Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy has firmly addressed recent speculation about her retirement, confirming that she has no plans to step away from the film industry. Earlier reports from Puck News suggested that Kennedy, a veteran film producer, was set to retire at the end of her contract in 2025. These reports also mentioned that she had considered retiring in 2024 but chose to delay her decision. While a source close to Kennedy dismissed these claims as "pure speculation" according to Variety, The Hollywood Reporter corroborated Puck's story.
In response to these reports, Kennedy clarified her position in an interview with Deadline. She emphasized that she is currently collaborating with Disney CEO Bob Iger on a succession plan, having been in her role for 13 years. Notably, Star Wars Rebels creator and Lucasfilm's chief creative officer, Dave Filoni, is reportedly a strong contender to succeed her. Despite these discussions, Kennedy was adamant: "The truth is, and I want to just say loud and clear, I am not retiring."
Kennedy further elaborated on her passion for filmmaking, stating, "I will never retire from movies. I will die making movies. That is the first thing that’s important to say. I am not retiring." She acknowledged that Lucasfilm plans to make an announcement regarding her succession "months or a year down the road," but she confirmed her ongoing commitment to the company. This includes her involvement in producing upcoming projects such as the Mandalorian movie and a Star Wars film directed by Shawn Levy of Deadpool & Wolverine fame.
While Kennedy is preparing for a transition from her current role as president, she made it clear that she is not leaving Lucasfilm or the movie industry. She reflected on her journey, saying, "I’m not going to be here forever. 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 any notions of being "pushed aside" or "in need of being replaced," asserting that such claims were "absolutely not the case" and "could not be further from the truth." During her tenure, she has overseen significant projects including the new sequel trilogy (Star Wars Episodes 7-9) and the launch of Star Wars' streaming ventures, such as The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, Andor, Ahsoka, Skeleton Crew, and The Acolyte. While some of these projects have been highly successful, others, like Solo: A Star Wars Story, have faced financial challenges.
When pressed by Deadline on whether she would step down as Lucasfilm boss this year, Kennedy responded that she did not know "at this stage," but affirmed that any such decision would be "100% my decision." She remained non-committal about whether Filoni would be her successor.
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Kathleen Kennedy at the launch of Disney+ Star Wars show the Acolyte. Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney.
