Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy has addressed recent reports suggesting her retirement in late 2025. Earlier reports in Puck News claimed she planned to retire at the end of her contract, following a previous consideration in 2024. While Variety dismissed the reports as speculation, The Hollywood Reporter corroborated them.
Kennedy herself has now clarified the situation. According to Deadline, she's collaborating with Disney CEO Bob Iger on a succession plan after thirteen years at the helm. Dave Filoni, creator of Star Wars Rebels and Lucasfilm's current chief creative officer, is reportedly a strong contender for her position. However, Kennedy emphatically stated, “The truth is, and I want to just say loud and clear, I am not retiring.” She added, "I will never retire from movies. I will die making movies."
While acknowledging Lucasfilm will announce a succession plan in the coming months or year, Kennedy confirmed her continued presence at Lucasfilm, overseeing projects including the upcoming Mandalorian movie and a Star Wars film directed by Shawn Levy. She emphasized that stepping down from her presidential role doesn't equate to leaving the company or retiring from filmmaking.
“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.”
Kennedy also refuted claims of being pushed out or needing replacement, stating this was “absolutely not the case” and “could not be further from the truth.” Her tenure has overseen the sequel trilogy (Episodes VII-IX), and the launch of the Star Wars streaming era, encompassing shows like The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, Andor, Ahsoka, Skeleton Crew, and The Acolyte. While some projects, such as Star Wars: The Force Awakens, achieved blockbuster success, others have faced mixed reception, with some, like Solo: A Star Wars Story, experiencing financial losses.
When directly asked by Deadline about stepping down this year, Kennedy responded that she didn’t know “at this stage,” but confirmed the decision would be “100% my decision.” She declined to comment on Filoni's prospects for the top job.
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