Why is Kathleen Kennedy leaving Lucasfilm? Star Wars shakeup explained

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After leading Lucasfilm and the Star Wars franchise for 14 years, Kathleen Kennedy is stepping down. She will be replaced by two new executives.

When Disney bought Star Wars back in 2012, they put Kathleen Kennedy in charge of Lucasfilm. Basically, her job was to get new movies made, and then start expanding the universe into TV shows. It felt like a big shift at the time, and honestly, I was super curious to see where she’d take things.

The Star Wars saga continued with episodes VII, VIII, and IX—titled The Force Awakens, The Last Jedi, and The Rise of Skywalker—along with the standalone films Solo and Rogue One.

Star Wars expanded to streaming with shows like The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Ahsoka, The Acolyte, and Andor. Now, Kathleen Kennedy’s leadership role at the company is ending.

Dave Filoni and Lynwen Brennan to lead Star Wars studio

Now that Kathleen Kennedy is leaving, Dave Filoni, the Chief Creative Officer, and Lynwen Brennan, the General Manager, will both be in charge of Lucasfilm.

Dave Filoni, the creator of many of Lucasfilm’s animated projects and a key figure in the success of The Mandalorian, is now also President at the studio.

Brennan, who previously led Industrial Light & Magic and oversaw production and business strategy at Lucasfilm, is now Co-President.

Why is Kathleen Kennedy leaving Lucasfilm?

According to Variety, Kathleen Kennedy is leaving Lucasfilm to work on producing projects on her own.

However, she isn’t completely finished with Star Wars. Kennedy will still be involved as a producer on upcoming projects like The Mandalorian and Grogu, as well as Star Wars: Starfighter.

Following Kennedy’s departure, Disney CEO Bob Iger released a statement saying that when Disney bought Lucasfilm over ten years ago, they gained not only a timeless and popular storytelling world, but also a remarkable team guided by a truly innovative filmmaker – a person George Lucas specifically chose to lead them.

We are very thankful for Kathleen Kennedy’s guidance, creative vision, and careful management of such a well-known and beloved film studio.

Want to dive deeper into the Star Wars universe? Check out our guide on how to watch all the films and series in order, and browse our ranking of the 50 greatest Star Wars characters.

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2026-01-16 20:19