'Star Wars' head steps down after 14 years

Star Wars studio Lucasfilm has announced that president Kathleen Kennedy is stepping down, ending 14 years at its helm.

Appointed president upon Disney's acquisition of Lucasfilm in 2012, Kennedy oversaw the release of the Star Wars sequel trilogy, standalone films such as Rogue One, and new Disney+ series such as The Mandalorian and Andor. Prior to this, she produced iconic fantasy and sci-fi films such as E.T., Hook, Jurassic Park, and The Sixth Sense, and co-founded production company Amblin Entertainment with Steven Spielberg and Frank Marshall.

"When George Lucas asked me to take over Lucasfilm upon his retirement, I couldn’t have imagined what lay ahead," said Kennedy. "It has been a true privilege to spend more than a decade working alongside the extraordinary talent at Lucasfilm."

The company has not offered the reason behind Kennedy's decision to step down. However, while she is vacating the pilot seat, she certainly isn't retiring — or even leaving the Star Wars universe. Instead, Kennedy will continue her lengthy career by returning to producing full-time, working on upcoming films The Mandalorian and Grogu and Star Wars: Starfighter.

Kathleen Kennedy (right) next to Dave Filoni, one of her successors as head of Lucasfilm. Credit: Christopher Jue / Getty Images for Disney

Meanwhile, Kennedy's former role will be split. Lucasfilm's chief creative officer Dave Filoni will take on a dual role as president, while executive vice president and general manager Lynwen Brennan will step up to serve as co-president.

Having previously served as a director on Avatar: The Last Airbender, Filoni joined Lucasfilm in 2005 and initially worked on its animated offerings such as Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels. He has since expanded to live-action projects, creating Ahsoka and working as an executive producer on The Mandalorian, and was appointed chief creative officer in 2023.

Brennan joined Lucasfilm six years earlier in 1999, becoming president of Industrial Light & Magic in 2009 before climbing to the role of Lucasfilm's general manager and executive vice president by 2024.