Former Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy is speaking openly about her years leading Star Wars. She is standing behind the deal that brought the galaxy far, far away to Disney. Speaking at Bloomberg’s Screentime event in Los Angeles on October 1, Kennedy called Lucasfilm “a perfect acquisition for Disney,” adding, “it’s what George wanted.”
Kennedy stepped down as president of Lucasfilm earlier this year. She also admitted that leaving the job brought a sense of relief. “These jobs are not easy,” she said, “and stepping into something like that that George had created was an incredible challenge.”
Kennedy also shared a surprising story about the handoff from George Lucas. When Disney bought Lucasfilm in 2012, she asked Lucas whether he had story material ready for the next films. According to Kennedy, he simply replied, “No, no, it’s all here,” and gave her only a couple of paragraphs of his thoughts. That left Kennedy and her team to build the future of the franchise mostly from scratch.
She was honest about how hard it is to please Star Wars fans, who often want very different things from the franchise. “Finding that balance is really the toughest thing,” Kennedy said, talking about telling new stories while respecting what came before.
Kennedy named the projects she is proudest of from her time at Lucasfilm. “I’m incredibly proud of the fact that we were able to create Force Awakens, for instance, which relaunched the franchise,” she said. She also pointed to Andor and The Mandalorian, noting that many people who enjoyed The Mandalorian “were able to sit down with their families” to watch it together.
Not every decision was easy. Kennedy called the choice to replace directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller during the making of Solo: A Star Wars Story “a difficult decision.” She noted it was the only time that happened during her years in charge.
Lucasfilm announced in January that Kennedy would step down after 14 years leading the studio. Dave Filoni took over as President and Chief Creative Officer, and Lynwen Brennan became Co-President. Kennedy is not leaving Star Wars completely, though. She remains a producer on Star Wars: Starfighter, starring Ryan Gosling and due in theaters in 2027. She also plans to work on smaller independent films.
Love it or not, Kennedy’s era reshaped Star Wars. It brought a new film trilogy, hit Disney+ series, and a whole new generation of fans. Now Dave Filoni, who learned from Lucas himself, is leading the franchise into its next chapter.
Do you agree with Kathleen Kennedy that Star Wars was the perfect fit for Disney? What was your favorite Star Wars story from her time at Lucasfilm? Let us know in the comments!
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