Lucasfilm’s leadership is shifting, but Kathleen Kennedy isn’t stepping away from filmmaking anytime soon. Amid speculation about her potential retirement, the longtime studio head has set the record straight. While acknowledging ongoing discussions about the future of Lucasfilm’s leadership, she made it clear in an interview with Deadline that she has no intention of leaving the industry altogether. Her full comments are as follows:
“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 [Disney’s] Bob [Iger] and Alan [Bergman] 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 Mandalorian the 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. So that is all underway, and we have every right to make that announcement when we want to make it.”
Rumours of an imminent departure spread earlier this week, but Kennedy emphasised that what’s happening is standard succession planning, a necessary step for any major studio. “We’ve been talking about [succession], as I said, nonstop for the last couple of years because, for obvious reasons, I’m not going to be here forever,” she explained. “George [Lucas] asked me 13 years ago to step in, and now I’m looking at who’s going to replace me. And as I said, we have a bench of people internally to handle the business, the creative side. The job has grown also since I stepped in. There was no streaming, there weren’t a lot of the things that we’re involved in right now going on. So it has grown.” Without naming specific candidates, she confirmed that internal discussions are ongoing, and she expects formal announcements to be made “months or a year out.” Some had speculated that Star Wars Celebration might be the venue for such an update, but Kennedy did not confirm any timeline.
While leadership transitions are in the works, the studio remains focused on upcoming Star Wars projects. The Mandalorian and Grogu is confirmed as the next theatrical release in 2026, followed by Shawn Levy’s standalone film. She described Levy’s project as taking place five or six years after Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, though she refrained from confirming whether Ryan Gosling, rumoured to be attached, would star. James Mangold’s Dawn of the Jedi movie remains in the scripting phase, as does Taika Waititi’s long-discussed film. “I keep waiting for Taika, and he is working with another writer now,” Kennedy said. “He’s so busy. I love him, I think if we ever do get a script from Taika, it’s going to be fantastic. I already saw a first act that I loved, but tying him down, it’s tricky.”
Simon Kinberg is also working on an entirely new trilogy, which Kennedy described as “the next iteration, the new saga that moves us into the future.” While she didn’t mention the Rey-centered film starring Daisy Ridley, it remains in active development.
As Lucasfilm continues its transition, Kathleen Kennedy remains at the centre of shaping what’s next. She insists the studio is on solid ground, with multiple projects in various stages of development. While her eventual departure will (finally) mark the end of an era, Star Wars fans can rest assured that more stories are coming — and they won’t have to wait long to see what’s next.
Natalie is a big fan of anything related to movies, TV shows, and anime — you name it. When she’s not reading or being a dedicated cinephile, she’s probably playing gacha and tabletop games, or daydreaming of Caleb from Love and Deepspace.
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