After more than 13 years at the helm of Lucasfilm, is stepping down from the 鈥淪tar Wars鈥� factory founded by .
The Walt Disney Co. announced Thursday that it will now turn to Dave Filoni to steer 鈥淪tar Wars,鈥� as president and chief creative officer, into its sixth decade and beyond. Filoni, who served as the chief commercial officer of Lucasfilm, will inherit the mantle of one of the movies marquee franchises, alongside Lynwen Brennan, president and general manager of Lucasfilm鈥檚 businesses, who will serve as co-president.
鈥淲hen George Lucas asked me to take over Lucasfilm upon his retirement, I couldn鈥檛 have imagined what lay ahead,鈥� said Kennedy. 鈥淚t has been a true privilege to spend more than a decade working alongside the extraordinary talent at Lucasfilm.”
Kennedy, Lucas鈥� handpicked successor, had presided over the ever-expanding science-fiction world of 鈥淪tar Wars鈥� since Disney acquired it in 2012. In announcing Thursday’s news, Bob Iger, chief executive officer of the Walt Disney Co. called her 鈥渁 visionary filmmaker.鈥�
Kennedy oversaw a highly lucrative but often contentious period in 鈥淪tar Wars鈥� history that yielded a blockbuster trilogy and acclaimed streaming spinoffs such as 鈥淭he Mandalorian鈥� and yet found increasing frustration from longtime fans.
Under Kennedy鈥檚 stewardship, Lucasfilm amassed more than $5.6 billion in box office and helped establish Disney+ as a streaming destination 鈥� achievements that easily validated the $4.05 billion Disney plunked down for the company. But Kennedy also struggled to deliver the big-screen magic that Lucas captured in the original trilogy from the late 1970s and early 1980s, and her relationship with 鈥淪tar Wars鈥� loyalists became a saga of its own.
Filoni has established himself almost entirely on the small screen, entering the franchise with the animated series 鈥淪tar Wars: The Clone Wars鈥� and creating the tepidly received Disney+ series 鈥淎hsoka.鈥� Filoni, who first collaborated with Lucas on 鈥淎vatar: The Last Airbender,鈥� has also been an executive producer on 鈥淭he Mandalorian,鈥� 鈥淭he Book of Boba Fett鈥� and 鈥淪keleton Crew.鈥�
Both will report to Alan Bergman, Disney Entertainment co-chairman.
鈥淔rom Rey to Grogu, Kathy has overseen the greatest expansion in Star Wars storytelling on-screen that we have ever seen,鈥� said Filoni. 鈥淚 am incredibly grateful to Kathy, George, Bob Iger, and Alan Bergman for their trust and the opportunity to lead Lucasfilm in this new role, doing a job I truly love. May the Force be with you.鈥�
Before joining Lucasfilm, Kennedy was one of Hollywood鈥檚 most successful producers ever. In 1981, she co-founded Amblin Entertainment with Steven Spielberg and her eventual husband, Frank Marshall. She produced 鈥淓.T.,鈥� 鈥淚ndiana Jones and the Temple of Doom,鈥� 鈥淛urassic Park鈥� and the 鈥淏ack to the Future鈥� trilogy.
At Lucasfilm, her biggest hit came at the start, with 2015鈥檚 The J.J. Abrams-directed film grossed more than $2 billion worldwide. But the subsequent installment, Rian Johnson鈥檚 (2017), was bitterly divisive. The third film, Abrams鈥� (2019), was widely panned by critics and fans, alike.
After 鈥淭he Rise of Skywalker,鈥� 鈥淪tar Wars鈥� went dark on the big screen despite a litany of announced projects. The dry spell is set to be broken in May by Jon Favreau鈥檚 鈥淭he Mandalorian & Grogu.鈥� The intervening years have been marked by streaming successes in 鈥淭he Mandalorian鈥� and 鈥淎苍诲辞谤,鈥� but the future of 鈥淪tar Wars鈥� has felt increasingly uncertain.
Struggles over tone and vision have been frequent. The saw its directors, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, fired during production and replaced by Ron Howard. Most found the mixed-and-matched result blandly disappointing.
More recently, Adam Driver, who played Kylo Ren/Ben Solo in the most recent 鈥淪tar Wars鈥� trilogy,鈥� last year that he and Steven Soderbergh had developed a Ben Solo film with Kennedy and Lucasfilm鈥檚 support for two years before Disney chief Bob Iger nixed it. Fans were so irate that a plane was flown over Disney鈥檚 Burbank studios with a banner reading 鈥淪ave 鈥楾he Hunt for Ben Solo.鈥欌��
Instead, the only 鈥淪tar Wars鈥� movie of Kennedy鈥檚 stewardship to win widespread and prevailing approval from fans was arguably 2016鈥檚 Gareth Edwards鈥� spinoff was also a troubled production, leading to Tony Gilroy, eventual creator of 鈥淎苍诲辞谤,鈥� overseeing reshoots. Yet despite that, 鈥淩ogue One鈥� 鈥� taking place within 鈥淪tar Wars鈥� but outside of the main Jedi storyline 鈥� might be the only film of Kennedy鈥檚 鈥淪tar Wars鈥� reign that managed to both stay true to the space odyssey鈥檚 tone and to break new ground.
Kennedy’s fingerprints will be on many of coming 鈥淪tar Wars鈥� projects for years to come. That includes Shawn Levy’s 鈥淪tar Wars: Starfighter,鈥� with Ryan Gosling, due out in May 2027, and a fleet of other projects in various stages of development.
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