several promised projects never took off, including Rian Johnson’s trilogy and another led by Game of Thrones creators D.B. Benioff and David Weiss. Even Daisy Ridley’s upcoming Star Wars return has remained stuck in development nearly two years after its highly anticipated announcement.
While Star Wars struggled to make a big-screen comeback, the franchise thrived on Disney+ with The Mandalorian, which debuted alongside the streaming service in November 2019. The show became a breakout success, leading to several spinoffs, including the critically praised Andor, returning for its second season in April. However, some series failed to resonate, raising concerns about oversaturating the Star Wars brand.
Looking ahead, Lucasfilm plans to release The Mandalorian & Grogu, directed by Jon Favreau, on May 22, 2026. It will mark the franchise’s first theatrical release since The Rise of Skywalker.
Kennedy’s impressive career includes collaborations with Steven Spielberg and her husband Frank Marshall on iconic films like Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982), Gremlins (1984), The Color Purple (1985), The Goonies (1985), Empire of the Sun (1987), Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988), the Back to the Future trilogy (1985–1990), and the Indiana Jones series, which wrapped up with Dial of Destiny last year. Throughout her career, she has produced or executive produced over 70 films and earned eight Oscar nominations.
This news arrives just before April’s Star Wars Celebration in Tokyo, where plans for the franchise’s future are set to be revealed.