General Star Wars News

[danlb_2000]

Puck News reports Kathleen Kennedy is set to step down as Lucasfilm president by the end of the year:

"It’s happening: After years of speculation, and polite urging from observers like me, Kathleen Kennedy has informed Disney, as well as friends and associates, that she will exit as Lucasfilm president by the end of the year, per three sources. Disney and Kennedy’s personal publicist declined to comment.

Not a huge shock, of course. Kennedy will be 72 in June, and the legendary movie producer will have run Lucasfilm for 13 years as George Lucas’s handpicked steward under Disney. Kathy was actually planning to leave last year, I’m told, and had even set up an exit interview with a journalist, but she decided to stay for one more year.

O.G. Puck readers know I’ve been critical of Kennedy’s record at Lucasfilm. She gets credit for reinventing Star Wars for streaming with The Mandalorian, but the hit rate on Disney+ series has been low, especially considering the cost of those shows. And she effectively tossed the Star Wars film franchise into a Death Star trash compactor with three high-grossing yet increasingly desperate and disjointed Skywalker movies, plus two spinoffs, and a parade of high-profile development that led to scrapped projects and disgruntled creatives. Ask a top creator about their experience working with Lucasfilm and you’ll likely get an earful: unclear direction, paralyzed decision-making, extreme aversion to creative risks yet also slavish devotion to a fan base that has become increasingly toxic. Not great.

Kennedy has been telegraphing her exit lately, selling her and husband Frank Marshall’s Malibu house, offloading art, and talking to friends about working with Frank more. She’s also been collecting career honors from everyone from the Austin Film Festival to the American Society of Cinematographers to this week’s Oscar Wilde Awards in L.A. Departing this year will allow a successor to handle the 2026 release of The Mandalorian and Grogu, the first Star Wars movie since 2019’s The Rise of Skywalker. This year she’s got only the second season of Andor, which will likely be an Emmy contender (the trailer looks good), and some kids’ stuff on Disney+.

Who might Disney film chief Alan Bergman choose as Kennedy’s successor? Dave Filoni would be the top internal candidate, I’d surmise, assuming Jon Favreau has little interest. Who else? Let the speculation throughout the Hollywood galaxy begin."

Kathleen Kennedy to Step Down at Lucasfilm

After a mixed 13-year run, the legendary movie producer has informed Disney, as well as friends and associates, that she will exit as Lucasfilm president by the end of the year.

puck.news

I would think Favreau would be a likely choice. Filoni doesn't seem to me like a person who would take a high level position like that, I think he would want to remain closer to the creative work.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

I would think Favreau would be a likely choice. Filoni doesn't seem to me like a person who would take a high level position like that, I think he would want to remain closer to the creative work.

I’m guessing Favreau would say no…filoni is too much geekdom fan and not businessman

They’re gonna have to take an actual chance and go outside the building…which they won’t

They’ve made the easiest slam dunk franchise in Hollywood history a poison pill.

And I don’t blame Kennedy…that’s too easy

 

[Hawkeye_2018]

Do not want Filoni.

 

[mysto]

Bob Iger's next gig! Sort of a hobby for his retirement.

 

[Farerb]

I heard that Rian Johnson is going to replace her.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Do not want Filoni.

Nope. Not interested

Bob Iger's next gig! Sort of a hobby for his retirement.

Ultimately…he is responsible for the failure…not Kennedy

I heard that Rian Johnson is going to replace her.

…don’t start

 

[MagicMouseFan]

…It’s a out f$&@ing time

Agree

 

[Mike S]

I won’t celebrate when Kennedy leaves (not too hard, at least). I’ll celebrate when she leaves alongside everyone at the company that agreed with her direction. Otherwise, nothing changes.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

I won’t celebrate when Kennedy leaves (not too hard, at least). I’ll celebrate when she leaves alongside everyone at the company that agreed with her direction. Otherwise, nothing changes.

Disneys problem is the head of the snake

 

[Serpico Jones]

They’ll pair Filoni with a producer which is what WBD did with DC.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

They’ll pair Filoni with a producer which is what WBD did with DC.

