There’s been a shift in the Force. After 14 years as the president of Lucasfilm and guiding Star Wars through its ups and downs in the modern era, Kathleen Kennedy is stepping down from her role and returning to full-time producing. Taking over the reins is Dave Filoni, who will share duties with Lynwen Brennan, set to handle the business side of things as co-president.
The departure from a galaxy far, far away isn’t immediate, with the industry veteran still attached as a producer on the next two movies in the franchise — The Mandalorian and Grogu, due to bow on 22 May, and 2027’s Star Wars: Starfighter, starring Ryan Gosling. She has helmed the studio since 2012, in the wake of Disney’s acquisition of Lucasfilm, and added five feature films to the reboot of the beloved sci-fi universe, which have collectively earned over US$5 billion worldwide.
It wasn’t always a smooth run, however, as several director drop-outs and vocal displeasure from the fandom, particularly over the decision to create new shows that didn’t follow decades of established lore and introduce more female leads and characters from diverse backgrounds in the name of a social agenda (as if Star Wars hasn’t always been a political statement), marred her tenure.
“It has been a true privilege to spend more than a decade working alongside the extraordinary talent at Lucasfilm,” Kennedy said in a statement. “Their creativity and dedication have been an inspiration, and I’m deeply proud of what we’ve accomplished together. I’m excited to continue developing films and television with both longtime collaborators and fresh voices who represent the future of storytelling.”
Before serving as the Star Wars overlord, Kennedy was an assistant to Steven Spielberg and notched eight best picture Oscars nominations on titles such as The Sixth Sense and Lincoln, with credits on other top-grossing titles that include Gremlins, The Goonies, Poltergeist, Back to the Future, E.T., and the Indiana Jones series. The streak of success impressed Lucasfilm founder and Star Wars creator George Lucas, who hand-picked her to run Lucasfilm alongside himself.
Filoni, known for fresh, exciting storytelling in many of the studio’s animated shows, including the fan-favourite Clone Wars series, was also mentored by Lucas. All eyes will be on him as he transitions into live-action — which, of course, isn’t quite the same ball game — and charts out the future of Star Wars, but in the meantime, all of his attention is going into the second season of Ahsoka, expected to return sometime this year.
“My love of storytelling was shaped by the films of Kathleen Kennedy and George Lucas,” Filoni said. “I never dreamed I would be privileged to learn the craft of filmmaking from both of them. From Rey to Grogu, Kathy has overseen the greatest expansion in Star Wars storytelling onscreen that we have ever seen. I am incredibly grateful to Kathy, George, Bob Iger, and Alan Bergman for their trust and the opportunity to lead Lucasfilm in this new role, doing a job I truly love. May the Force be with you.”
Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.
Kevin Low