…what a dream arrangement that is

 

[Phroobar]

Maybe she can get a job as a tap dancer?

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Don’t get me wrong…I absolutely…100% think a good, unapologetic Gen X Star Wars fan needs to have the keys to the cameras…

But not filoni…who is at his core a Lucas sycophant/apologist…even the mistakes and forgetting the fanbase before Disney bought it.

No…no…no…

You gotta fix the foundation of the house…not the shingles

 

[Agent H]

If George Lucas isn’t qualified to make Star Wars stuff then riddle me this. Who the heck is?!

 

[erasure fan1]

Ultimately…he is responsible for the failure…not Kennedy

The problem is it's the blind leading the blind. Bobby boy is ultimately responsible, being ceo. But neither person is a creative, at all. So when Kennedy goes to Iger and says, here's my idea, lets lock star wars land in our new movies time line. Or Here's what we're going to do with the legacy characters... Iger is just going to go with it. Jacking up lucasfilm and star wars was a team effort for sure. But I do have to put a large part of the blame on her. Especially being as antagonistic to the fans as she's allowed lucasfilm to be.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

The problem is it's the blind leading the blind. Bobby boy is ultimately responsible, being ceo. But neither person is a creative, at all. So when Kennedy goes to Iger and says, here's my idea, lets lock star wars land in our new movies time line. Or Here's what we're going to do with the legacy characters... Iger is just going to go with it. Jacking up lucasfilm and star wars was a team effort for sure. But I do have to put a large part of the blame on her. Especially being as antagonistic to the fans as she's allowed lucasfilm to be.

I think all those directives were top down…from analysts and marketing studies made by people too young to even know.

In essence: no one under 45 should have had an opinion…because they missed the baseline knowledge needed

They you bring it forward

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

If George Lucas isn’t qualified to make Star Wars stuff then riddle me this. Who the heck is?!

Well…That’s a complicated question

We can go on…and probably will…for 100 pages about this

 

[Willmark]

It’s perhaps legitimate to ask is she an example of the Peter Prinicpal?

I have no strong feelings for her one way or the other. While I grew up with the OT I’m not one of those “she ruined my childhood” type of fans. If anything, post Disney acquisition has been (ETA: “mostly” outside of TLJ) “meh” outside of Rogue One to me.

So the news of her retirement is out there I’m left wondering how much will change as Disney doesn’t seem to have any sort of plan other than its SW, thus it should sell.

IMO - at best one could say its been a mixed bag with the SW output and that’s being kind.

To close, it will be interesting to see who gets control going forward. One also wonders how much this impacts Hedland as Kennedy was one of her biggest supporters?

Interesting times ahead.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

It’s perhaps legitimate to ask is she an example of the Peter Prinicpal?

I have no strong feelings for her one way or the other. While I grew up with the OT I’m not one of those “she ruined my childhood” type of fans. If anything, post Disney acquisition has been more “meh” outside of Rogue One to me.

So the news of her retirement is out there I’m left wondering how much will change as Disney doesn’t seem to have any sort of plan other than its SW, thus it should sell.

IMO - at best one could say its been a mixed bag with the SW output and that’s being kind.

To close, it will be interesting to see who gets control going forward. One also wonders how much this impacts Hedland as Kennedy was one of her biggest supporters?

Interesting times ahead.

I agree with you

I was hard on her at first…but have changed my stance.

The problem is above her pay grade. And will continue to be if they don’t stop and try to figure out why it worked in the first place? Which they never did.

Let’s face it…the only things to really land well are R1 and Mando…it’s not to hard to find the common traits/lineage of those two.

It can be fixed…but on the fans terms…not the board rooms…


And that…is why they fail

 

[erasure fan1]

If George Lucas isn’t qualified to make Star Wars stuff then riddle me this. Who the heck is?!

My pick would be Favreau, but as @Sirwalterraleigh said, I don't think he wants any part of it. To be honest, I'm not sure what qualified person would want it. Star wars is in such a bad state with its direction, and if they actually go forward with any new mainline stuff like the Ray film. It will make it harder to find someone good. Who wants to go under that microscope, especially if the first film isn't well received. I'd want my vision 100% if taking that burden on.